Urgent help needed TODAY in Clay County, Florida

[Mark S.]

Please give this your immediate attention. We need to act fast to help out our fellow hobbyist in Clay County Florida. That is a neighboring county to Jacksonville.

If you do not already know, Clay County Florida will be discussing a new law to ban metal detecting on all county property.  The law actually goes farther and includes such things as Indian relics and fossils. Basically stating that nothing can be removed from county property. The discussion will take place at the County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday Sept. 8. at 2:00 so we have little time.

I sent emails twice to each commissioner and did not receive a reply. My intent in the emails to them was to find out what prompted this law so we new what approach to take but apparently they are not interested in replying to me.  I also found that this law was discussed in a committee the first part of August. This just recently came to light when someone noticed it in the back of a newspaper under the “legal notices” column. They then posted it on several forums and alerted the FMDAC. We are alerting our entire membership and everyone else to take a moment and contact them.


Here is the county website……… www.claycountygov.com

Here is a link to the PDF file with the text of the bill. I apologize for not copying it here but I was unable to get it to copy.


http://www.myclay.org/docs/2009/BCC/20090908_193/712_Ordinance%20Prohibiting%20Operation%20of%20Metal%20Detectors.pdf


We need to deluge them with emails. Make sure they are calm and well written as we do not want to antagonize anyone. I will add that we can all watch it live as the meetings are broadcast over the internet and previous meetings are available for viewing.


Here are the commissioners emails. Let’s jam their email boxes.

Wendell Davis…..…. Wendell.Davis@co.clay.fl.us

Doug Conkey………. Doug.Conkey@co.clay.fl.us>

Travis Cummings….. Travis.Cummings@co.clay.fl.us

Chereese Stewart....... Chereese.Stewart@co.clay.fl.us

Ronnie Robinson…… Ronnie.Robinson@co.clay.fl.us


We need to act fast as this meeting is tomorrow.  If you are in the area and can attend the meeting then please do. The more people that show up the more influence we will have.

If you don’t think it can happen to you then consider this. In the last year we have seen this pop up unexpectedly in New York City, Louisville and in the state of Wisconsin. If you don’t act now and speak up it will soon be coming to your locality. We need to band together and stop this.


Mark Schuessler
FMDAC Legislative Officer

  

[Dick from NC]

Just sent them and e-mail and told them not to be pinheads and drop the ordance aganist metal detecting in thier county. What is it with government people. The people are the ones that own the county property not the people the the work for the county. 

[Art D]

The outcome of the Commisioner's meeting about this ban can be view at this link, Art...

http://clayfl.swagit.com/player.php?refid=09082009-18

After opening the link, Click on item 17

[Mike Smith]

Thanks for the link but I am in the country and my download speed will not allow me to view the video.

What happened at the meeting?

[Art D]

This is quoted from Mark S. (General Discussion)

A thankyou to all who emailed. An ordinance was passed but not the one proposed on the website. It was changed considerably.

Metal detecting is not allowed on historical or archaeological sites or cemeteries. There are a few more words then that but that is a summary.

We did get their attention as evidenced by a comment made by one of the comissioners at the very end.

I do want to mention that the comissioner that sent out replies (Robinson) was actually on our side. He made a comment in the committee meeting that took place in August that he would not tell someone that they could not use a metal detetor in county parks. He was responsible for making the changes. None of the commissioners were really opposed to metal detecting they were just uninformed.


Mark S.

[Mike Smith]

I am glad our members from around the country could help resolve this issue!

As I look over some of the top forums on the internet, most of the post are from our members on this issue. Thank you for getting out there and posting so the rest of the metal detecting community knows who is leading in these fights. Continue to promote the FMDAC!

I read the local, non FMDAC, club showed up and was allowed to speak on the issue. I thank them for their efforts!

[lords20]

Here is the updated version of the ordinance in Clay County Florida about metal dectecting. The one that is on their web site is old. The one in the PDF file is what i just got today from the county manager.