What Are The Laws For Beach Detecting

[maxxkatt]

I don't buy that. I don't bother people and mind my own business. NOBODY has the right to tell me to get out of any body of water I am in legally. Cop or no cop. I am polite to everyone I talk to. BUT, I am not going to be pushed around and come back another day. IF a cop wants to learn the laws and understand we will get along just fine. IF a cop wants to push his weight around and try to intimidate me, he is in for a HUGE surprise. I have been talked to over 20 times. I have been harassed by officers only 5 of them. One of the 5 apologized. Four of them gave me citations which were dismissed either before court or in court.

in Florida on the treasure coast beach where the 1715 Spanish treasure fleet of 11 ships sank just off shore some less than a mile in a hurricane the lease owner who paid the state for the recovery rights owns a 3,000 foot radius around the wreck except when a particular wreck is so close that the radius would include the beach. It never includes the beach so that area is fair game for anyone. And there have been beach walkers finding Spanish gold and silver coins on the beach after a storm. This is the Florida law.
But for the most part, in Florida you will have better results looking for gold and silver dropped jewelry in front of expensive hotels.

 

[ScubaDetective]

in Florida on the treasure coast beach where the 1715 Spanish treasure fleet of 11 ships sank just off shore some less than a mile in a hurricane the lease owner who paid the state for the recovery rights owns a 3,000 foot radius around the wreck except when a particular wreck is so close that the radius would include the beach. It never includes the beach so that area is fair game for anyone. And there have been beach walkers finding Spanish gold and silver coins on the beach after a storm. This is the Florida law.
But for the most part, in Florida you will have better results looking for gold and silver dropped jewelry in front of expensive hotels.

Yep. That is where I found it when I was there for three weeks about 6 years ago. 688 coins and one gold ring. Absolutely had a blast. Going back next month for about 10 days. I don't care if I just find Felix pennies. As long as I am out of this frozen piece of ground.

I had a great talk with two officers in Florida when I drifted into a public beach in Daytona. They were awesome after a life guard tried to impersonate a police officer.

 

[scoundrel]

A couple of things. I don't believe there is any law that says you are allowed to keep what is found above the high tide line and below the dune. If there is I would like to see it. Although there have been pretty significant finds on the beaches, that even made the newspapers, and the finder was allowed to keep what was found, if somebody found a chest of gold coins on the beach, I believe the state would try to seize it. Out of greed, if nothing else. Secondly, the treasure salvors rights extend to the 'mean high tide line'. That is a 17 year average of high tide lines. You would need surveyors, to find out exactly where that point is. It could actually be out in the water. And lastly, any re-nourished sand is state land, not private property. So if they renourish a beach behind a resort, and now there is an extra 100 feet of sand going seaward, you can hunt that sand legally. No matter what the resort says. No matter how many lounge chairs they put out there to make it appear as if it is their property.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

A couple of things. I don't believe there is any law that says you are allowed to keep what is found above the high tide line and below the dune. If there is I would like to see it. Although there have been pretty significant finds on the beaches, that even made the newspapers, and the finder was allowed to keep what was found, if somebody found a chest of gold coins on the beach, I believe the state would try to seize it. Out of greed, if nothing else. Secondly, the treasure salvors rights extend to the 'mean high tide line'. That is a 17 year average of high tide lines. You would need surveyors, to find out exactly where that point is. It could actually be out in the water. And lastly, any re-nourished sand is state land, not private property. So if they renourish a beach behind a resort, and now there is an extra 100 feet of sand going seaward, you can hunt that sand legally. No matter what the resort says. No matter how many lounge chairs they put out there to make it appear as if it is their property.

Scoundrel, everything you're saying may be technically true. But ... at a certain point, shouldn't we md'rs employ a bit of "real world" reality ?

For example: The issue of "can we keep the items we find" . Ie.: who owns it ? Well I got news for you: If you want to start down THAT path of splitting hairs and looking at legal technicalities: There is, no doubt, on all Florida beaches (heck, all public land EVERYWHERE), laws that forbid "harvest and remove". It pertains to any park or beach or land feature. So that no numbskull thinks he can go commercially harvest beach sand for sale. Or take home the park benches, etc.... Could such rules apply to individual coins ? OF COURSE (especially a treasure chest).

And don't stop there. If you can't find a lawyer to agree to that, you can simply employ Florida's lost & found laws. Technically any item you find of value (a valuation usually set at $100 or more, etc...) has to be turned in to the police. For proper lost & found law protocols.

It's never ending. You can certainly fret yourself about all the minutia and "what if's?" if you want. Or .... you can just go detecting where everyone else does, who gets totally routinely ignored.