Sites
Florida's Unique Underwater Heritage
Florida's cultural resources, like its natural resources, are a variety of accessible but fragile assets that help build the state's unique character. Considering our state's vast coastal, river, lake, and spring systems, it is probably safe to say that there are as many archaeological sites under water as there are on land. Threats to underwater sites come from several activities in Florida including development, dredging, trawling, erosion, and looting. Sites that may be in the way of construction or dredging can be protected by altering the path of that activity. When this cannot be avoided, rescue excavation may take place to record and disassemble a site before it is destroyed.
