FAQ

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Are you treasure hunters?

Not unless your consider history a treasure, which we certainly do. If you're trying to find hidden riches, this is not the club for you. Items of historical importance, if we find them, will be replaced and location information forwarded to the State of Florida so qualified experts can perform a proper retrieval. If we come across a modern item of importance/value we will do everything we can to reunite it with its proper owner.

How do you know what is ok to do while you're metal detecting?

CODE OF ETHICS
- Obey all laws of your town, county, state, and country.

- Do not trespass; always respect private property and do no metal detecting without the owner's permission.
- It is advisable to get permission in writing, and to get agreement in writing first to avoid disputes regarding the ownership of any subsequent finds.
- Never do anything that might contaminate wells, creeks or other water supplies.
- Respect the country code, leave gates as they are found, do not damage crops, never deliberately disturb wild or domestic animals.
- Never litter, always gather or collect any trash or debris you create or find.
- Leave as little sign of your passing as possible.
- Always use the correct digging or probing equipment to make the least intrusion or marks.
- Always fill in your holes, including ploughed fields and beaches.
- Never throw trash finds back in the hole.
- Report the discovery of any items of possible significant historical value to a local historian or museum in accordance with the latest legislation of your area.
- Never go metal detecting around archaeological monuments.
- Report any live ammunition or other potentially lethal or toxic objects you may find to authorities after carefully noting or marking the location. Do not attempt to move or interfere with any such devices.
- Report all finds to the landowner/occupier.
- Protect the metal detecting hobby by being a good will ambassador at all times.

Who can join?

We welcome anyone who loves history and who also embraces diversity. You should be prepared to tackle some of the tough topics that are often ignored in the history books, because treating everyone equally means understanding exactly how much that has NOT happened through history to this point.

What should I do if I find an artifact?

The first step is the same as if you are lost in the woods: hug a tree!
In other words, stop what you are doing, and do not take action again until you have carefully thought. Your very next step is to call Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer Ms. Kelly L. Chase
On any state owned property, if you find an object more than 50 years old it should be considered an artifact and handled (or really not handled, please!) accordingly. They strongly prefer you not move the object out of its context because information will likely be lost. We spoke with Ms. Chase and she says she will be happy to advise you.
1.800.847.7278 Kelly.Chase@DOS.MyFlorida.com

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