Which Venice Parks Answer to City Hall Now?

"We're looking to get a lot of input from our public because that's who uses our parks," Venice Planning and Zoning Director Roger Clark told WWSB in September. When he said it, the City was weeks away from taking back a set of parks it had not run on its own since 2011. Since Oct. 1, it has.

The new agreement between the City of Venice and Sarasota County splits the parks by what they're for. The County keeps the parks that draw people from all over South County. The City takes back the ones you walk to, sit in, and book for a birthday party. The parks you use most often now answer to City Hall, and November is when the City is collecting input on what to do with them.

The Split, Park by Park

The new interlocal agreement took effect Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. It replaces the 2011 agreement and runs for an initial term of 10 years, with options to renew. Here's how it divides responsibility, using addresses from the Sarasota County parks transition notice and the City's Sept. 30 announcement.

Venetian Waterway Park is the odd one out. It's split down the Intracoastal Waterway: the City handles the west side and the County keeps the east side. If you ride the full loop, you now cross from one operator's park into the other's. For questions about the City-run parks, the County directs people to venicegov.com/visit/parks or 941-486-2422.

Why the Line Falls Where It Does

Every park in the County column draws people from well beyond the city limits. Venice Beach and Brohard attract visitors from across the region. The boat ramp serves boaters from all over South County. Wellfield Park, which the City handed over to the County in 2025, is slated to become a regional athletic complex. The City and County have together committed at least $40 million to redevelop it, and Pinebrook Park will be run as an extension of it. The City's stated reasoning is economic: tournaments and sporting events bring visitors who spend money at local restaurants, shops and hotels.

The City column is the everyday list: the Hecksher Park playground and courts, the Higel Marine Park waterfront on the island, Legacy Park along East Venice Avenue, and the Community Center downtown. Assistant City Manager Roger Omenhiser said in the City's announcement that 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." He told Bay News 9 the change allows for "more efficient operation and management."

In short, the County runs the regional draws and the City runs the neighborhood parks. That changes who residents call, and it changes who is asking for their opinion.

The First Change You Can See: The Community Center

The Venice Community Center shows the clearest change so far. City Council approved a contract on June 23, 2026, with the Venice Institute for Performing Arts Management, or VIPAM, a local nonprofit picked through a competitive bidding process. VIPAM will manage, maintain, market and schedule the City-owned building for $280,000 a year over five years, with two optional 24-month renewals.

Here's what that means if you book the space:

• Reservation requests made after Oct. 1 go through VIPAM. The County's notice lists [email protected] as the contact.
• Tentative bookings carried over from before the switch may not be confirmed yet.
• The City said reservation policies, rates and services would be reviewed.

VIPAM pitched itself as a "one-stop shop" for event planning, with food and beverage, audio and lighting, apprenticeships, seasonal pricing and more programming. Bay News 9 reported that sound and light upgrades are planned and that the City's Public Works Department has taken over maintenance of the building. If your club, reunion or recital has used the Community Center for years, check with VIPAM to confirm your date. Don't assume it carried over.

The Plan Being Written for the City's Parks

The City isn't just taking over operations. It's drafting a long-range plan at the same time. Venice hired GAI Consultants, Inc. and its Community Solutions Group to plan for nearly 40 parks, natural areas, trails and public spaces over the next 10 to 20 years. The online survey asks how you use the parks and what facilities or improvements you'd like to see. A summary of a Sept. 21 meeting reported that the survey stays open through Nov. 8. The link is at the top of the City's Parks Master Plan page and on its calendar pages.

The City scheduled two public workshops at City Hall's Community Hall, on Tuesday, Oct. 27, and Thursday, Oct. 29. After the survey and workshops, the process moves into a needs assessment. A YourSun report laid out the order: a needs assessment in the final quarter, a draft plan the following spring, and Council approval in July.

One park is already being discussed. WWSB reported that the City sees Legacy Park as potentially underused and wants ideas for drawing more people to it. Legacy Park is on the City's side of the new split. That means the ideas residents submit this fall go to the same government that will carry them out. Clark's line on the outreach was "More hands make better plans," and WWSB noted the City wants to hear from people who use Venice parks but live outside the city limits as well as from residents.

The Forest That Got There First

City-run parks will take years to plan. Meanwhile, the next green space to open in Venice was built mostly by volunteers. The Venice Urban Forest holds its grand opening on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.

The forest runs nearly two miles along an old railroad line, from the Venice Train Depot to Center Road, parallel to Venetian Waterway Park. Venice Area Beautification Inc., known as VABI, describes the corridor before 2018 as old tracks surrounded by storage lots and asphalt. That year, volunteers began planting native trees. Hurricanes Ian, Helene and Milton later knocked down much of that work, and volunteers replanted it. VABI says the forest now holds more than 5,000 trees and more than 20,000 native plants, with more than 100 bird species documented, plus frog, pollinator and hummingbird habitat.

Some of the funding came from outside. In 2022, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation reported a $100,000 grant for Phase 3 tree planting. It also reported more than $1.5 million in total support to VABI since 1998.

The timing ties into Venice history. VABI presents the forest as a greenbelt that complements the city plan landscape architect John Nolen drew up in 1926, built on his idea of "nature leading the way." This year's Holiday Parade theme, "Golden Traditions," marks Venice's centennial. So a Nolen-inspired corridor is opening in the city's 100th year, while the City is writing a plan for the next 10 to 20 years of its own parks. At the opening, VABI invites people to walk the forest, look for wildlife and meet the people who worked on the project. Plan to start near the Depot end.

November, Park by Park

These dates come from the City's November 2026 calendar.

1. Saturday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m. Old Betsy Birthday Bash.
2. Sunday, Nov. 8. Parks Master Plan survey closes, per the September meeting summary.
3. Monday, Nov. 9, 2:30 p.m. Forestry Fun and Arboretum Walk.
4. Thursday, Nov. 12, 10 a.m. Monthly City Bicycle Ride.
5. Saturday, Nov. 14, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Venice Urban Forest Grand Opening.
6. Saturday, Nov. 21, 8 a.m. Turkey Trot for The Twig, followed by Venice Nights Market & Music at 4 p.m.
7. Saturday, Nov. 28, 6:30 p.m. Venice Holiday Parade. This year marks the parade's 50th anniversary, the city's centennial and America's 250th birthday.

Parks are a big part of what a home in Venice actually comes with day to day: how close you are to Hecksher or Legacy, how long it takes to reach the Waterway Park trail, whether the Community Center can host your family's next party. If you'd like to talk through how the City's new role in those parks figures into your plans on either side of a sale, Gerry Tomchinsky is glad to go over it with you directly. Let's Connect.