Sarasota County gets refund for drainage estimate

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will consider a grant to cover additional funding for the Beach Road drainage improvement project April 30.

In the mean time, Sarasota County commissioners voted to allocate $2.7 million for the stormwater improvements, which include a roughly one-acre retention pond and ultraviolet filtration system on Siesta Key, during an April 23 meeting. The lowest bid for the project exceeded an engineer’s estimate by about $3 million.

Sarasota County Program Manager also told commissioners during an April 23 meeting that Erickson Consulting Engineers, the firm that made the initial estimate for the stormwater improvements, would refund $6,000. The county had paid about $245,000 for the firm to design a pipeline for the project.

“It’s almost a slap in the face to give that small amount back to us,” said Commissioner Christine Robinson, who joined Commissioner Joe Barbetta in criticism of the firm’s original estimate.