By: Mike Blanchard

Good morning Governor Crist. I know that you are a very busy man with many important issues to oversee so I will try to maintain brevity in this letter.

My name is Mike Blanchard and I currently reside in Vero Beach, Florida. I am 41 years of age and had worked in the fields of security & law enforcement in several states (including Florida) for almost 18 years. I have since changed career paths and am now working as a private sector historical shipwreck researcher, recovery diver, and artifact conservator.

I am writing to you to express some serious concerns that I (as well as many other citizens) have in reference to the State of Florida Division of Historical Resources (DHR) and their intentions to present a Rule Change to state legislators this month (November) which mandates the rules and regulations pertaining to the “private sector” research and recovery of historical shipwrecks in Florida’s coastal waters. The rule I am referencing is 1A-31.

I, along with many other professional/amateur “treasure hunters” and concerned citizens, attended a state hearing at the Guana Tolomato Matanzas Auditorium in Ponte Vedra Beach on October 21st, 2008 in which both the State DHR and the people of the State of Florida were fairly represented. The hearing was set forth to discuss Rule 1A-31 and this was an opportunity for the public to present any comments or recommend changes to the proposed rules content. I will not take up valuable time to reiterate the entire content of the meeting and the details of the specific points that were addressed as it was well documented as a matter of public record and I am sure you have access to the transcripts from said meeting and can review them at your discretion and convenience.

My Father always taught me to stand up, speak strong and true, and when you can’t affect change on your own, address the person(s) who can help your cause… hence my letter to you sir.

I just wanted to take a moment to request that you familiarize yourself with the State DHR’s Rule 1A-31 and address the grievances that were presented at the meeting on October 21st as it will have a strong impact on this great state on many levels and has a direct correlation to revenues generated for this state through tourism, employment opportunities, and media/film/tv events.

The basics of the issue are as follows:

The State of Florida Division of Historical Resources and its respective representatives are employed by and have been entrusted by the people of this state to record and preserve our historical resources for our present and future generations. They have an obligation to educate the public about our cultural heritage through the responsible use of media, museums, and hands-on presentations. Furthermore, the State DHR has been entrusted to protect those historical resources from any harm including deterioration caused by the environment, pilfering, and irresponsible handling.

Currently, the State DHR does not have the funding nor the staffing necessary to fulfill these obligations and rare historical artifacts that have been remanded to their care are misplaced, mishandled, and sit decaying in boxes in warehouses, storage units, and probably even garages. Furthermore, as we “speak”, the many historical shipwrecks which remain in the high energy environment of our coastal waters are being subjected to a constant state of ongoing deterioration. The state has not endeavored to save these sites and once again, does not have the funding or nor the staffing to do so.

AND YET… the State DHR demands through its own rule making process, the ability to control all of our historical resources and they have embarked on a campaign to make it impossible if not illegal for the private sector (the people of the state of Florida) to even search for its rightful historical heritage. I would like to know who gave these individuals the right and ability to make up laws without any public input or redress? These individuals work for the people of the State of Florida and their jobs are publicly funded. Why are they making rules to breakdown the very relationships that can strengthen efforts toward the common goal of preserving our historical resources?

Private sector shipwreck recovery has been the foundation for a good 90% of the projects that marine archaeologists and state agencies have had the opportunity to work on and most of what is in the “state’s collection” and public museums were recovered by and contributed by “treasure hunters”.

There should be a spirit of cooperation and every effort should be made to work hand in hand between the DHR/archaeologists and the public/treasure hunters. Private sector shipwreck salvage groups have always endeavored to follow the rules and regulations set forth by the state (and in some cases sustained great personal loss through those efforts).

I don’t know if you are aware of the impact that the DHR’s rule changes will have on Florida, but here’s something to consider sir:

- Private sector shipwreck salvage groups (aka: treasure hunters) were responsible for making the majority of the historical shipwreck discoveries along our coastline to date and the revenue that these discoveries has generated has been immense! Tourists flock to the “Treasure Coast” to meet famous treasure hunters, see the museums that are filled with our contributions, and go to the beaches to “pursue their own dreams of finding some buried treasure”. Outlawing metal detecting and regulating professional private sector treasure hunting intonon-existence would definately be detrimental to the state’s tourism based economy. Not to mention the fact that many newspapers, news programs, documentaries, feature tv shows and motion pictures have been generated by our endeavors and brought revenue to Florida.

- Private sector shipwreck salvage groups are funded by contracts with private individuals and operate with little or no cost to the taxpayers unlike the State DHR which relies upon tax dollars and grants to operate. Clearly the public supports us in our endeavors as we can only continue to work through their personal financial support & faith in our efforts.

- Private sector salvage operations stimulate the economy and generate employment opportunities in this state by employing everyone from historians, researchers, marine archaeologists, artists, photographers, conservators, divers, crew and support staff, marine mechanics, marina personnel, computer technicians, and even electrical/mechanical engineers. We also generate income for numerous metal detector companies and survey companies. And our contributions to the state has ensured job opportunities for state positions like the DHR and state museum personnel. It amazes me that during a time of war, political uncertainty, and economic hardship, that the State DHR would see fit to put forward a rule that would cause many folks to lose their source of income!

And just a last note… the majority of the private sector shipwreck salvage groups operate in a professional and ethical manner and have a strong respect for the natural environment in which we work. We have also endeavored to meet professional standards in our application of marine archaeological techniques during the course of our operations and have contirbuted a great deal to the advancement of underwater technologies.

I ask you, what has the State DHR created, advanced, or done for the people of Florida?

They have denied exploration and salvage permits to the private sector for the last 15 years and hindered progress with regards to the recovery of our historical resources yet they have granted excavation permits to their friends in the universities within two weeks! Why is that?

They have endeavored to make both the amateur metal detecting citizen and the professional private sector treasure hunters out to be “grave robbers” and “shipwreck looters” despite the fact that they perform exactly the same activities using the same techniques as we do to recover historical artifacts. Why is that?

They have scheduled meetings and hearings pertaining to rulings affecting the salvage community in locations that were inappropriate for the majority of the salvage community to attend and during times that were inappropriate for most to attend. Get the picture?

I ask that the Rule Changes for 1A-31 not be passed into legislation without a more substantial evaluation by both the State of Florida and the people of the State of Florida to ensure that it does not contain wording that would make continued private sector historical shipwreck salvage impossible to continue.

I also ask that the State take a good hard look at the DHR’s motivations behind the suggested rule changes and that their tactics for getting the rule change submitted with minimal public scrutiny be investigated.

Well, all that being said, it is my hope that my comments were clear and well stated and I hope that I will have the opportunity to thank you in person sometime in the near future for any efforts that you may extend on the behalf of the private sector shipwreck salvage community and the people of the State of Florida. I hope I never have to ask the question, “Whatever became of the Treasure Coast?”

If you have any questions about my comments or would like to reach me in person, you are welcome to contact me at: home phone 772-569-XXXX or cell phone 772-713-XXXX.

Kindest regards, Mike Blanchard

Editors note:

The phone number for Mr. Blanchard was edited out. If you desire contact with him please submit your request through the main webpage @ www.southerncrosses.com

First of all, when you hear the work ‘Key’ you immediately place a tropical paradise scene in your head. Visions of swaying palm trees, beautiful beaches, serene settings and sunsets…

On the waterfront

Driving to Cedar Key is easy. From hwy 19 located smack dab in the middle of the west coast of Florida, drive west on Hwy 24. When you find Gainesville Florida on the map, just look to the left. Travel west on Hwy 24 until you come to Otter Creek on hwy 19. Still having relatives living here I must temper my views as they just might read my blog. Otter Creek will be the subject of it’s own entirely different story one day as soon as I pick all the ticks off…

Anyhow, keep traveling west on 24. You are going to go through some of Florida’s old country woods. Listen out for gunshots and hunting dogs if you travel off the main highway. Cedar Key appears to be a great destination of the motorcycle enthusiast. I saw large flocks of motorized machines heading both ways all weekend. It’s a nice ride on a cool autumn afternoon. The thick of summer may be a bit different though.

One of my big surprises was Rosewood. I recall bits and pieces of the story, but did not realize that it happened here. You won’t see much of Rosewood from the highway, and I suspect it resembles nothing of the story any longer. Time continues to pass and structures change as days and events fold into the pages of the history books. This page was a terrible bit of history. In 1923 there was a massacre here in which innocent people were lynched, homes burned, and people murdered.The Wikipedia link has the story with photos and additional information. For you geocachers, look up GC1AHE9. ( I guess this means I’ll have to do a post on what geocaching is… )

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosewood_massacre

Keeping to the westbound direction you will pass a turn off for someplace called Shell mound.The GPS coords are on the page attached along with more of a description.

The shack on the water

http://seenorthflorida.com/destinations/shellmound.php

You will be entering Cedar Key when you pass over the first bridge on hwy 24. Slow down, no need to upset the local policeman in town. I saw him with a radar gun, and he wasn’t afraid to use it. Stay well within the posted speed limits. Its easy to creep over 30, so a word to the wise!

Cedar Key rail road bridge trail

Prior to entering town you will pass Grove st. on your left. It’s not very well marked, but just about 75′ down the street, and on the right, is a nature trail. It’s about a half a mile walk to the end where there are remnants of an old railroad bridge. For the Letterboxing hobbyist (I suppose now I’ll have to explain that as well ) there is a letterbox on this trail. I’m the geocacher of the traveling duo and my wife letterboxes. If you use the subscribe feature on this web page you will automatically get the geocaching and letterboxing posts when I get a few minutes to write them. (Signing up is free, no spam, you simply get the updates when written)

Anyhow, its a nice little trail if your up for a short walk in the woods. Otherwise, keep heading into town and you will eventually find the main protion of town, pretty much one street. There is not much here sans the obligatory tourist trinket shops. My wife, having spent her pre-teen years here, has some fond memories of what everything once was.

http://www.tonyschowder.com/about.htm

I realize that all restaurant web sites claim to be the best, have the best food and such, but this place has a lot of local recommendations. Maybe this is were all the motorcycle riders were going… There is also one particular recommendation that supersedes all other reviews, critiques, or opinions. This, from a seafood expert, an acclaimed critical critic of clam chowder, and lover of tasty seafood, my wife. She has given this restaurants clam chowder the highest of praises and ‘golden clam’ award.

I did manage to stop at the waterfront on two separate occasions for lunch. We went to a couple of places that were on the water. I guess it was the potential for the view overlooking the water that originally drew me to the businesses. It’s probably something you might want to check it off your list of been there done that, just to say you did. The water of Cedar Key is somewhat depressing. Its dark and muddy and boasts a viscosity factor of muck. I did see a couple of dolphins working a little bit off shore feeding on presumed schools of mullet.

The restaurant fare was ordinary. Okay, extra-ordinary. Nothing special, an okay value for the money if your hungry. I can not imagine that one restaurant on the block long waterfront is much better than any other. The seafood is trucked in, with the exception of mullet and clams which is local, or so said the waitress. There is nothing spectacular about the view other than it is water and your seated in a seafood restaurant overlooking said water. That about sums it up.

Restaurant row on the waterfront

My wife, and her family grew up here and she described it to me so that it made sense. She told me that she never knew you could see the bottom through the water until she went to the Florida Keys as a teenager. Her brother said he was so impressed with the amazing site of such clear water in the Florida Keys, that he moved there. If you hit the link on the left of the blog’s main page he is the fishing guide in Key Largo…

Granddad fished here when it was a fishing community. Scallops, mullet, red fish, clams, oysters, sponges… it was all here at one time. A time in the past. It provided his family with food on the table and a good means of income. It was an honest and good living while raising children in a small fishing village.

Something happened along the way that changed the flavor of Cedar Key. My brother in law said it was when Carrol O’Connor built the first large set of condo’s on the end of present day Cedar Key. I’m not sure why they are there. The beach is short, muddy, and covered with oyster shells. You will cut your bare feet…

Others say it was the fishing net ban in the 1990′s that put a halt to fishing in the area. There are still oyster fishermen working here, albeit a fraction of what once was. An old family restaurant/bar is now a laundromat. The old school is still there, and the State of Florida built a museum which cost’s a buck to walk into. The museum was depressing. There were a few trinkets pertaining to the railroad, a collection of common shells, a cleaned off rusty axe head, some cedar pencils and metal boxes… just an odd collection of junk. The State of Florida archeology division should be embarrassed. I know that they have vaults full of neat historical artifacts from this era and locale locked away in some Tallahassee building. Most of what is here was donated by local citizens. There is a copy of an old maritime navigation chart or two, nothing special though.

The old railroad bridge crossing, oyster shells

http://www.floridastateparks.org/cedarkeymuseum/default.cfm

The museum embodies my Cedar Key experience.     Extra-ordinary, bland, like a mayo sandwich.

The Key is stuck in-between dimensions, a sort of sideways time-warp between the past and the future. Some folks were as friendly as could be, others gave you that ‘get the hell out of here this is private property’ gaze. Once a very private out of the way locale struggling to become part of the future, while not being openly inviting, creates an odd mix of emotions. There is not much to do here really. One afternoon pretty much exhausts all the creative potential the island has to offer. The prices of real estate and taxes here are in line with what you will find anywhere in the Florida Keys. I’ve not discovered what gives the land here the oppressive monetary value placed on a shack, circa 1960. Some say it’s the artistic community moving in, some say it’s for the rustic appeal. I don’t get it. Should you visit here?

If your driving by, sure, why not. Check it off of your life list of things to do. If your sailing or boating this way… probably not. The water is dark and shallow. You should probably turn your water maker off if your anchored here. I did see one lone sailboat anchored off shore, and presume there is a spot to tie your dinghy to on the dock. Don’t pull onto the beach, the oyster shells will cut your dink up. There is one grocery store in town to walk to where you will pass a bank and a post office, if that is what your looking for. If your in the area for a resupply, take the time to go up the Crystal River and anchor in the basin. Crystal River provides good holding and protection from bad weather.

Tiki tree

Cedar Key… ~yawn~ been there.

I’m certain that once someone on the city council reads my review, I shall have the honor of having my photo placed prominately upon the dashboard of the city police car.