News Briefs

+ Temporary repair starts on Beach Road repair
Frederick Derr & Co. began construction to temporarily repair the remains of north Beach Road, which collapsed last month after a year of accelerated deterioration.

The firm will take two weeks to complete the fix, according to the Sarasota County website.

County Administrator Randall Reid approved $250,000 of maximum funding for the temporary fix. County Commissioner Joe Barbetta objected to staff plans to tailor the short-term repair to fit a long-term solution (provided by Derr) because it would reduce competition for that contract.

County Engineer Jim Harriott estimated in a memo to Reid a long-term fix would cost $2 million and require extensive permitting.

+ BP settlement slashes local cash prospect
Estimates made by Sarasota County representatives active in the Florida Association of Counties, the organization set up to funnel BP settlement money to localities, fell after the oil company agreed to pay the U.S. $4.5 billion for its role in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

County Coastal Resources Manager Laird Wreford said, during an October meeting of the Siesta Key Association, that analysts thought the settlement would come in between $4 billion and $21 billion, with analysts forecasting the number at the high end of the spectrum.

The amount the county could receive from the settlement is roughly 10% of the total paid out by BP.

+ Siesta beach project costs came from contractor
The estimated construction costs of the Siesta Key beach public improvement project grew $4.6 million to $21.4 million between a 2011 Sarasota County Commission presentation and the most recent draft of the plans.

County Engineer Jim Harriott, in documents charting the course of the project, showed that $4.2 million of the new costs were suggestions from Kimley-Horn and Associates and Sweet Sparkman Architects (formerly ToTEMS) for options including thematic signs.

The biggest increase came from line items that included the residual parking areas not included in the east parking lot item. The west paving budget item jumped $3.3 million in the 14-month timeframe.

Meetings & Agendas
• Library Advisory Board meeting — 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28, Conference Room, Fruitville Library, 100 Coburn Road, Sarasota
• Criminal Justice Commission meeting — Noon Monday, Dec. 3, Third Floor Think Tank, Administration Building, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota
• Siesta Key Village Association meeting — 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, Daiquiri Deck Raw Bar, 5250 Ocean Blvd., Siesta Key
• Sarasota County Commission meeting — 9 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, Commission Chambers, Administration Building, 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota
• Siesta Key Association meeting — 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, St. Boniface Episcopal Church, 5615 Midnight Pass, Siesta Key