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to make sure that we don't … blindside our commission." The south Siesta Key project discussion came as the commissioners wrestled with a means of providing faster renourishment for South Lido Key without having to rely on the dredg- ing of Big Sarasota Pass. (See the related story in this issue.) Matt Osterhoudt, acting director of the coun- ty's Natural Resources Department, attributed the rising estimate for the Siesta plan to cir- cumstances following Hurricane Sandy's devastation of a wide stretch of the U.S. East Coast in the fall of 2012. Wreford explained to the News Leader that as communities worked to recover from Sandy's onslaught, 2013 "was an unbelievable boom year for firms able to do beach renour- ishment." Only a handful of companies have the capability to undertake such projects, he pointed out. With a huge boost in demand, he continued, a number of firms bought new equipment and hired more workers, and, as in any such supply-and-demand scenario, costs rose dramatically. It appears to have been a relatively temporary situation, Wreford said, "but it was very real." This year, not nearly as many renourishment projects are under way, he noted. Nonetheless, "There is a big question mark" regarding the south Siesta project, he said. "We got a very, very rough preliminary esti- mate" for the much higher cost, he added. A chart shows how funds collected from the Tourist Development Tax are allocated for beach renourishment projects. Image courtesy Sarasota County Sarasota News Leader July 4, 2014 Page 21