THE DECLINE OF SITE VANDALISM IN DADE COUNTY, FLORIDARobert S. Carr
Abstract
Dade County is one of Florida's largest counties of which about 50 percent is within Everglades National Park and Everglades Conservation Areas 2 and 3. The rest of the county is largely situated eastward along the Atlantic Coastal Ridge which supports the sprawling urban development of Miami and the numerous satellite and suburban communities that have grown there since the turn of the last century. Miami's rapid development provided little opportunity for professional archeological investigations prior to the inception of the Metro-Dade Historic Preservation Division in 1978. Work by John Goggin in the area ceased by the mid 1950s and no professional archeological investigations occurred there for almost 20 years after his departure from south Florida. As recently as the early 1970s, all archeological work was being conducted by several avocational archeologists and up to three active archeological societies representing approximately 100 members in total. In addition to amateur archeological investigations that represented a range of work quality varying from fair to terrible, numerous individuals actively dug sites. Many were self-proclaimed archeologists and the others accurately described themselves as treasure hunters or collectors. I am aware of at least ten individuals who were digging sites exclusively for the purpose of collecting artifacts during the early to mid 1970s. These individuals recovered materials from some of the largest and best known sites in Dade County, and in at least one case, made a serious impact on a regionally significant site (8DA45) by disturbing a human cemetery and destroying an adjacent burial mound. One of the most common rationalizations given by these collectors for their actions was that "if they did not remove these artifacts, they soon would be destroyed by developers." By the mid 1970s, collecting activities were so serious that every extant recorded site in Metropolitan Dade County had been dug in. In 1982, Metro-Dade County passed county ordinance No. 81-13 (Appendix), the first in the state of Florida that allowed for the designation of archeological sites and provided penalties for anyone excavating or removing materials from a designated site without a permit. Designations are allowed under the ordinance on both publicly and privately owned properties. In the seven years since the inception of this "historic" preservation ordinance, independent archeological society digging has ceased in the county. Now they only conduct field work under the supervision of the county archeologist. In this time span, only four known cases of collector related infractions have occurred in Metropolitan Dade County. These four cases include vandalism at the Cutler Fossil site (8DA2001) by an avocational paleontologist and his family; the theft of a human mandible from an uncovered grave at the Atlantis site (8DA1082), allegedly by a construction worker; unconfirmed excavations of an east Everglades black dirt midden by two unknown individuals; and most recently, a metal detecting foray onto the Stadium site (8DA411) by an unknown individual after the site was publicized in the local media. Only the first action at the Cutler Fossil site led to legal actions resulting in the return of all materials to avoid prosecution. The other looters have never been identified. In addition to these four cases, I am aware of three other individuals who conducted metal detecting in the city of Miami parks encompassing archeological sites. All three ceased activities when confronted and "donated" all recovered artifacts to the Historic Museum of South Florida, and subsequently moved their metal detecting activities away from these parks. These several cases represent a dramatic decline in the collecting and site vandalism typical of the collector "range wars" that swept southeast Florida in the 1970s. Reasons for the decline are not absolutely clear but several explanations are possible. First, the Dade County ordinance does protect sites and it does have teeth. The ordinance created a position for a county archeologist. The staff archeologist reviews and inspects sites throughout the year and conducts salvage excavations when necessary. This county-supported archeological program largely weakens the rationalization of some collectors that the developers are going to destroy these sites if they don't get there first. In fact, since 1982, over 20 archeological sites and archeological zones have been designated throughout the county, and 14 salvage excavations have been conducted. A second explanation for this decline in vandalism might be related to the shifting demography in the Miami area. There has been a substantial Anglo exodus during the last 20 years as the Hispanic segment of the population continues to increase. All of the artifact collectors known to me during the 1970s were Anglos. In fact, I am aware of only one Hispanic collector in my many years of residence in Miami. Of the ten hardcore collectors mentioned earlier, one is deceased, five no longer actively collect in Dade County because of the ordinance, and the remaining four have since moved to other parts of Florida and apparently continue to dig in those areas. However, if they had stayed, I believe the new ordinance would have discouraged their activities here; several have indicated this to be the case. A third explanation is that the county archeologist maintains open communication and friendly relations with the community's avocational archeologists and collectors. This leads to a good information exchange and further supports the perception that the county archeologist is doing something to preserve and investigate the county's sites. In summary, the decline of site vandalism in Dade County is due largely to the inception of a county ordinance with sufficient sanctions; this has discouraged many old time and potential new artifact collectors. A secondary reason is that the county archeologist maintains good communications with local collectors and amateur archeologists. A final consideration is the migration in the last decade of a number of hardcore collectors out of Dade County to more rural parts of central and northern Florida. It has been my experience that the inception of a well implemented local ordinance has more impact on urban site looting than state and federal laws. A combination of laws that provides for jurisdiction of public and private properties will construct a preservation net that can implement effective sanctions to protect archeological resources on a local and regional basis.
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