Activism awakens in waterfront community

“We're volunteers, and we do the best we can. Something like this is a slap in the face”

For years, residents of waterfront Riviera Beach have paid about $100 in extra annual taxes for their Anne Arundel County community's shoreline, money that has funded everything from dredging projects and bulkhead repairs to fixing the damage from Tropical Storm Isabel.

But in recent months, some residents have started questioning how this little-known special tax district has been managing its money. They have focused on a project that was never put out to competitive bid, even as its costs nearly doubled from the original estimate. And they have cast doubt on the sale of a community-owned piece of land to a contractor. Read more