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50-state metal detecting intelligence

Metal Detecting in Manatee County, Florida

Official-source rules, permission pathways, map context and practical next steps—kept separate from the rockhounding atlas.

Metal detecting in Manatee County, Florida

Quick answer: there is no county-wide permission assumption. These verified records show the controlling managing agency, legal status, permit/recovery pathway and verification evidence for specific places in Manatee County, Florida.

8 verified records in this scope.

Universal map & navigation coverage2 independently verified coordinate pins · 8 records with safe map navigation
Wingate Creek State ParkManatee County · FloridaNamed public place map search
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Passage Key National Wildlife RefugeAnna Maria · Manatee County · FloridaSensitive-site safe public reference map search
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De Soto National MemorialBradenton · Manatee County · FloridaVerified access/reference pin
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Lake Manatee State ParkBradenton · Manatee County · FloridaVerified access/reference pin
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Benjamin Confederate Memorial at Gamble Plantation Historic State ParkEllenton · Manatee County · FloridaSensitive-site safe public reference map search
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South Fork State ParkParrish · Manatee County · FloridaNamed public place map search
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Madira Bickel Mound State Archaeological SiteTerra Ceia · Manatee County · FloridaSensitive-site safe public reference map search
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Terra Ceia Preserve State ParkTerra Ceia · Manatee County · FloridaNamed public place map search
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Allowed/restrictedPermit requiredProhibitedRestricted / partialReview

Map meaning: verified coordinate pins identify independently grounded public visitor/access reference points. Query-only records can be resolved on demand as temporary provider search matches; sensitive records use a deliberately broader agency/locality query. Temporary search matches are not stored as verified coordinates. No map mode is a property boundary, detecting zone, archaeological target, or permission boundary.

Prohibited Grade A · 99/100

Wingate Creek State Park

Manatee County · Florida State Parks

Florida State Parks prohibits metal detecting on state park lands except certain coastal beach areas designated by a park manager. This record has no current verified qualifying manager-designated coastal detecting beach, so ordinary recreational…

DecisionProhibitedTrip readyNoPlanChoose Legal AlternativeEvidenceCurrentScopeControlling Rule Scope StoredPrecisionExpress detector-use prohibition or equivalent no-detecting rule
Permit: No Verified: 2026-08-19
Open verified record Google MapOpenStreetMapApple MapsNamed public place map search
Prohibited Grade A · 100/100

Passage Key National Wildlife Refuge

Anna Maria · Manatee County · U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

FWS states Passage Key NWR is closed to all public use. Recreational metal detecting is therefore not an authorized public activity.

DecisionProhibitedTrip readyNoPlanChoose Legal AlternativeEvidenceCurrentScopeControlling Rule Scope StoredPrecisionExpress detector-use prohibition or equivalent no-detecting rule
Permit: No Verified: 2026-08-14
Open verified record Google MapOpenStreetMapApple MapsSensitive-site safe public reference map search
Prohibited Grade A · 100/100

De Soto National Memorial

Bradenton · Manatee County · National Park Service

Metal detecting is prohibited under 36 CFR §2.1 in this National Park Service area. The mapped coordinate is a public visitor/access reference point only and does not expose a search target, artifact location, archaeological…

DecisionProhibitedTrip readyNoPlanChoose Legal AlternativeEvidenceCurrentScopeControlling Rule Scope StoredPrecisionExpress detector-use prohibition or equivalent no-detecting rule
Permit: No Verified: 2026-08-14
Open verified record Google MapOpenStreetMapApple MapsVerified access/reference pin
Prohibited Grade A · 99/100

Lake Manatee State Park

Bradenton · Manatee County · Florida State Parks

Florida State Parks currently prohibits metal detecting on state park lands except certain coastal beach areas when designated by the park manager. No current manager-designated detecting-beach exception is established for this park record, so…

DecisionProhibitedTrip readyNoPlanChoose Legal AlternativeEvidenceCurrentScopeControlling Rule Scope StoredPrecisionExpress detector-use prohibition or equivalent no-detecting rule
Permit: No Verified: 2026-08-14
Open verified record Google MapOpenStreetMapApple MapsVerified access/reference pin
Prohibited Grade A · 99/100

Benjamin Confederate Memorial at Gamble Plantation Historic State Park

Ellenton · Manatee County · Florida State Parks

Florida State Parks prohibits metal detecting on state park lands except certain coastal beach areas designated by a park manager. This record has no current verified qualifying manager-designated coastal detecting beach, so ordinary recreational…

DecisionProhibitedTrip readyNoPlanChoose Legal AlternativeEvidenceCurrentScopeControlling Rule Scope StoredPrecisionExpress detector-use prohibition or equivalent no-detecting rule
Permit: No Verified: 2026-08-19
Open verified record Google MapOpenStreetMapApple MapsSensitive-site safe public reference map search
Prohibited Grade A · 99/100

South Fork State Park

Parrish · Manatee County · Florida State Parks

Florida State Parks prohibits metal detecting on state park lands except certain coastal beach areas designated by a park manager. This record has no current verified qualifying manager-designated coastal detecting beach, so ordinary recreational…

DecisionProhibitedTrip readyNoPlanChoose Legal AlternativeEvidenceCurrentScopeControlling Rule Scope StoredPrecisionExpress detector-use prohibition or equivalent no-detecting rule
Permit: No Verified: 2026-08-19
Open verified record Google MapOpenStreetMapApple MapsNamed public place map search
Prohibited Grade A · 99/100

Madira Bickel Mound State Archaeological Site

Terra Ceia · Manatee County · Florida State Parks

Florida State Parks prohibits metal detecting on state park lands except certain coastal beach areas designated by a park manager. This record has no current verified qualifying manager-designated coastal detecting beach, so ordinary recreational…

DecisionProhibitedTrip readyNoPlanChoose Legal AlternativeEvidenceCurrentScopeControlling Rule Scope StoredPrecisionExpress detector-use prohibition or equivalent no-detecting rule
Permit: No Verified: 2026-08-19
Open verified record Google MapOpenStreetMapApple MapsSensitive-site safe public reference map search
Zone confirmation required – manager-designated coastal beach area only Grade A · 100/100

Terra Ceia Preserve State Park

Terra Ceia · Manatee County · Florida State Parks

Florida State Parks prohibits metal detecting on state park lands except at coastal parks, where detecting may occur only in certain beach areas between the toe of the dune and the high-water line as…

DecisionZone Confirmation RequiredTrip readyNoPlanConfirm Exact Designated Zone Before TravelEvidenceCurrentScopeControlling Rule Scope StoredPrecisionConditional legal exception with unresolved exact spatial designation
Permit: No general permit identified; exact manager-designated beach zone must be confirmed Verified: 2026-08-19
Open verified record Google MapOpenStreetMapApple MapsNamed public place map search