I’ve google some of the subjects and so far I’ve found a website selling live sand from Florida by the pound, a site selling macro algae’s collected from Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, sites selling live rock from Florida, And a site selling NSW from Florida, do business get more benefits over the current laws? Or are some of the laws not common knowledge?
Look up the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission's rules and regulation for aquarium and tropical species.
Taking live rock is flat out illegal. That practice directly removes reef or habitat from the ocean. Take Pukani from Fiji for example. Thousands of Americans were buying hundreds of thousands of pounds and the fijians were literally ripping the reef out of the ocean for our hobby. Thankfully that practice has been banned. Now, a person can apply for an aquaculture license and lease and go through years of bureaucracy to find a site and then put terrestrial rock on the site.
You may or may not be able to take sand. I'm not aware of any specific counties that ban it but like I said, with the amount of oil, rubber, sunscreen, fecal matter, et cetera, I wouldn't use it. Not to mention the sand on beaches are not natural. They were put there by governments for tourism. This is ongoing as the mangroves were cleared and the beaches are constantly eroded. Some of these sands are extremely high in silicates and people who have done this have reported a constant battle with diatoms.
Mangroves are flat out illegal. For the reason I just mentioned. They protect the coast. A seed pod can be taken.
Queen conch, all hard corals, and two species of gorgonians, and condi anemones are flat out illegal.
Soft corals, certain fish and other invertebrates will fall under the State's regulations and will require a saltwater fishing license and a live well anytime you are harvesting.
Macro algaes are likely of no concern.
