Metal Detecting on a Florida beach - permit required???

[GeauxLSU]

I'm going to the beach in and around the Port Charlotte, Florida area in June. I've read that I may need a permit from each county I want to use my metal detector on the beach. Is that true? If so, how do I go about doing this and how much is it? Thanks in advance!

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

Yes, you're in luck. I sell them. $100 each, and I take paypal. Also you must send me 50% of all your finds (you pay postage). Now do the right thing and send me your permit fee. No .... don't thank me .... it's the least I can do for the furtherance of our fine hobby!

 

[GeauxLSU]

Yes, you're in luck. I sell them. $100 each, and I take paypal. Also you must send me 50% of all your finds (you pay postage). Now do the right thing and send me your permit fee. No .... don't thank me .... it's the least I can do for the furtherance of our fine hobby!

I see this forum is no different than many other forums I frequent.
Does anyone know if I need a permit to do this on beaches in Florida?

 

[Tom_in_CA]

It's funny/odd how there'll be a single beach, or a single incident, in a single state somewhere, that has any sort of "rule" or "permit", and ..... from then-on-out, anyone else getting ready to go anywhere close (in that particular state, etc...) remembers it, and wonders "is there a permit where I'm about to go?" Or "is md'ing allowed where I'm about to go?" etc... I've wondered why FL beaches get this question over and over again on forum queeries (verses any other state's beaches). I guess because word of incidents, rules or laws circulated decades ago, from run-ins (perhaps d/t adjacent to sensitive wreck sites or something), and then .... from then on out .... people wonder about ALL Fl. beaches.

The question has come up often enough, that I'm sure if you do forum key word search, you'll find multiple questions and their respective answers. Seems to me that as long as you're on the inter-tidal zone, at all those beaches, and below the higher dunes (for purposes of plant/vegetation habitation/growth), you're ok.

 

[Mzjavert]

Well the County's beach parks site doesn't post any rules. Just mentions you have to follow posted rules. Community Services

As far as beaches adjacent to hotels, you could call the hotel where you'll be staying.

You might also want to post under the Florida section.

Personally the only beach where I've not been able to detect was federal property. Never had to have a permit.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I see this forum is no different than many other forums I frequent.
Does anyone know if I need a permit to do this on beaches in Florida?

NO, you do not need one to hunt, but as moderator and Florida native and resident I do get a cut of every thing you find....

Florida beaches owned by public, you do not need hotel permission to hunt, just do not park in their parking lots or use their property to access beaches...

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[Tom_in_CA]

I would not ask a hotel person "is it ok to hunt?". Because .... well ... for starters, they would do only the same thing you could do already: Look it up. But instead, what they would likely do (same as a lot of md'rs do), is go pass this question up-the-chain, and ask some desk-bound person somewhere. And then, alas, you get the "chain reaction" effect.

For example: There's a true story that someone getting ready to go on a cruise-line through the caribbean. The cruise-ship stops in at various mexican beach resorts. So the cruise-passenger feels that the best thing to do is, to ask the cruise-line ticket-agent person. Sounds logical enough, right? Believe it or not, they got a "no". Apparently their question gets passed up the chain of command (to the cruise-line's lawyer, or whatever), and ..... they got told "no". That gets posted on to forums, and now people are all "riled" up trying to figure out if the answer was d/t the intrinsic fact of a metal detector in ones cabin? (as if it was like drugs, or weapons, or interferes with ships navigation, etc...). Or if the issue was the usage of them at their actual arrival destinations, etc... So, I would not ask hotels, as .... you can simply find yourself a victim of "no one cares, till you ask" routine.

 

[hunter_46356]

Geaux LSU, Don't let Tom and Treasure Hunter fool you there is a little known very old "Poachers Clause " in Local Florida rules for metal detecting. It specifically says if your over the age of 60, and have an over abundance of white chest hair (maybe a little on the back wouldn't hurt either) and wear any color Speedo bathing suit while your detecting, You don't need a permit and may forgo turning over any of your finds to local detectors. LOL Obviously kidding. Depending where exactly you will be detecting you also need to be aware of offshore salvage claims. Most that I have researched include a 3 mile radius usually from a ship wreck. Typically you will find that if you stay between the dune and low tide water mark you will be OK. Believe it or not I've heard they patrol (on the water) the so called wreck sites for poachers and will call the law on you.

 

[j.d.132@outlook.com]

FEEL LIKE YOU ARE ONE OF ONLY TO GIVE AN HONEST ANSWER I AM A MINISTER SO GOD BLESS YOU FOR YOUR HONESTY j.d.132@outlook.com

 

[SeabeeRon]

FEEL LIKE YOU ARE ONE OF ONLY TO GIVE AN HONEST ANSWER I AM A MINISTER SO GOD BLESS YOU FOR YOUR HONESTY j.d.132@outlook.com

Huh??!?

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Huh??!?

I think he was agreeing with the mandate that md'rs in FL are required to send me 50% of all their finds.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

I see this forum is no different than many other forums I frequent.
Does anyone know if I need a permit to do this on beaches in Florida?

No permit needed, just go hunting. I'm Florida resident too, some counties require permits to hunt local parks, not the beaches.

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[Tom_in_CA]

No permit needed, just go hunting. I'm Florida resident too, some counties require permits to hunt local parks, not the beaches.

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Except, as discussed on another thread: Cultural heritage laws might apply, and also FL lost & found laws.

Which is exactly why all FL hunters rush to the police station L&F dept's anytime they find a ring, and exactly why they rush to the nearest state-payroll archie when they find a coin over 50 yr. old.

(I am joking, of course )

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Tom your referring to 1715 fleet leases, a total of about 28 miles and a couple of tiny private beaches so about 30 miles out of Florida's 663 miles of beaches. About 96 % of Florida beaches are open for detecting.

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[Tom_in_CA]

....a total of about 28 miles and a couple of ...

No, I was referring to just state park beaches in general . The state administers scores or your beaches, right ? If so, isn't there the usual catch-all language of cultural heritage ?

Or perhaps it's counties and cities that administer all your beaches ? Or fed ? In any case, whatever public entity administers them, I suspect there will invariably be some minutia of cultural heritage. Or "remove", or L&F wording, etc..

 

[carl de angelo]

i hope you found your answer by now. if not this is what i have gleaned so far. state park beeches require a permit from high tide mark to dune base. some non park areas the water is off limits. this one i read is because of a spanish ship on the first reef out in 10 to 15 feet of water. check with clubs in the area your looking to go. then call the court house there and ask for a permit. you'll get either a WTF, or directions to the appropriate office. wish you luck

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

i hope you found your answer by now. if not this is what i have gleaned so far. state park beeches require a permit from high tide mark to dune base. some non park areas the water is off limits. this one i read is because of a spanish ship on the first reef out in 10 to 15 feet of water. check with clubs in the area your looking to go. then call the court house there and ask for a permit. you'll get either a WTF, or directions to the appropriate office. wish you luck

Sorry, thread is old, summwr is gone but not exactly correct.

State parks are up to the local Ranger, no detecting in the water from roughly Sebastian Inlet to Ft Pierce, in that area you can only hunt from toe of dunes to low mean tide line, rest of the state you can hunt in the water.

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[Tom_in_CA]

.... are up to the local Ranger,...

TH'r: What is the difference between "... needs a permit...", vs " up to the local ranger..." ? I can see how some people would see them as being the same thing. Albeit "permit" seems to imply some sort of paper you have to carry around ? Versus "up the ranger" just means he has to give a verbal.

And ... if a ranger says "yes" to your buddy an hour earlier, and you join up with him an hour later: Is the 2nd person required to ask again ? Or does your buddies earlier "yes" cover for you too ? How about if you go 2 days in a row: Does the first day's "yes" cover the 2nd day too ? Or must you ask each day ? (as if the answer could change overnight?) How about a week later ? A month later ? IS THERE EVER a beach where it's just a "given" that it's ok for all times ? Or must you perpetually pop in at the kiosk and ask over and over and over ?

In CA, if the FMDAC list of rules is to be believed, it has something to the effect of "at discretion of ranger". Which some have interpretted to mean "must ask at each beach". While others assume it means something like "they could ask you to stop" (if they had some issue). But .... in actual practice it's not necessary to "ask". They've just never been an issue.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

TH'r: What is the difference between "... needs a permit...", vs " up to the local ranger..." ? I can see how some people would see them as being the same thing. Albeit "permit" seems to imply some sort of paper you have to carry around ? Versus "up the ranger" just means he has to give a verbal.

And ... if a ranger says "yes" to your buddy an hour earlier, and you join up with him an hour later: Is the 2nd person required to ask again ? Or does your buddies earlier "yes" cover for you too ? How about if you go 2 days in a row: Does the first day's "yes" cover the 2nd day too ? Or must you ask each day ? (as if the answer could change overnight?) How about a week later ? A month later ? IS THERE EVER a beach where it's just a "given" that it's ok for all times ? Or must you perpetually pop in at the kiosk and ask over and over and over ?

In CA, if the FMDAC list of rules is to be believed, it has something to the effect of "at discretion of ranger". Which some have interpretted to mean "must ask at each beach". While others assume it means something like "they could ask you to stop" (if they had some issue). But .... in actual practice it's not necessary to "ask". They've just never been an issue.

To. It is simple in Florida all inland state parks are off limits period, on state parks that border the beaches it is up to the head ranger that runs each park if detecting is allowed.

There are no permits required for any beach except the Treasure coast, there you need a permit to go in the water to detect, the "permit" is to either own the lease for that wreak or be a sub-contractor for that wreak site.

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[Tom_in_CA]

T ......

TH'r , sorry if I wasn't clear: I was asking about FL beaches . Not inland parks. And not talking about "permits" @ treasure coast.

Because didn't you say, at some point in the past, that it's necessary to get permission from the rangers @ the beach too ? That's the permissions I was speaking of. For THOSE : Can you take a stab at the scenarios in post # 18 ?