Florida's 'Meth Island' is one of more than 4,000 islands in the state. Who owns them?

Florida is famously known throughout the world as the home of some of the most beautiful beaches around the globe, the prominent launch site of the country’s spacecraft and the most magical place on Earth — Disney World.

Florida can now add “Meth Island” to that list after an “impressive” four-story treehouse was discovered on a man-made island near the Dunlawton Bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway in Port Orange, Florida.

In addition to the treehouse, the sprawling complex of wooden structures featured a “welcome center,” a trampoline, towers, campsites and even the beginning construction of a concrete pool.

Citing public safety concerns, Florida law enforcement officials posted 48-hour trespassing signs to vacate the island before crews could come in and begin taking the structures down.

The island, more officially known as Pelican Island, according to South Daytona police Lt. Kevin Pedri, is just one of several islands in the area created from the dredging of the Intracoastal Waterway. And those islands are just some of the more than 4,000 islands of 10 acres or more around Florida.

Before law enforcement could execute the trespassing signs, it needed to receive authorization from a government agency, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, as the state officially owns the island. But what about the thousands of other islands around the state? That gets a bit more complicated.

Who owns Florida's islands?

The short answer is that Florida owns all sovereign submerged land in the state, but it can lease, sublease and even sell that land to private owners in some cases.

When Florida first became a U.S. state in 1845, it was given all of the same benefits as the original 13 colonies under the “equal footing” doctrine of the U.S. Constitution.

Florida's 'Meth Island': 'Safety concerns' prompt trespass notices at squatter camps on island near Dunlawton Bridge

That rabbit hole can be traced back to English Common Law, according to the Florida Bar, which points out that the king held title to submerged land under his influence. When the original colonies transitioned to states, that part of English Common Law stuck and became a background principle of state property law with the state replacing the King as sovereign, according to the Florida Bar.

Can you buy an island in Florida?

Florida Statute allows the Board of Trustees (governor and cabinet) of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund, who holds title to these lands, to lease, sublease and dispose of uplands based on public interest evaluation, which is outlined in Florida Administrative Code Chapter 18-2.

Upon receiving an application to use or purchase upland, which is land higher than wetlands and above the mean high-water line, the trustees will evaluate whether or not the sale would be in the interest of the public.

After a successful sale, an easement would remain in place on the land ensuring uses consistent with Florida’s public trust doctrine.

Florida islands to visit: Eight great Florida islands to visit on your next trip

How many islands does Florida have?

Determining a concrete number is difficult to nail, but most estimates say there are over 4,000 islands.

There are 65 Florida municipalities that exist completely on islands, most of which are located on barrier islands that stretch across about 750 miles of the state’s coast. Approximately 700,000 people live on these islands.

Florida’s major island chains include the Florida Keys, Ten Thousand Islands, the Sea Islands and barrier islands scattered about the Panhandle, the Tampa Bay area and the Southwest Florida Gulf coast.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Florida's 'Meth Island' is state-owned but what about the rest?