The Florida Archaeological Survey was founded in 1990 by two doctorate level trained forensic anthropologists. The mission was framed to assist scientists doing fieldwork that involved the identification of human skeletal remains using the latest research from the specialties of bioarchaeology and osteoarchaeology. The FAS works with and provides museum curators with guidance on biological anthropology collections. The FAS team members are experts in the recovery and conservation of human remains and material cultural artifacts.
The FAS is non government entity and has no association with non-existent Archaeological Survey of the State of Florida program that was created in 1935 to curate artifacts from Federal Works Projects and Smithsonian Institute researchers working in the state up to the 1960s.