For those who were not able to attend the 2025 City of Venice Hurricane Expo – or for those who did and want a review – videos of all the event’s featured speakers are now available on the City website here. The annual Expo was held in partnership with the Venice Gondolier on May 30, 2025, at the Venice Community Center as a public service for the community.
Arranged by the leader of the Community Association Hurricane Response Team, Mary Rau-Foster, the renowned TV weatherman Bob Harrigan enlightened a packed audience in the River Club with a tour de force of the history, most recent, current, and near future of the weather events which set Florida apart from other states — hurricanes. This event was held on July 8, 2025. See video here.
Bob, an honorary member of the HRT, received a HRT shirt from Mary, and the Venetian Golf club gave him a certificate for a round of golf for a 4-some. We all witnessed Bob’s genuine pleasure and the warm reception he received from the audience. This was his third visit to the Venetian, and it was undoubtedly the best one yet.
Bob told us last year was the worst year for hurricanes on the Sun Coast (Sarasota-Venice) area ever! Although there’s a 2% chance of a major hurricane hitting this year, he emphasized that forecasting a hurricane season is not reliable. However, forecasts are becoming more accurate, and Artificial Intelligence is expected to have a significant impact as landfall for hurricanes becomes smaller.
The intensity of a forecasted hurricane can be wildly inaccurate as it approaches land. The difference between a weak level 3 hurricane and a strong level 3 hurricane is vast. Bob warned us that the period after hurricanes is the most dangerous, with side causes of death like heart attacks and electrocution posing significant risks. He also mentioned that the outer bands of hurricanes can spawn tornadoes, and the warning system needs to be improved to respond quickly.
The Hurricane Response Team with Bob Harrigan showing off his new shirt!
Bob urged us to buy a weather radio. (AM/FM NOAA Emergency Radios are cheap and available from Amazon.)
In a surprising twist, Bob suggested that we need hurricanes to cool off Florida. He argued that if we didn’t have hurricanes, Venice would be too hot to live in.
We will be holding our third class on web and Facebook navigation at the River Club in the bar area on Tuesday, July 22nd at 10 a.m. This class was originally scheduled for 15 July, however, the River Club is closed on that day.
This informal class will provide information on how to navigate the Community Association webpages and how to register and navigate Facebook.
The class will be limited to the first 5 residents who sign up. Please register by Saturday, July 19th by sending an email to vgrccaweb@gmail.com. If you are notified that you have a place in the class, please bring your mobile computing device. You can access the River Club WiFi with the password provided on the wall in the bar area.
Please enjoy the June edition of the Venice City E-News by clicking on the link below. Navigate the City’s e-newsletter by using the left and right arrows on your keyboard, or flip to the next page by using the arrows on the viewing screen. Explore additional resources and information by clicking on hyperlinks. Click here for a view on Facebook July 2025 City of Venice Newsletter. Click here for the website location July 2025 Newsletter.
The next VGRC Community Association Board meeting will be held at the River Club on Monday, July 21st at 10 am. Residents are welcome to give their views!
