If You Metal Detect The Beach, Read This

[Smudge]

Florida is about to pass what it calls SR 868.

This bill makes it illegal to remove anything from an archaeological site. Nothing surprising about that. But it doesn't stop there.

It also says that if you remove an "SPECIMEN" from any state sovereignty land, which includes public beaches, then you are a criminal. No joke.

So if you ever thought of hunting a beach for Spanish cobs, or thought you might find something really old, be prepared to turn it over to the state. Otherwise, you have attempted to remove an aritfact, and that violates the proposed law.

And if it happens here in Florida, it can and will happen elsewhere.

I have never done this before, but I am asking everyone to email the Florida State Legislature, asking them to nix this overreaching bill.

You can go to myflorida.com and find a link to Florida House and Senate.

And time is short. We may be less than 24 hours from it being passed into law.

Thanks for reading.

 

[Elton]

Seems kinda drastic for beach detecting for lost trinkets..

 

[Ron Lord]

The law is being made to protect 9 Archaeological and Historical Sites already owned by the State of Florida. So if you are not digging in or on a historical site or landmark you will be OK .This is an amendment to a law that has be law for a long time now. F. S. 267.13 So stay away from Historical and Archaeological sites and you will be OK.

 

[E-TREC-Virginia]

If that's the case, the law would be no different then what's already in place for North Carolina and South Carolina already.

 

[Smudge]

The law is being made to protect 9 Archaeological and Historical Sites already owned by the State of Florida. So if you are not digging in or on a historical site or landmark you will be OK .This is an amendment to a law that has be law for a long time now. F. S. 267.13 So stay away from Historical and Archaeological sites and you will be OK.

Junklord, I am sorry, but you are wrong. I am not looking to spark an argument here, but please go and read that bill.

It is not limited to archaeological sites. Any sovereign state lands, inlcuding beaches, are covered.

You also do not have to be detecting around a dig site. If you find an archaeological "specimen" on a beach, it is covered by this bill.

This bill is not Armaggedeon for this hobby, but it is significant step to squeezing this hobby out of existence.