By Barbara Behrendt, Times Staff Writer
Friday, January 7, 2011
BROOKSVILLE — On Dec. 10, representatives of two dozen marine contractors and subcontractors gathered to talk about the Hernando Beach Channel dredging project.
They asked questions and raised concerns about the bidding process, all in preparation for submitting bids on the long-awaited project to lengthen, straighten, widen and deepen the 3-mile-long channel.
But when it came time to submit bids on Wednesday, only one came forward: BCPeabody. This is the same company county officials just two months earlier had considered giving the job to without any bids at all.
Representatives of several firms that decided not to bid told the Hernando Times this week that their reluctance was tied in large part to the county's current state dredging permit.
Had the county allowed bids on an earlier version of the state permit, which would have been less costly and less ...
