Venice closes on $1.5 million purchase of park land on Laurel Road

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2022/03/08/venice-florida-closes-purchase-laurel-road-park/9423390002/

Staff Report, Published 10:34 ET March 8, 2022

VENICE – The city of Venice has closed on the purchase of a 4.9-acre property at 3560 Laurel Road East, for $1.5 million.

The city plans to create a new park there for northeastern Venice, with possible amenities including passive and active areas, nature and paved walking trails, pickleball courts, a children’s playground and a dog park.

The property must next be rezoned for park use and then a design/build team would be selected, with the design process anticipated to start in October.

The city purchased the land from Border Road Investments, LLC, which is affiliated with Pat Neal and his associates.

The park is being funded through impact fees. Design is anticipated to cost $300,000, with construction anticipated to be between $2 million and $3 million, depending on the amenities at the park.

the City of Venice closed on the purchase of this 4.9 acre parcel on the south side of Laurel Road that will be developed as a park.  PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE CITY OF VENICE

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

2 DEC Venice Christmas Walk

 https://www.google.com/search/venice main street

Thu, Dec 2, 5 – 8 PM

Historic Downtown Venice, FL

101 W Venice Ave #23, Venice, FL

Annual Christmas Walk downtown Venice along the avenues. Live entertainment and light refreshments served in stores. 

Costume Strut in Downtown Venice on Sat., October 30

 https://www.visitvenicefl.org/costume-strut-in-downtown-venice/

VENICE MAINSTREET, October 4, 2021

Show off your Halloween costume in Downtown Venice on SATURDAY, October 30th from 2pm to 4pm! Strut around Tampa, Venice and Miami avenues while you shop and dine in your spooktacular outfit! The east bound lane of West Venice Avenue (from 200 to 300 block section) in downtown Venice will be closed to traffic to allow everyone to enjoy a pedestrian-safe, spacious area to strut your stuff! All ages welcome. Masks are encouraged and social distancing is recommended.

PLEASE NOTE: There will be NO CHILDREN’S PARADE this year.

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

Christmas In July

 

Friday, July 16th and Saturday, July 17th from 10am-4pm

Get ready for the biggest sale of the season at participating locations presented by Venice MainStreet! The businesses in Historic Downtown Venice and beyond will have Christmas themed windows, great discounts and a whole lot more. Register to win one of several gift baskets totaling up to $1,000. Ride the trolley both days from 10:00am – 2:00pm and meet Santa. There’s no place like Venice to celebrate Christmas in July! A special thank you to the Venice-Nokomis Woman’s Club, Venice MainStreet volunteers and Jim Hitt.

Don’t miss a street! Be sure to shop and dine on Miami, Nokomis, Venice, and Tampa avenues!

TROLLEY STOPS

Trolley stops are located at or near Eyes on You (140 W Venice Ave.), Rose & Leo (310 W Venice Ave.), Down Island Way Boutique (225 Miami Ave. W), and Elephant’s Trunk Thrift Shop (595 S Tamiami Trail).

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

Movie Nights at CoolToday Park are BACK! 2nd & 4th Wednesday in June, July & August

https://am.ticketmaster.com/bravesspringtraining/CoolTodayParkSummerMovies21

Enjoy a cheap, easy, fun way to have a night out to remember with the family!

On June 23rd you can watch Avengers: Endgame (PG13) on the big centerfield screen.

The 1st 25 tickets purchased will receive a bag of free popcorn 🍿

Parking is free.

CoolToday Park is the Spring Training Home of the Atlanta Braves 

& is located at 18800 S. West Villages Pkwy, Venice FL 34293 

https://www.facebook.com/CoolTodayPark

Summer Movie Nights presented by Sharky's on the Pier, Fins and Snook Haven

Summer Movie Nights presented by Sharky's on the Pier, Fins and Snook Haven

An easy fun and inexpensive way to have a night to remember with the family. A variety of thrilling movie selections including action and adventure. Don't hesitate to POP by with friends to make this even BUTTER together. 

Dress Up Night June 23rd Avengers Endgame. Family Series July 7th Onward and July 21st The Lion King.  Animal Animation August 11 Tom and Jerry and August 25 Jumanji. 

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

Patriotic Pops and Fireworks

 https://www.thevenicesymphony.org/event/patriotic-pops-and-fireworks/

May 29 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm $10 – $50

The Venice Symphony is BACK LIVE at CoolToday Park, spring training home of the Atlanta Braves, with the second annual Patriotic Pops Concert and Fireworks. Music Director Troy Quinn leads the orchestra in a program of Patriotic tunes and American music from John Philip Sousa to John Williams. SFC Randall Wight, a member of the U.S. Army Field Band since 2005, returns as guest vocalist, performing an Armed Forces Medley, America the Beautiful and more.  Gates will open at 5:30 pm. Concessions will be available. The finale is a spectacular fireworks display.

Tickets are on sale Thursday at Ticketmaster.com, and at the CoolToday box office at 18800 South West Villages Parkway in Venice from 9am to 4pm M-F or by calling the box office at (941)413-5000 from 9am to 5 pm. Tickets are priced from  $15 to $50 with $10 student and active military tickets. Seating is socially distanced and masks are requested when not seated. 

         Presenting Sponsor is the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.  This event is paid for in part by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax. 

 Details

Date:  May 29

Time:  7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Cost:  $10 – $50

Organizers

The Venice Symphony

Atlanta Braves Spring Training

Venue

Cool Today Park

18800 West Villages Parkway

Venice, FL 34285 

Phone:  941-413-5000

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

FantaSea comes to Venice

 https://www.yoursun.com/venice/fantasea-comes-to-venice/article_26f0cc5e-9612-11eb-89c2-9f4bbdb4e1d1.html

• By FRAN VALENCIC Gondolier Social Columnist, April
 7, 2021

From left, Carol Anne Laufenberg, lead cashier, and Pat Mada, volunteer with the Venice Art Center, enjoy welcoming seahorses and mermaids to the facility.

PHOTO BY FRAN VALENCIC

Sea horses and mermaids arrived at the Venice Art Center ready to come alive as FantaSea Venice. Artists selected one of the 47 statues to bring to life. Each statue will have its own unique personality.

Over the next few months the project becomes more exciting with each brush stroke as the white statues take on a rainbow of color thanks to 47 talented artists.

In the end. each creation takes center stage at an auction soiree ready for purchase and a permanent home in Venice and beyond.

Venice Art Center Director Mary Moscatelli supervised the delivery and unpacking of the statues. Kearney Movers unloaded the cargo which traveled for about 22 hours from Nebraska. Icon Poly was the producer.

Over the last few years Venice has experienced the fun of Art Center fund raising projects starting with the Pigs in Paradise. They were a hit around town with some folks challenging themselves to pose for a picture with each one.

Then there were dolphins and turtles and Sea Venice. These brought more excitement and more people came to town to Sea Venice. Now we will celebrate FantaSea Venice. These days the Venice Art Center is in a get ready, get set mode.

After the pigs, turtles and dolphins, getting ready for sea horses and mermaids is a no brainer. Patrick Jaehne, of Patrick Air, one of the sponsors summed the project up best when he said: “After what Venice has been through this past year, it needs this.”

Let the fun begin with FantaSea Venice.

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

Downtown Venice Art Classic

 https://www.eventcrazy.com/Venice-FL/events

Open Date: Sat, Mar 06, 2021 Close Date: Sun, Mar 07, 2021  

Description:

Since 2002. Located on Florida's west coast, Venice is a vibrant town on the Gulf of Mexico, filled with historic charm, natural beauty, and independently owned shops and restaurants. Considered one of the best kept secrets in all of Florida, the community of Venice has a number of special surprises awaiting you. Whether you like shopping in the unique stores of the downtown Venice Main Street district or prefer golfing, boating, or other recreational activities, Venice has it all.

Location:  Downtown

West Venice Avenue at North Park Boulevard, Venice, FL 34285

Additional Features:  Crafts

Hours:10am-5pm

Admission:  Free

Attendance:  65,000

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

Atlanta Braves 2021 Spring Training Guide for Fans

https://tomahawktake.com/2021/02/11/braves-need-know-spring-training-dates-attendance/

By Jake Mastroianni Feb 11, 2021

We are just one week away from Spring Training starting for the Atlanta Braves. Use this as a guide for dates and attendance information. 

It’s been another long offseason for the Atlanta Braves who came up just short in 2020, and then fans had to wait three months for Alex Anthopoulos to make a big splash in free agency bringing back Marcell Ozuna.

But now the time has come, the trucks have left the station and are heading down to Florida to prepare for Spring Training.

Or at least, that’s the plan for now. With COVID, and the situation in Florida, things could change at any moment.

But here is what we know for now about how spring training will work for the Braves and fans.

Braves Report Dates:

Pitchers and catchers are expected to report at CoolToday Park in North Port, Fla. on Thursday, Feb. 18. Most likely they will actually arrive the day before to begin going through COVID protocols.

The team’s first full-squad workout will happen on Tuesday, Feb. 23.

Recently agreed upon health and safety protocols (paid subscription required) will make things a little different.

Spring training will be rolled out in three phases to help keep players and staff socially distanced.

The Roster

On Friday teams will need to announce the 75 players and staff members that they will be taking to Spring Training.

Teams can add and remove players to that list throughout, but can never exceed the maximum amount of 75 players and 75 staff members.

How Braves Games Will Work

Games early in spring training could be as short as five innings. From March 14 on games could either be nine innings or seven innings depending on the players available that day.

The league is currently working on a new schedule for spring training where teams in southeast Florida will exclusively play each other, while the east coast teams play each other.

 Ken Rosenthal Tweet, Feb8, 2021  "MLB in process of finalizing revised Grapefruit League schedule, placing teams in separate “pods” on east and west coasts of Florida, sources tell me and @MattGelb. West-coast teams in FL will play 28 games and east-coast teams 24, making up rest with intrasquad-type matchups."

Rosenthal followed up that tweet by saying that teams “will handle any adjustments necessary with tickets.”

So if you already had your spring training trip planned, you might want to reconsider.

Another thing to note for fans potentially attending games, the back fields will be off-limits. I know that’s a bummer as that’s where most fans usually go to get an up-close look at their favorite players and maybe grab an autograph.

Of course, as of now we don’t know if fans will even be allowed to attend spring training games. The way things are going in Florida I kind of doubt it, but I hope some fans are allowed in.

As we get more information with the updated schedule and fan attendance we’ll be sure to share that with you here at Tomahawk Take.

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179

 

 

20 SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT VENICE FLORIDA

 https://www.mustdo.com/articles/20-surprising-facts-about-venice-florida/

Venice is tucked away 23 miles south of Sarasota in Southwest Florida. Voted one of the Top 10 Happiest Seaside Towns 2015 by Coastal Living, it has much to recommend it. See how many facts you know about this Gulf-front city. We think there are a few things that will surprise even life-long residents! 

1.  Taking its name from its more famous Italian namesake, Venice Florida is a city on water. Separated from the mainland by the Intracoastal Waterway, this coastal city has several bridges and is often called “Venice Island”.

2.  The VMA (Venice Museum and Archives) has over 30,000 photographs, exhibits, and archives housed in the Triangle Inn, built in 1927.

3.  Settled in 1870s, the City of Venice was incorporated in 1927. Homes and businesses featured Italian-style architecture to create a charming model community.

4.  Venice is one of just three cities in Florida that is on the water but does not have any barrier islands.

5.  Calusa Indians were probably the first residents in the Venice area. These Native Americans lived in Florida over 12,000 years ago. Their shell middens provide important historical evidence for archaeologists. In the 16th century, Florida was occupied by the Spanish, although much of the southwest coast was an unchartered, mosquito-infested wilderness.

6.  Frank Higel is considered the “Father of Venice”. He suggested the name Venice as the area has a striking likeness to the famous canal city in Italy. The area was previously called “Horse and Chaise” due to a tree formation that resembled a horsedrawn carriage.

7.  Roberts Bay is named after Richard Roberts who established a homestead in the area in the 1870s.

8.  Venice is the home of the only professional School for Clowns in the world!

9.  During World War II, the 27th Service Group relocated from Tampa and established the Venice Army Air Base in 1942. After the war, the air base was acquired by the city.

10. Don’t miss a visit to the Venice Centre Mall which has a fascinating past. It was once a classroom for the Kentucky Military (around 1932) and later operated as a hotel.

11. Venice City covers 16.6 square miles of which 1.4 square miles (8%) is water.

Photo credit Chris L. Smith

12. The original Venice Pier was built in 1966 and was washed away in a nameless storm in July 1981. It was rebuilt from swamp timber in 1984 and was again rebuilt in 2004 using wood fiber composite. The pier is 720 feet long, 22 feet wide, and 20 feet high. It stands in water up to 18 feet deep.

Boardwalk to Nokomis Beach. Photo credit Jennifer Brinkman#Venice Florida

Venice Beach. Photo credit Justin Fennell

13. Venice has four main beaches: Venice Municipal Beach (the most popular); Nokomis Beach (home of the Drum Circle at sunset on Wednesday and Saturday evenings); South Browhard Beach (22 acres including a dog park) and Caspersen Beach (the longest beach in Sarasota County and famous for its shark teeth).

Brohard Paw Park and dog beach. Photo credit Justin Fennell

14. The population of Venice has grown from 309 in 1930 to an estimated 22,465 in 2016.

Photo credit Debi Pittman Wilkey

16. Thanks to Caspersen Beach, Venice is known as the “Shark’s Tooth Capital of the World”. Many fossilized shark teeth wash up on the coastline of Venice and can easily be found by sifting the sand along the water’s edge. 

17. The city of Venice has 12 structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These include Hotel Venice, Triangle Inn, Venice Depot, the Valencia Hotel and Arcade, and the Levillain-Letton House. It also has three listed historic districts: Venezia Park, Eagle Point, and Edgewood.

Venice Depot. Photo credit Justin Fennell

18. Venice Municipal Pier is a popular place for fishing. No license is required and there’s no admission fee. It’s open 24 hours a day and shark fishing is popular after dark.

Photo credit Chris L. Smith

19. The Venice Theatre is the largest community theater per capita in the USA. It has been a non-profit organization since 1950 and has an operating budget of almost $3 million.

20. Thanks to its historic preservation and the delightful palms, live oaks and trumpet trees gracing the downtown area, Venice has been designated a Florida Main Street City.

If you haven’t already visited Venice, go check out this unique and lovely city with its charming downtown architecture, cafés and shops. It’s a treat!

Written by: Nita Ettinger

Ali H. Johnston, MBA in Real Estate

REALTOR®, Lic. Broker #BK3284964

West Villages Realty LLC

19503 S West Villages Pkwy

Stes A2 (by Appt)

Venice, Florida 34293

Office: 941-460-3179