Metal Detecting on Florida's Treasure Coast (1715 Fleet beaches)

7 locations · 4 limited · 3 allowed

Rules last verified: 2026-08-13 · Florida statewide rules

Sebastian Inlet to Stuart: the beaches where the 1715 Spanish plate fleet went down, and the most famous detecting ground in the United States. Public beaches are generally open, but Sebastian Inlet State Park and parts of Vero Beach are limited to designated zones, and the offshore wreck sites are under active salvage lease — anything that looks old or Spanish belongs to the state. Hunt after nor'easters strip the sand. This is saltwater, multi-frequency territory.

Beaches and parks on the Treasure Coast

🟠 Sebastian Inlet State Park Limited · Indian River County
Only in park-manager-designated coastal beach zone (toe of dune to high-water line); never submerged; CALL AHEAD
✅ Wabasso Beach Allowed · Indian River County
Small scoop/hand trowel only in Indian River County; stay off dunes; never disturb turtle nests
🟠 Vero Beach Limited · Indian River County
Indian River County: digging with anything larger than a small scoop/hand trowel not allowed; stay off dunes
✅ Fort Pierce Beaches Allowed · St. Lucie County
Beach detecting low-tide to toe-of-dune; avoid historic zones south of the inlet and active salvage leases; not in the water without authori…
✅ Stuart & Martin County Beaches Allowed · Martin County
Can't remove natural elements; fill holes
🟠 Fort Pierce Inlet State Park Limited · St. Lucie County
State-park rule: detecting only in the beach zone the park manager designates (toe of dune to high-water line), never in the water; anything…
🟠 Hutchinson Island — St. Lucie County beach parks (Walton Rocks, Frederick Douglass, Waveland, Pepper Park) Limited · St. Lucie County
St. Lucie County Code is silent on metal detecting, but Sec. 32-89(c) bans digging or removing beach sand or making any excavation by hand o…

Hunting the Treasure Coast? Salt water and buried gold call for a waterproof simultaneous multi-frequency machine — the Minelab Equinox 900 is the top pick here. See the Minelab Equinox 900 →

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