Venice Took Its Neighborhood Parks Back From the County. The Beach Stayed Behind.

On September 30, Sarasota County staff handed the City of Venice the keys to the Venice Community Center and six city-owned parks. City Manager James Clinch said Public Works crews were already handling maintenance and improvements, according to YourSun. The next morning, a new interlocal agreement replaced the one Venice and the County had worked under since 2011.

The agreement splits the parks along a clear line. The City now runs the places tied to daily routines: the shaded courts on West Venice Avenue, the boat ramp on Tarpon Center Drive, the Community Center on Nokomis Avenue. The County kept the regional destinations, the ones that draw people from across South Sarasota County. For anyone who lives here, that split decides who answers when a light is out at the pavilion. It also decides who sets the agenda for the next twenty years of park spending.

The Line the Agreement Drew

The City's announcement framed the change as local control of neighborhood places. Assistant City Manager Roger Omenhiser said in the City of Venice release:

"The transition provides greater local control of neighborhood parks and community facilities while ensuring continued investment in regional destinations that serve residents throughout South Sarasota County."

The County side of the line holds together. Venice Beach and the Brohard Park group are the shoreline. Marina Park is the main public boat ramp downtown. Pinebrook Park stays with the County as an extension of Wellfield Park, which Venice conveyed to the County in 2025 to become a regional athletic complex. Chuck Reiter Park, home of Venice Little League, stays with the County until the league can move to Wellfield, no later than October 1, 2029.

The Venetian Waterway Park makes the split easiest to see. The trail now has two operators, and the Intracoastal Waterway is the dividing line. The agreement runs an initial ten years from October 1, 2026, with options to renew.

Who Picks Up the Phone Now

The City has published new contacts for some parks but not all of them. Here is where each kind of request goes as of this week:

1. Venice Community Center rentals. The City chose VIPAM, the Venice Institute for Performing Arts Management, through a competitive request for proposals to manage, maintain, market and schedule the building. City Council authorized VIPAM to start transitional work on June 23. Georgia Peacock is the main rental contact, at [email protected] or 941-218-3779, ext. 111, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and VIPAM prefers email. General questions go to [email protected]. Bookings, the calendar and the online reservation system are at venicecommunitycenter.com. The City says it may review rental rates and policies.
2. Broken equipment, litter or damage at a City park. Venice Connect uses SeeClickFix, online or in the app. The City says each report is acknowledged, sent to the right department and given status updates.
3. General questions about the transferred parks. Call Public Works at 941-486-2422. Its listed parks staff are Parks Supervisor Scott Marra and Tim George, Superintendent of Facilities, Maintenance and Parks.
4. Picnic shelters at Legacy, Hecksher or Higel. This is where the paperwork hasn't caught up yet. The City's own Legacy Park listing still tells shelter renters to call Sarasota County 311 at 941-861-5000, and no City booking contact appears there. Before a birthday party or reunion, the City parks line above is the more direct call.

Some things haven't changed. The Hecksher Park courts are still first-come, with no court reservations. Beach, Brohard Paw Park and Marina Park questions still go to the County.

The First Plan Written for the Parks Venice Now Runs

Getting the parks back also lets the City plan them. The City has hired GAI Consultants and its Community Solutions Group to write a Parks Master Plan covering nearly 40 parks, natural areas, trails and public spaces. WWSB reported that the consultant's review covers playgrounds, athletic facilities, pickleball, dog parks, tennis courts and outdoor fitness equipment, and that possible improvements at Legacy Park are being discussed.

Two public workshops remain, both at Venice City Hall, 401 W. Venice Ave.:

• Tuesday, October 27, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
• Thursday, October 29, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The resident survey is open at bit.ly/VenicePMPSurvey. Questions about the survey or the plan go to Planning and Zoning Director Roger Clark at [email protected], as listed in the City's October 13 notice.

The weekend before the first workshop, the City holds its annual Make a Difference Day on Saturday, October 24, from 8 to 11 a.m. Volunteers will landscape, mulch, rake and pick up litter at more than 25 City parks, beaches and public spaces. Last October, 471 volunteers between the ages of 5 and 85 took part. Walk-up volunteers can come to the south side of the Community Center near Turin Street at 7:30 a.m. for a drive-through check-in, and lunch follows at 11 a.m. at West Blalock Park. Jim Foubister of One Christ Won City and Together We Can organizes the event with City Public Works staff.

The Regional Side Has a Plan and No Start Date

The County's biggest project in Venice is moving more slowly. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported on October 12 that county commissioners unanimously approved a master concept plan for the Wellfield Regional Sports Complex. The same report said the timeline and funding remain in limbo until voters decide Amendment 3. The County took over the 80-acre park on October 29, 2025.

The concept plan keeps the croquet courts and three soccer fields. It replaces the baseball and softball fields and Letson Stadium, and adds more than 350 parking spaces for a total of about 1,200. Phase 1 calls for one regulation baseball field, two regulation softball fields and two combination fields. Three Little League fields come in later phases. YourSun reported the project estimate at about $40 million. Venice's share is capped at $20 million, and the County has budgeted $3 million for design. For now, the County's park listing still shows the current fields, croquet court, disc golf, playground and pavilion, open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

That timeline matters to the Little League families at Chuck Reiter Park. Their move to Wellfield is what returns Chuck Reiter to the City, and the agreement sets October 1, 2029 as the latest date for that handoff.

What Amendment 3 Means for the Parks Venice Just Took Back

The same vote affects the City's side. Amendment 3 is on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot. The City of Venice estimates it could cut general-fund revenue by about $5.4 million, roughly 10 percent, with the effect phased in during fiscal years 2028 and 2029. The City notes that property taxes fund parks and recreation. Among the possible effects it lists are deferred maintenance on facilities and infrastructure, less capacity for capital projects, and a look at assessments for parks and recreation. The City now runs Legacy, Hecksher, Higel and the rest directly, so those budget questions apply to them. The master plan workshops on October 27 and 29 fall the week before Election Day.

This post reports the City's and County's published estimates and is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Please check your own situation with the right professional.

For daily use, the practical change is simple. Problems at a City park go to Venice Connect or 941-486-2422. Community Center bookings go to VIPAM. The beach, Brohard and Marina Park stay with the County. For more on what is changing around town during the centennial year, see our Venice neighborhood page and our look at the rest of the centennial calendar.

Changes to parks and public spaces affect how a home in Venice is lived in and valued, from walking distance to Legacy Park to time on the water at Higel. If you'd like to talk about what the parks plan or the Wellfield project could mean for your street, Anthony LaPorta is glad to walk through it with you. Let's Connect.