FL rules and regs on Intracoastal?

[ClamBob]

Hello all. New to the forum but have been reading posts for some time. I am about to purchase a CZ 20 from Kellyco. Actually went by there place in Winter Springs last week. The nice lady there told me there should be no problem with jumping in the lagoon and detecting so long as I report my finds to the State. Where I would like to go is only wading depth, but I would sure hate for someone to come by and confiscate my nice new detector. Also, in an older post, someone had mentioned the sizes of lease areas of the 1715 Plate Fleet wrecks as a circumference fron the wreck sites. Obviously, this does not extend onto the beach itself, but does it extend into the waters of the lagoon beyond the beach?

Happy Hunting,
BobJ

 

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[Darod]

Clambob,

Read this post as there is some information in it that might help out:

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,2920.0.html

Rod

 

[wreckdiver1715]

Rod, the number on base is 4-8551.
ClamBob; welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your purchase of your new metal detector. I have pulled that posting with the GPS coordinates out of my files and I think you will find it very helpful. Additionally, as fare as I understand it the East coast leases end at the low tide line, and do not extend into the Indian River. I am not aware of anyone searching the river side of the barrier island. However, there was a recent posting indicating that someone had been thinking along those lines.
Florida waters extend out three miles from the low tide line (http://dhr.dos.state.fl.us/archaeology/); except for down in the keys you are looking at about 12 miles out.
I have been told over and over that you can not use a metal detector under water in Florida without a permit, especially along the Treasure Coast of Florida. This is just plain false. There are no Florida laws that prohibit you from diving with a metal detector. It is true however, that you must stay out of leased sites, and out of some protected habitats. Additionally, you must abide by Florida law should you find anything on the bottom and recover it. As a diver you are responsible for knowing these laws and locations before you dive with your detector.
The following excerpt is from the contract between the state and the Mel Fisher group in Sebastian Florida.(http://www.imacdigest.com/)
BENT ANCHOR S32G 27.55.7N X 80.29.12W; East to 27.55.7N X 80.28.57W; South-southeast to 27.53.28N X 80.27.24W; West to 27.53.28N X 80.27.68W; then follow the mean low tide line to point of beginning.
CABIN WRECK S27 27.49.8N X 80.25.55W is the center point of a 3,000 yard radius excluding all land west of mean low tide line.
DOUGLAS BEACH S26 27.25.3N X 80.16.50W is the center point of a 3,000 yard radius excluding all land west of the mean low tide line.
POWER PLANT S25 27.21.2N X 80.13.65W is the center point of a 3,000 yard radius excluding all land west of the mean low tide line.
ANCHOR WRECK S23 27.48.2N X 80.24.70W is the center point of a 3,000 yard radius excluding all land west of the mean low tide line.
SPRING OF WHITBY S23 27.46.0N X 80.23.83W is the center point of a 3,000 yard radius excluding all land west of the mean low tide line.
RIO MAR S23 27.38.3N X 80.20.90W is the center point of a 3,000 yard radius excluding all land west of the mean low tide line.
SANDY POINT S23 27.35.8N X 80.19.65W is the center point of a 3,000 yard radius excluding all land west of the mean low tide line.
UNKNOWN S23 27.19.0N X 80.12.30W is the center point of a 3,000 yard radius excluding all land west of the mean low tide line.
CORRIGANS WRECK S25 27.46.2N X 80.22.67W is the center point of a 3,000 yard radius excluding all land west of the mean low tide line.

 

[ClamBob]

Thank you so much Darod & Wreckdiver.
I have spent the last three or four weeks reading up on the 1715 Plate fleet disaster and it has been very interesting reading, to say the least. Seems to be a lot of disagreement as to exactly how many ships perished. And did the French ship sailing with the Spanish Fleet make it's port or not? My reading indicates between 12 and 14 ships lost. But that's what you get when you read from so many different sources.

I have some other questions involving ballast piles and the such, but I'm not sure if they are better addressed here or in another forum, but here goes anyway.

After the disaster, a "keelboat" was sent to St. Augustine to ask for aid and provisions. Question one: Did a keelboat of that era use any ballast stones?

Question two: If so, would they likely to have been in the form of oversized bricks?

I thought that wreckdiver might know these answers so I am posting here until directed to the wreck forum. All I have been able to find on keelboats has to do with modern day racing.

BTW, I am a Florida native, New Smyrna Beach, but most of my experience has been with a White's 6000 Di around historic locations in the Washington, DC, area. I have found many civil war, revolutionary war, and war of 1812 relics, most of which have little value except to me. You know how that goes. I don't expect to get rich, but I can't think of a better way to waste some time. And who knows?

Happy hunting,
BobJ

 

[billinstuart]

It is my understanding that the submerged lands in Florida, like the Indian River lagoon, are owned by the state of Florida, controlled by the trustees of the state, and are for the use and enjoyment of all citizens. You cannot build a dock without their approval. You can fish without their approval..ya need a license tho. You can dive freely. My guess is that you can use a detector, but anything of archeological or historic you SHOULD split with the state. (Myself, I would give them the same percentage that they give me). Go to the state website, myflorida.com, for more info.

 

[wreckdiver1715]

ClamBob, There were a total of twelve vessels that set sail from Cuba. Today, it is widely believed that the French ship did make it back to her home port, and that the other eleven ships were lost as a result of the hurricane. Of those ships lost that day, only six have been located. That leaves five ships of the fleet that have yet to be located.
It is my understanding that the Keelboat you are referring to did not carry any ballast.
Billinstuart is also correct that all public submerged land in Florida belongs to the State. This includes the intercoastal water way and lakes and streams. So the same rules apply off shore as on the inland water ways should you discover any thing in the shallows on the west side of the barrier island.

Nuestra Senora de la Regla ? known as the Cabin wreck
Urca de Lima aka Santissima Trinidad ? known as the Wedge wreck
Nuestra Senora de las Nieves ? known as the Colored Beach wreck
Santo Cristo de San Roman ? known as Corrigan?s wreck
Nuestra Senora del Carmen ? known as the Rio Mar wreck
Nuestra Senora del Rosario ? known as the Sandy Point wreck
Maria Galante - Missing
Nuestra Senora de la Concepcion ? Missing ? some place on the southern shoal of Cape Canaveral
El Senor San Miguel - Missing
La Olandesa aka San Miguel ? Missing
El Cievro aka La Galleria ? Missing and probably located between Rio Mar and Sandy Point

 

[billinstuart]

I was bumbling around the state site, and came across the specific info you asked about. ALL Florida publically owned waters fall under the archeological recovery guidelines, which requires disclosure, permitting, etc., and violation is a felony. There is an exception for finding items that are occasional in nature (displaced items), but if you find a recognizable site, you better follow the guidelines. This does include the Indian River lagoon.