The five candidates for two open seats on the Venice City Council participated in a lively forum at our River Club on October 6, 2026.
Click HERE (or in title above) to see a video of the entire event (approx. 1 1/4 hrs).
The candidates (from left to right) are:
Seat 5: David Gress and Rick Howard (incumbent)
Seat 2: Sue Perry, Jenny Heussner and Christopher Derbak
This article contains a link to a 7-page presentation on active development projects in Venice as the end of August, 2026.
Click to open a city publication that contains maps of the proposed areas as well as a description of the 30 projects currently being considered.
We have seen various alerts about this topic since at least April, and restrictions have not yet ended. Homeowners should be aware of this not only to avoid being fined but also because it is the right thing to do. Be aware of the distinction between irrigation water and potable (city) water, because the restrictions and penalties are different for each. Irrigation at VGRC (using reclaimed water) is managed by our CDD, who specifies when irrigation can be done depending on your address. Click HERE to open the current CDD schedule. Currently, irrigation is limited to one period per week, usually in the early a.m. hours. Irrigating outside of allowed times can subject you to a warning or fine from our POA, who monitors for compliance. Residents should not attempt to adjust their irrigation timers without full knowledge of the CDD requirements or consultation with their landscaping service, if applicable.
The City of Venice and the SW Florida Water Management District issued a bulletin on April 3 restricting the use of potable water for landscape watering and car washing. Although the bulletin carried an end date of July 1, the restrictions have now been extended to October 1. Watering with sprinklers is restricted to Tuesdays and Thursdays depending on your address, while hand watering or use of soaker hoses may be done any day but only between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. It is a rather complicated formula best seen by clicking HERE to view the City of Venice webpage. Violation of these government restrictions may result in a citation or fine of $75.
Please do your part to understand and comply with these important requirements. [posted July 6, 2026]
As long planned, the Northeast Venice Park on the south side of Laurel Road near Knights Trail opened to the public on June 15. The Venetian was represented at the opening by Community Association (CA) board members Mark Faford, Tom Jones, Steve Hefler and Roger Effron. As reported earlier, the CA has been appointed “sponsor” of this park, meaning we will participate in quarterly inspections to assess the safety and cleanliness of the park. The park’s many features are listed in the email below, sent to demonstrate our commitment to maintaining friendly and constructive relations with our local government. We hope you and your family will avail yourselves of this new attraction. Lastly – if you would like to participate in the Park’s sponsorship group, please drop a line to [email protected]
June 17 email from Community Association Co-Presidents
To: Mayor Pachota and members of the Venice City Council:
On behalf of the Venetian Golf and River Club’s Community Association, we would like to congratulate all City employees-past and present-involved with the planning, financing, engineering, construction and maintenance of the new Northeast Venice Park located on Laurel Road. This new park is beautiful and has exceeded all expectations! Venice residents will be thrilled with the 8 outdoor pickleball courts, fitness trail and equipment, children’s playgrounds, dog parks, restrooms and paved parking area. We think it will be a significant enhancement to the Northeast Venice neighborhood and will show current and prospective residents why living in our city is a great value.
We had the pleasure to personally meet and thank A.J. Ribas of A2 Group Construction, Kelsie Shy of Kimley Horn Engineers, Ricky Simpson, Venice Public Works Director, Tricia Matero, Public Works Administrative Coordinator and, of course, James Clinch, our City Manager. Clearly, this project, started in 2020, required extensive coordination and you all hit a “home run”!
Our Community Association is honored to be chosen to “Adopt” the Northeast Venice Park and we look forward to assisting the city in maintenance of this beautiful park.
Please extend our congratulations to all involved with this amazing new park! A sincere “thanks” to all of you!
Kind regards, Mark Faford and Tom Jones, co-presidents
Venetian Golf & River Club Community Association
Same day reply from Rachel Frank of the Venice City Council
Thank you for your kind words and for taking the time to share your feedback. We are grateful for the Community Association’s ongoing support of the park.
June 1st was not only the first day of the hurricane season, but also the day that Sandra Tapfumaneyi, Chief of Emergency Management for Sarasota County, James Clinch, Venice City Manager and Frank Giddens, Fire Department Chief educated and motivated our community about the need for hurricane preparedness. They presented information on how to prepare for storm emergencies and explained the roles and responsibilities shared by their three organizations in preparing for and responding to storms.
Sandra, James and Frank were each presented with a plaque indicating our appreciation for speaking at our event and for what they do for our community. The members of the HRT had their pictures taken with each speaker.
The River Club room was largely filled with members of the community, some of whom attend this event annually and others who are new to the community. The audience warmly applauded the HRT members who were recognized for their commitment and service. Several photos of this event are shown above.
We encourage residents who are interested in learning about hurricane preparedness and about volunteer opportunities with our HRT to explore the information on the Hurricane Corner page of this website.
The City of Venice hosted another Hurricane Expo on Friday, May 29th at the Venice Community Center. For the second consecutive year, city officials invited our HRT to host a table and to share information with attendees on how to create and maintain a community hurricane response team program. The VGRC was the only community asked to participate and showcase its program, and there was a great deal of interest and appreciation expressed by those who stopped by. A couple attendees said that they had a group of CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) members who are activated after a storm; but unfortunately, most of those with whom we spoke said that there was no team in their community and agreed that one was needed. Handouts with an outline of our program contents and contact information was provided to anyone who was interested. City officials stopped by the booth and, as in the past, applauded the community for such a wonderful program.
Do you have a knack for keeping things running smoothly online? The Community Association is looking for a tech-savvy neighbor to help us maintain and support our community website!
We aren’t looking for a full-time job commitment—just a little bit of your expertise to ensure our digital home stays updated, secure, and user-friendly for everyone in the neighborhood.
What We’re Looking For:
The Community Spirit: This is a volunteer position, perfect for someone who wants to give back and help keep our residents informed.
The Maintainer: Someone to help with regular updates, troubleshooting occasional “hiccups,” and ensuring our information stays current.
The WordPress Whiz (Optional but Awesome): We’d love someone with WordPress experience, but if you’re a general tech enthusiast who’s quick to learn, we still want to talk to you!
Why Help Out?
As we demonstrated in our recent Residents Orientation, our website is the “Wi-Fi” of our community spirit. By volunteering your skills, you’re helping us provide the news, seminars, and community information that make our paradise special.
Interested?
