Lavallette Beach Badge Sales May Surpass Pre-Sandy Numbers In 2015

Lavallette water tower. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

As the anniversary of Superstorm Sandy approaches three years, Lavallette can declare its beaches recovered.

“Dailies are being sold at an incredible rate,” said Councilman Michael Stogdill.

The borough is $68,000 over its beach badge revenue figure for the beginning of August 2014 this year, Stogdill said, and is poised to surpass sales from the same time during the summer of 2012, before Sandy devastated Lavallette and neighboring communities.

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At roughly the same point in the 2012 season, Lavallette had generated $766,200 in badge sales. This year, the borough has generated $764,000 and daily badge sales are stronger. If good weather continues, officials say, Lavallette will outdo itself compared to 2012.

“We saw right after Sandy where a lot of beaches were 80 percent off, we were never close to that,” said Stogdill, explaining that Lavallette didn’t have quite as much ground to make up as its neighbors.

Another interesting tidbit: credit card sales for badges are down this year, and cash sales are up, according to Councilman James G. Borowski.

“I’m glad to see we’re achieving overall savings for our taxpayers,” Borowski said.