Help Archeology: Restore Private Property.(Brief Article)

Richard L. Stroup and Matthew Brown, Deciding the Future of the Past: The Miami Circle and Archeological Excavation. James Madison Institute, Box 37460, Tallahassee, Florida 32315.

Many new projects in the older parts of America s cities are blocked or delayed when historical artifacts are discovered during legally required archeological digs. Stroup and Brown of PERC, an environmental think tank, suggest markets, not mandates, would do a better job of preserving important finds.

Most cities force developers to conduct an archeological dig before beginning construction of a new building. Finding artifacts could result in expensive delays; so there is little incentive to look carefully. Current laws also require archeologists to turn over their finds to museums, but many museums already have far more artifacts than they will ever be able to display or examine.

The government protects archeological sites by the use of eminent domain, but this tool is not effective. In Miami, developer Michael Baumann paid $8 million for a 2.2 acre waterfront site that was found to contain "the Miami Circle," possibly the ruins of a Tequesta Indian temple. The state of Florida and Dade County purchased the land for $26.7 million in 1999. But by blocking the construction of a $90 million apartment complex, the governments lost $1.1 million each year in city ...