Treasure Hunting in Florida

Spanish galleon coast, pirate-era caches, and one of the few U.S. coastlines with documented post-storm shipwreck finds.

Top Florida treasure regions: Treasure Coast (Sebastian–Fort Pierce); Florida Keys; St. Augustine; Apalachicola coast.

Famous documented cases in Florida: 1715 Spanish Plate Fleet wrecks; Atocha-era cargo (Keys); Gasparilla pirate caches.

1715 Spanish Plate Fleet (1715, status: partially recovered): On July 31 1715, a hurricane sank 11 of 12 Spanish Plate Fleet ships off Florida's east coast. Hundreds of millions in gold and silver have been recovered since 1928, but significant amounts remain. Storms regularly redistribute beach finds. Where: Treasure Coast — Sebastian to Fort Pierce, Florida. Land rules: Onshore: legal below mean high tide. Offshore: admiralty contracts and Florida state archaeology law apply.

Terrain in Florida: Beach, dune, mangrove, and shallow reef. Storm-cycle beach detecting is highly productive.

Best seasons for field work in Florida: November–April. Hurricane season brings finds but also danger.

Is metal detecting legal in Florida? Florida state parks ban metal detecting everywhere except designated stretches of coastal beach, between the dune and the high-water line. Anything 50 years old or older found on state land belongs to the state. Most Florida beach detecting happens on city and county beaches, each with its own rules.

Florida state parks are managed by Florida State Parks (https://www.floridastateparks.org/); check its rules before detecting in any state park.