Sandy recovery, sun boost Jersey shore business

BELMAR, N.J. (AP) — Good weather and a wider awareness that the Jersey shore has made great strides in recovering from Superstorm Sandy helped make the second summer after the storm better than the first one.

Many business owners say their profits were up 20 to 30 percent this summer compared with 2013, when the shore was still in the early stages of recovering from the devastating 2012 storm.

Matt Riccelli manages Gee Gee's restaurants on the Manasquan beachfront. He says business was up 20 percent. Riccelli says a big factor is that the memory of Sandy's destruction is fading for tourists.

Real estate agent Jerry Bennett says his business increased by 30 percent on Long Beach Island.

Most shore towns sold more beach passes this summer than they did last year.