A Restoration Restoration?

Most readers are by now familiar with the devastation wrought to Tigertail beach and lagoon by Marco’s brush with hurricane Idalia.  Marco caught the outer bands of rain and wind as the eye of the storm passed 150 miles to our west, but the results were a total of nine breaches in the installed berm, erosion of many of the installed sand piles and over wash from the Gulf into the lagoon resulting in a lot of sand infiltrating the newly-dredged lagoon. A casual survey suggests 2,000 ft of restoration needs re-restoration.

This should be an embarrassment to the project’s proponents, and to those who profited from the project. But already we see the backers moving with unseemly haste to “restore” the damage. Apparently they’re unfamiliar with the Einstein definition of insanity.

Readers should seek answers to a number of questions before we find ourselves on the hook for further funding this boondoggle. “Why was a mere brush with a hurricane outer wall sufficient to devastate a multi-million dollar project?” “Should Marco expect this every time a storm goes by?” “How much sand has penetrated the lagoon?” and “Whose going to pay for these repairs?” Marco was told by Council the project would cost City taxpayers nothing. Yet we have at least one Councilor advocating for City money.  A full accounting for project performance and lessons learned is required before a reckless recapitulation proceeds.