*** Are YOU A THIEF? Florida law 705.102 ***

[ScubaDetective]

Yes that was on yahoo news recently. IF you find money on the street and do NOT turn it in you can be charged with a felony!!

ALL you FLORIDA detectorists are CRIMINALS!!!

 

[Isaac43]

Yes that was on yahoo news recently. IF you find money on the street and do NOT turn it in you can be charged with a felony!!

ALL you FLORIDA detectorists are CRIMINALS!!!

I found a penny on the street yesterday, must've been ran over 20 times. Am I still a felon?

 

[AceGVSU11]

Well ever since I purchased that sheriffs badge and started wearing it... I turn everything I find in to the new sheriff in town and he is very trustworthy, however never seems to have any luck in finding the owner. He ends up letting me keep everything I give him!

 

[Cfmct]

I found a penny on the street yesterday, must've been ran over 20 times. Am I still a felon?

Of course you are... I suggest you get off the computer and turn yourself in

 

[Dirtfishn350]

If they want the good stuff, I think they should have to take the !!!! too!

 

[Gold Digger 2]

If they want the good stuff, I think they should have to take the !!!! too!

in reality people think we are on a gold mine here on our beaches and truth be known, that is not so,,,,,,we have a ton of hunting pressure for one, and sand movement that is tough, tough, tough, to keep track of to know when a beach has changed,,,,,I sure wish it was easy,,,,,,GL HH

 

[DaviDs]

If i understand correctly, every user that posted finds and did not report them had thereby committed a felony. This is a public forum and every photo/post is like admissible evidence. Maybe I'm wrong, or maybe.... I'm just honestly concerned with the rights of my fellow hobbiests

 

[Flying Dutchman]

We are just bad paid beachcleaners doing some public community service

 

[bmh]

I read a post on this forum where a person found a really nice 1877 IH. I think it was one I lost several years ago...
LOL

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[Cfmct]

If i understand correctly, every user that posted finds and did not report them had thereby committed a felony. This is a public forum and every photo/post is like admissible evidence. Maybe I'm wrong, or maybe.... I'm just honestly concerned with the rights of my fellow hobbiests

So... from this day forward all we will show is junk

 

[dewcon]

I see an awfully lot of POLICE sales down here, not to mention a lot of places we cant hunt in the water because Florida wouldnt get their cut of stuff found. They call us thieves..... But then thats legal isnt it? Every state has those lost or misplaced laws. We all know with out a good lawyer, if the man wants to hassle you ... there is a law, or the IRS. There are laws about any thing over 50 years to... but you have to use the REASONABLE MAN when applying any law and the cost to prosecute....especially for a felony. Like the man said.... WHEN THEY PRY IT FROM MY COLD DEAD FINGER. Ignorance is bliss.... BUT if you feel its the law, by all means do it. Myself.... i sleep well at night.

Dew

 

[Walker614]

Until you piss one off, or one is having a bad day and you're the first person they see.

I always treat LEO's with respect I have no reason to piss one off and if he's having a bad day it wasn't me that caused it and I would simply tell him to have a nice day and leave the area. I highly doubt he's gonna throw me in jail for being in the possession of a bunch of pull tabs, bottle caps, can slaw, and a few clad coins!!




Chris W.

 

[CTCurt]

Ahhhh, another reason not to post my finds. Thanks....

 

[Hook]

then there's the other law: finders keepers!

 

[ScubaDetective]

If i understand correctly, every user that posted finds and did not report them had thereby committed a felony. This is a public forum and every photo/post is like admissible evidence. Maybe I'm wrong, or maybe.... I'm just honestly concerned with the rights of my fellow hobbiests

A picture is just hearsay. Any one of you Floridains could go to a jewlery store and take a picture of a ring and say you found it. Just to BRAG. NO court could convict you on pictures. EVEN if someone CLAIMS that is their ring you posted it would be totally impossible to prove UNLESS it was a unique one of a kind ring like a super bowl ring.

I know all you Florida people lie and say you found stuff just to outdo the rest of us, so I never believe your pictures anyway. BUT I do know where DND found my pot of gold and I have proof and so he should be expecting the police with a search warrant and be prepaired for jail time for messing with my cache.


Just like the law in Michigan about private lakes. ALL landowners own a piece of the lake out to the middle like a piece of a pie. So one landowner lets me on. That means I can play on his piece of pie. IF I go any further on TOP of the lake or anywhere between the top and the bottom I am fine. IF I touch the bottom of the lake on another landowners piece I am tresspassing. HOWEVER, in order to get prosecuted for tresspassing, I have to be told to stay off his property, AND he has to actually see me TOUCH the bottom. The law is the law. Silly as some are.

 

[DaviDs]

Ahhhh, another reason not to post my finds. Thanks....

Right. Florida has the archealogy act for items over a certain age and when combined with this law, they seem to make this a giant set of "blanket laws" over everything found, retrieved, etc.

When I speak with the lawyer, I really want a better understanding of the finders keepers laws and how they are different from salvor rights. Perhaps it is really just a matter of paying for a permit, license, certification, etc?

 

[Zofchak]

We have a similar law here in Michigan, but I have never heard of it being enforced upon metal detectorists. I think the main point of such laws is to prevent actual thieves from using the excuse that they "found" any items in question in order to prevent prosecution. With this law they could still be facing charges for not returning such items to police.


All that said, I still make an effort to return items that I have found if they have identifying marks (Names, class rings with initials, etc). I look at lost jewelry with ID the same way I look at a lost wallet with ID. I'd never think of keeping a wallet full of money if it had someones drivers license in it, why would I keep a bracelet, ring, etc if it was easily returnable?

 

[ohiochris]

Lost or abandoned property......we are talking vehicles , firearms , etc....the things that are normally traced by serial number or vin number.....not coins and rings and things

When you find something possibly traceable to or " probably" involved in a crime or theft then you are crossing the line into something that should be reported but the average loss of coins or jewelry item is a normal circumstance and in most cases untraceable to the one who lost it and not what the law is addressing. You can go way overboard if you overthink this stuff. Its simple , you find an abandoned car or gun or bag of jewelry with a ski mask ....report it..........you find a ring on the beach its yours.

 

[Martin_V3i]

Ohh well.. if you spit on a sidewalk or chase a seagul in massachusetts you can get a $500 fine, if anybody was wondering lol

Can you really get into trouble chasing a seagull?

 

[jwp1964]

Possession truly is 9/10 of the law...


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