Collecting Florida Fossils? // Get a Permit and Stay Legal

Get Your Permit – Stay Legal
If you think you might want to collect a few fossils, make sure you apply for and receive your Florida Fossil Permit in advance. However, it’s not necessary for collecting shark teeth.

Doing the Right Thing Even When No One Is Watching
While some people might tell you there’s no enforcement, or that no one bothers; it’s still a good idea to apply for and receive your Florida Fossil Permit. My dive partner Bill has no interest in collecting bones, so he doesn’t maintain a permit. I do, so I do.
First of all, it’s the law. That’s enough for me. Secondly, our resources are not infinite, and what’s out there doesn’t really belong to me; it belongs to all of us. So, it’s best to be responsible and “do it right.”

Permit Applications
Florida Fossil Permits are $5 a year, you can find it here: Florida Fossil Permit Application and Permit, and they do ask that you send an annual report of your finds.

Prohibited Actions
Even when you hold a Florida Fossil Permit, you are prohibited from destroying, defacing, buying or selling of vertebrate fossils found on or under land owned or leased by the state and on land in state-designated vertebrate paleontological sites.

Your Responsibilities When Collecting
The permittee must abide by all the provisions contained in Florida Statutes § 1004.575-576 and the University of Florida Regulation implementing this law. This means allowing accredited institutions the option for temporary or permanent loan of the fossils you find under permission of your Florida Fossil Permit so they can study, display, or curate them.
*Photos of collections courtesy of Venice Dive Center and Florida West Scuba and Charters.

Fines and Charges
Participating in any of the prohibited actions without first obtaining a Florida Fossil Permit is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of no more than $500 or six month and under imprisonment in the county jail, and the fossil will be confiscated.

Submitting Images of Your Finds
The Florida Museum would like to see digital images of your find, and, in return, they will identify them! Hooray!
You can even post photos on your website, and email them the address! Mailing specimens is also allowed, and they will be returned.

Great Resources
Best of all, there’s a large section on their website about preserving fossils! Removing deposits, preparation, conservation – it’s all covered here, and from the experts. It’s a whole book’s worth of information.
Just having access to this information is worth the $5 a year the Florida Fossil Permit will cost you.

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Thank you Bill for being my scuba buddy! Best Dive Partner EVER!
