Because seashells are important to the islands' chain of life, and because Sanibel and Captiva are refuge islands where all life is considered precious, the State of Florida has outlawed the collecting of live shells on the island.
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The State of Florida has outlawed the collecting of live shells on the island. Live shell is defined as any specimen containing an inhabitant, whether or not the mollusk seems alive. The law also protects sand dollars, starfish, and sea urchins.
Prohibited Sea LifeThe Bahama Starfish and Queen Conch are always prohibited, unless the Queen conch shell is already empty. It's unlikely you would find this shell just sitting on the beach!
The Real Reason Sanibel Has an Abundance of Great ShellsIt's because it's one of the very few islands that run perpendicular to the state of Florida, whereas most islands run the same way as Florida, which causes the ocean currents to have the beaches primarily flushing water downward.
The FEMA 50% rule is a minimum requirement for participation in the NFIP. It limits the cost of improvements (additions, alterations, and/or repairs) to non-conforming structures to less than 50% of the “market value” of structure prior to the start of work.
You shouldn't have any problem as long as they are clean and don't smell. If you collected these yourself from a beach within the EU they aren't likely to be from endangered species, which would be the only probable reason for any restriction.
SAND DOLLARS are tricky but I love chicken salad/deli salad containers for these. If you pack these with paper towels (again, you can use anything for padding for layering- I've even heard people using slices of bread) so they don't move around too much, they will probably make it home without breaking.