Metal Detecting the Treasure Coast: The 1715 Fleet, Salvage Rights and What You Can Keep
The 1715 Spanish fleet's wreckage lies along roughly 41 miles of Florida's Treasure Coast, under a federal admiralty case that has given one company exclusive salvage rights since 1982. Here is who controls the beach, the surf and the wreck sites, why there is no hobbyist salvage permit, and what to do if a storm hands you a piece of eight.
On July 31, 1715, a hurricane wrecked the Spanish treasure fleet off Florida's east coast. In the words of the federal appeals court that still supervises its salvage, the shifting tides then "spread and then buried the remains of these ships and their cargo along the coastline": by the time of its 2017 opinion, the court said the wreckage covered forty-one miles of the Florida coastline. That stretch, roughly Sebastian Inlet south toward St. Lucie Inlet through Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin counties, is why the area is called the Treasure Coast, and why every winter storm sends detectorists to the beach.
Three separate legal layers apply, and mixing them up is where most of the bad advice comes from:
- Who manages the beach decides whether you can swing a detector there at all. County and city beaches on the Treasure Coast generally allow it; state parks allow it only in designated beach areas.
- Florida Statutes Chapter 267 decides who owns historic objects on state land and below the mean high-water line (our Chapter 267 guide covers it in full).
- A federal admiralty case filed in 1979 decides who may salvage the 1715 wreck itself, and it isn't the state, and it isn't you.
Who controls what on the Treasure Coast
| Zone | Can you detect? | Who owns historic finds | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dry sand on a county or city beach (Vero Beach, South Beach, Jensen Beach, Stuart Beach) | Yes, where the county or city allows it — the pages on this site found no permit requirement | Not settled by statute for dry sand above mean high water; see the warning below for 1715 material | County and city codes; stay off the dunes |
| State park beaches (Sebastian Inlet, Fort Pierce Inlet) | Only in beach areas the park manager designates, between the toe of the dune and the high-water line, never in the water | The state; visitors can't keep anything over 50 years old | Florida State Parks policy; FAC 62D-2.013(2) |
| Wet sand, surf and water below mean high water | Detecting itself isn't banned off county beaches, but removing historic objects is | The state (sovereignty submerged land) | Fla. Stat. §§ 267.061(1)(b), 267.13 |
| The 1715 wreck sites offshore | No — salvage only by the court-appointed salvor and its subcontractors | Adjudicated each year by the federal court between the salvor and the State of Florida | Salvors, Inc. v. Unidentified Wrecked & Abandoned Vessel (S.D. Fla. No. 9:79-cv-08266) |
| Urca de Lima Underwater Archaeological Preserve (off Fort Pierce) | No collecting — the state stopped issuing salvage permits and opened it as a dive preserve | The state | FAC 1A-31.0045 (no permits in Underwater Archaeological Preserves) |
Checked October 2026 against the Eleventh Circuit's 2017 opinion in No. 16-11246, FAC 1A-31.0015 and 1A-31.0045, Fla. Stat. §§ 267.061 and 267.13, Florida State Parks' metal-detecting FAQ and the National Park Service's Urca de Lima page. County and city beach rules are on each site page.
The federal salvage case, in plain terms
- It started in 1979. On August 17, 1979, Cobb Coin Company filed an in rem admiralty case in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida against the wreck believed to be the Almiranta of the 1715 fleet, off Vero Beach, and recovered a cannon three days later. The court held that possessing the cannon gave it constructive possession of "the wreck itself and everything that is a part thereof, wherever located."
- Exclusive salvage rights since 1982. Florida intervened, claiming the wreck under Chapter 267, but in 1982 the court ruled that federal salvage law governed and made permanent an injunction protecting Cobb Coin's salvage "for as long as it demonstrates the requisite diligence and success." Florida and Cobb Coin settled in 1983, and the court entered a consent judgment.
- Today's salvor. In 2010 the rights were assigned to 1715 Fleet–Queens Jewels, LLC, with the court's and the state's approval. The company works through subcontractors.
- Annual distribution. Each year the salvor files its finds, and the court holds a hearing to adjudicate title between the salvor and the State of Florida, which reserves artifacts for its museums. Notices invite "any and all potential claimants to the artifacts" to file at least ten days before the hearing.
- Why the state can't license other salvors here. The federal Abandoned Shipwreck Act of 1987 gave states title to most historic wrecks in their waters, but it "shall not affect any legal proceeding brought prior to April 28, 1988." The Eleventh Circuit held in 2017 that this 1979 case is still alive, so the Act doesn't reach it.
Florida's own shipwreck permits (FAC chapter 1A-31) — and why they don't help a hobbyist
For historic wrecks that aren't tied up in a pre-1988 admiralty case, Florida's Division of Historical Resources issues two permits under FAC chapter 1A-31: an Exploration Permit "to search for historic shipwreck sites on state-owned sovereignty submerged lands" and a Recovery Permit "to recover archaeological materials from a historic shipwreck site" (rule 1A-31.0015). The chapter is written for commercial salvors, and rule 1A-31.0045 lists where no permit will be issued at all, including:
- vessels under federal admiralty jurisdiction established before April 28, 1988 — which covers the 1715 wreck;
- state parks, aquatic preserves and Underwater Archaeological Preserves such as the Urca de Lima;
- national parks, marine sanctuaries, wildlife refuges and military reservations.
So there is no permit a recreational detectorist can get to recover 1715 material.
A 1715 coin on the beach: what the law settles and what it doesn't
Below mean high water (wet sand, surf, water): historic objects abandoned on sovereignty submerged land belong to the state under § 267.061(1)(b), and removing them without a Division of Historical Resources permit is a crime under § 267.13 — a first-degree misdemeanor, or a third-degree felony if you dig, with the find forfeited.
On a state park beach: Florida State Parks doesn't let visitors keep anything over 50 years old, even from a designated detecting area.
On the dry sand of a county or city beach: Chapter 267 reaches only state-owned land and sovereignty submerged land, so it doesn't clearly cover a coin washed above the high-water line. But the federal court has claimed constructive possession of the 1715 wreck and "everything that is a part thereof, wherever located." We found no reported decision applying that to a hobbyist's beach find, in either direction. The honest summary is that nobody can promise you that a piece of eight from the dry sand is yours to keep.
The safe course is the same in every zone: photograph the find where it lies, record the exact location, and contact the Division of Historical Resources' Bureau of Archaeological Research before you do anything else with it.
Treasure Coast beaches documented on this site
| Site | County | Managed by | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sebastian Inlet State Park | Brevard / Indian River | Florida State Parks | Allowed in designated beach areas |
| Vero Beach Jaycee Park | Indian River | City of Vero Beach | Allowed, no permit |
| Fort Pierce Inlet State Park | St. Lucie | Florida State Parks | Allowed in designated beach areas |
| South Beach (Fort Pierce) | St. Lucie | St. Lucie County | Allowed, no permit |
| Hutchinson Island | St. Lucie / Martin | County beaches; state park at the north tip | Allowed on county beaches; nuclear plant zone off-limits |
| Jensen Beach Park | Martin | Martin County | Allowed, no permit |
| Stuart Beach | Martin | Martin County | Allowed, no permit |
| Bathtub Reef Beach | Martin | Martin County | Allowed on the sand; reef off-limits |
Verdicts as published on each site page, which lists its own sources and verification date. Cocoa Beach, north of the Treasure Coast in Brevard County, is covered separately.
Before a Treasure Coast hunt
- Check who manages the access point: county or city beach, or a state park with designated detecting areas
- In a state park, ask which beach sections are designated, and keep the detector out of the water
- Stay off the dunes and away from marked sea turtle nests (March–October on this coast)
- Treat anything that could be 1715 material — silver cobs, gold escudos, ship fittings — as a find to record and report, not pocket
- Never dig into a reef, the surf-zone wreck sites or the Urca de Lima preserve
- Fill every hole; storm-cut beaches are already unstable
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep a 1715 Fleet coin I find on a Treasure Coast beach?
Not safely. In the water or wet sand below mean high water it belongs to the state under Fla. Stat. § 267.061, and removing it without a permit is a crime under § 267.13. In a state park, visitors can't keep anything over 50 years old. On the dry sand of a county beach the statute is less clear, but a federal court has claimed constructive possession of the 1715 wreck "wherever located." Record where you found it and contact Florida's Bureau of Archaeological Research.
Who owns the salvage rights to the 1715 Fleet?
1715 Fleet–Queens Jewels, LLC holds the exclusive salvage rights first awarded to Cobb Coin Company in 1982 by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The rights were assigned to the company in 2010 with the approval of the court and the State of Florida, and the court divides each year's finds between the salvor and the state at an annual hearing.
Can a hobbyist get a permit to search the 1715 wreck sites?
No. The 1715 wreck is under a federal admiralty case that predates April 28, 1988, and Florida's shipwreck rule (FAC 1A-31.0045) says the state will not issue Exploration or Recovery Permits for such vessels. Those permits are written for commercial salvors in any case. The court-appointed salvor works through its own subcontractors.
Is metal detecting allowed on Treasure Coast beaches?
On most county and city beaches, yes — every county and city beach page on this site for Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin counties found no permit requirement. Sebastian Inlet and Fort Pierce Inlet state parks allow it only in beach areas the park manager designates, between the toe of the dune and the high-water line, and not in the water.
Can I dive or detect on the Urca de Lima?
You can dive it — the National Park Service describes it as open to the public, about 200 yards offshore in 10–15 feet of water north of Pepper Beach Park near Fort Pierce, with a mooring buoy to use instead of anchoring. You can't collect from it: it is a state Underwater Archaeological Preserve, where Florida issues no salvage permits.
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Disclaimer
Information is provided for general guidance only. Regulations change frequently. Always verify current rules with the official jurisdiction before relying on this information for legal decisions. Permitted Pursuits is not a substitute for official agency guidance. Report an error.
Sources
- Salvors, Inc. v. Unidentified Wrecked & Abandoned Vessel (1715 Fleet–Queens Jewels, LLC; Gold Hound LLC), No. 16-11246 (11th Cir. July 5, 2017)(accessed 2026-10-02)
- Florida Administrative Code 1A-31.0015 — Definitions (Exploration and Recovery Permits)(accessed 2026-10-02)
- Florida Administrative Code 1A-31.0045 — Non-permittable Areas and Sites(accessed 2026-10-02)
- Florida Administrative Code Chapter 1A-31 — Procedures for Conducting Exploration and Salvage of Historic Shipwreck Sites(accessed 2026-10-02)
- Fla. Stat. § 267.061 — Historic properties; state policy(accessed 2026-10-02)
- Fla. Stat. § 267.13 — Prohibited practices; penalties(accessed 2026-10-02)
- Florida State Parks — Frequently Asked Questions (metal detecting)(accessed 2026-10-02)
- National Park Service — Urca de Lima(accessed 2026-10-02)
- Florida Division of Historical Resources — Archaeology (Bureau of Archaeological Research contact)(accessed 2026-10-02)
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