Credit Card Convenience Fee Begins November 1, 2025

Fee added to Credit card payments at the River Club 

Starting November 1, 2025, a 2.5% convenience fee will apply to all credit card payments made at the River Club, including dining, beverages, and tennis guest fees. This change was approved by the Venetian CDD Board of Supervisors to offset rising credit card processing costs, which now exceed $30,000 annually and are currently shared by all residents through assessments. The fee is nominal and will only offset a portion of the current losses.

To avoid this fee, please consider paying through your club account using ACH withdrawal or personal check. Click on ACH Authorization Form —return it by email to billing@venetianriverclub.com or drop it off in Accounting or with a member of management at the River Club.  

This change in our practices requires a revision to the VGRC Rules and Regulations and as a result, a public hearing will be held on October 27th at 9:30 am at the River Club. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we continue working to manage costs responsibly and support the long-term sustainability of our community amenities. 

From Venetian CDD Board of Supervisors

Dr. Cortman on being NICE

Dr. Christopher Cortman, a psychologist with over 35 years of experience, captivated the Venetian audience with an engaging presentation on how to stay connected and lead a fulfilling life in later years. The acronym NICE, which stands for Necessary, Invested, Connected, and Exercise, serves as the guiding principle for this journey for a purpose in life. Be active and don’t retire. Be involved in your community, invest in causes you care about, volunteer your time, and nurture your friendships. Social relationships are crucial for your well-being. Exercise regularly and make sure to move about regularly.

See the entire 2025-26 season of Seminars and Events HERE as well as reports and photos at some of last season’s events.

Venice Happenings

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month

Support Cyber Secure America

DHS and CISA Announce Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2025

  • Use strong passwords & a password manager.
  • Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA): Add a vital layer of defense.
  • Recognize and report phishing: Stop scams before they spread.
  • Update software: Patch known vulnerabilities before attackers exploit them.

Venice Water Booster Pump Station Nearing Operations

This article has been updated on October 8.

The Venice Water Booster Station, which has been under construction for 2 years, has received clearance from the Department of Health to operate the tank and pumping system.  The City is currently filling the ground storage tank with fresh drinking water in preparation for the system soon being put into service.  

While originally forecast to be operational in early 2025, integration of the booster system software infrastructure into the Venice water system and supply chain issues have delayed some earlier expectations that the system may be operating in the spring of 2025.  We expect another month before you may notice an increase in pressure. 

The increase pressure will result in increased flow at our fixtures. However, the extent of the impact on our water bills will depend on how much each water fixture is used. For most people, the increase in a bill will be negligible.

View is looking south into the Venetian.

The primary driver for the construction of a water booster station was that the city has but one water treatment plant serving approximately 26,000 residents and growing, from its location near the Intracoastal Waterway. The new Water Booster Pump Station (BPS) is located on the northern portion of an approximately 40-acre City-owned parcel at the eastern end of Gene Green Road adjacent to Sarasota County’s Dona Bay Surface Water Storage Facility.

The booster station was originally intended to begin construction in 2021; however, a protest and subsequent rebidding process set construction back several years.  See HERE for project plan documentation by the City.  

The construction includes a 2-million-gallon tank, a solar field, and water pipelines buried in a covered trench along the Perimeter Road to the north. The top of the above-ground storage tank will not exceed approximately 30’ above the existing grade.  The facility is designed to allow a second 2 million-gallon tank and two additional booster pumps to be constructed on site if NE Venice continues to experience the significant growth in population we have seen over the last two decades. 

An emergency interconnect with Sarasota County’s potable water system was within the Booster Station project work. However, the time needed to secure easements for construction of the interconnect is taking longer than anticipated and the interconnect will need to be constructed as a separate project in the near future.  A landscaped berm on the south side of the facility will be built to shield the new facility from view.  Overall, the project cost is estimated to be $23.5 million.

The operations building can function as an emergency operations center for water in the event there is a loss of FPL main power.  Solar power supplements the FPL feed.  Emergency power is supplied by a large diesel powered generator with sound attenuating enclosure.  Noise generation is below ambient noise according to modeling.  The pipelines along the Perimeter Road are 16” potable water mains. 

The photos are recent. During some days over the next week or two, we may experience a decrease in pressure when the booster pumps are turned off to troubleshoot issues and test various scenarios as the technicians continue to fill the 2-million-gallon ground storage tank at a couple hundred gallons per minute. 

A 9-foot high landscaped berm will be constructed as shown on the rendering above to further screen the facility from neighboring residential communities.

The main benefits NE Venice residents will likely see are:

  • More consistent water pressure throughout the day, especially during daily peak demand periods.
  • A couple psi of additional peak pressure being available during low demand periods.
  • Higher pressures for homes and buildings having 2nd-floor water fixtures that don’t already have private booster pump systems installed.

Seaboard – Venice City

Seaboard is an area in Venice City, east of the Intracoastal Waterway, bounded by Venice Ave and US-41 By-pass. Venice City council approved a master plan in March 2025 for the development of the area from light industrial to mixed use and residential. See Venice City webpage for additional information. The plan includes the move of the city’s solid waster and fleet maintenance out of the Seaboard area.

Be Cyber Safe + Savvy Class Tuesday October 21 & 28 at River Club

Gain confidence using your computer and phone. Protect your on-line data. Guard against scams, identify theft and fraud. And much more. See the National Cryptologic Foundation brochure HERE. #1 directive is building strong passwords and using a password manager so you don’t have to remember them nor write a password down. The Community Association will conduct a class on the subject for residents on October 14, 21 and 28 at 10 a.m. in the River Club bar area. Please register by sending an email to vgrccaweb@gmail.com. Please bring your mobile device and use the wifi password posted n the wall in the bar area.

Visit the Venice Farmers Market on Saturday!

Support local businesses and shop fresh by making a habit of visiting the Venice Farmers Market on Saturdays from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. Click here for FAQ and also the map of the vendors. The location is in the parking lot behind City Hall at 401 West Venice Ave. The market is open year round.

City Council Rejects Neal Plan

During an Executive Session of the Venice City Council on August 26, a modest victory was achieved for the residents of North Venice. In a previous session held earlier this year, the proposal to increase the density within the Visteria* community was discussed and ultimately rejected.

Subsequently, the City’s General Counsel engaged a Special Counsel, Mark Bentley, to draft a Mediation Settlement Agreement that would be mutually acceptable to both the City Council and Mr. Neal.

The outcome of the Mediation Agreement was complex and resulted in a 4-3 decision to reject the plan. The primary concern raised in the agreement was related to the requested 65 ft building height variance, rather than density. The agreement stipulated that either the height variance would be accepted, or the agreement would become null and void.

The recent City Council decision effectively prevents Mr. Neal from constructing a 65’ high building as well as increasing the population density of the Visteria* property. 

*Community being built further west along Laurel Road

The numbers within the various communities are the total number of residences built, under construction or planned.

Home Depot may be coming to Venice

According to the August 21st edition of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, the Home Depot will be located near a planned Walmart expected on Laurel Road across from the Laurel-Nokomis School.