Oh great! Just what I need.....more competition!
Sorry Procali, no Peacock bass in this area. You gotta go further south into Felix territory down near Miami where the water doesn't get as cold in the winter. They live in the fresh water canals down down there. A saltwater fishing license for non-Florida residents is 3 day $17, 7 day $30. You can buy on line and they give you a code of some sort that you show to any Game officer that may check you.
Try John's Pass for both fishing and detecting the beach area there. There are 2 fishing piers at Ft. Desoto park that seem popular with fisherman. You can get a permit at the park ranger's office to detect the beach within the park. The Courtney Campbell Causeway is another popular fishing from shore spot. As far as beach detecting, there are numerous public parking lots along Gulf Blvd. that are busy this time of year. Google "Pinellas county public beach parking lots".
Enjoy your stay, but leave me some of the goodies in the sand!