Venice's 100th-Year November Brings Fresh Sand, a Forest Grand Opening and Old Betsy at the Front of the Parade

The morning was gray on Friday, Oct. 2, when officials met under the Venice Beach Pavilion to mark the end of the beach renourishment. They scooped a bucket of sand and tossed it, which is how these projects traditionally end. The Venice Gondolier's coverage in YourSun also reported that residents were already setting up chairs on the new sand despite the weather.

That ceremony started a stretch of milestones. This is the city's 100th year, and several things Venice has been building for a decade or longer wrap up between now and Thanksgiving weekend. The beach had last been renourished in 2015. Volunteers began clearing the Urban Forest site in 2018. The Holiday Parade reaches its 50th run, and its grand marshal is a fire engine that turns 100 along with the city. November is when residents get to use all of it.

Eleven Years of Erosion, Replaced in One Summer

The City of Venice project page says the new sand covers about 3.2 miles of shoreline, from south of Venice Inlet to south of the Venice Fishing Pier. In practice that runs from the Humphris Park South Jetty to South Brohard Park, including Venice Beach and Service Club Park. It replaced sand lost to background erosion and storms since the 2015 project. The storm damage was heavy. YourSun reported a 6-foot storm surge from Hurricane Helene and a 10-foot surge from Hurricane Milton, and those two storms pushed the Army Corps to treat the work as an emergency coastal response.

Here is the job by the numbers:

The work happened in the middle of sea turtle season, which usually doesn't happen. According to YourSun, Mote Marine Laboratory relocated 524 nests, which saved about 50,000 eggs. The city lists nesting season as May 1 through Oct. 31, so this November is the first month the widened beach has no nesting season on it.

The finishing work came after the ribbon cutting. In its Sept. 30 update, the city said outfall extensions were done at the Aldea Mar Condo, Golden Beach Condo and USCG Station outfalls. Outfalls near Venice Beach and Venice Sands Condo were expected by mid-October, and sand tilling and rock remediation by late October. Brohard Paw Park's beach access had short closures while the tilling was nearby. Dog owners can check the city's project page for any closure notices before heading out.

The next round of sand will take time too. YourSun reported that the Army Corps says it cannot start another Venice renourishment until owners of homes and condos backing onto the beach grant perpetual easements. Without an easement, federal money would not cover the sand in front of that property. A wider public beach also doesn't change where private property lines sit, which we covered in our post on beach-view frontage.

An Eight-Year Forest Opens on Venice Avenue

The second project is a few blocks inland. Venice Area Beautification Inc. holds the official grand opening of the Venice Urban Forest on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at 308 E. Venice Ave. The group says the event celebrates eight years of work, which ran in stages:

• 2018 to 2020: site preparation, removal of concrete and debris, invasive removal and the first native plantings.
• 2020 to 2021: major invasive-species removal and more native plantings to restore habitat.

The result is a restored corridor nearly two miles long. VABI counts more than 5,000 trees and more than 20,000 native plants, and Venice Audubon has documented more than 100 bird species there. The Florida Urban Forestry Council puts the corridor at more than 34 acres. Visitors can use VABI's free, self-guided mobile Forest Walk, with map markers and pop-ups about the plants, wildlife and habitats along the route. One of the stops is a hidden frog habitat.

The Florida Urban Forestry Council notes that volunteers have been raising and righting trees and replanting natives after damage from several hurricanes. The beach and the forest reach their milestones in the same fall after years of separate work, one led by the Army Corps and the other by volunteers. That gives Venice new public ground on the Gulf and an officially opened path inland during the city's centennial holiday season.

Old Betsy Turns 100 and Leads the 50th Parade

The third milestone is the oldest one. The City of Venice Holiday Parade page says this year's parade marks three anniversaries at once: the parade's 50th, the city's 100th birthday and America's 250th. The theme is "Golden Traditions."

The grand marshal is Old Betsy, a fire engine that is also turning 100. She served the Venice Fire Department until 1959 and then stayed in the reserve fleet. In that role she helped fight the 1968 Christmas Eve fire at the Kash N' Karry across from the Venice Theatre, and she was back on duty in 1973 when both city engines were in the shop at the same time. Former City Councilman and Vice Mayor Earl Midlam and his wife, Karen, have looked after her, and they ride with her as grand marshals along with her other volunteers and caretakers. Her party comes first. The city calendar lists the Old Betsy Birthday Bash on Saturday, Nov. 7.

The parade itself is Saturday, Nov. 28, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It steps off at 6:30 p.m., and downtown activities start as early as 2 p.m. The city capped it at 80 units, and the field was full by Oct. 5.

Judges from Venice Area Toastmasters Club 5486 work the two stages and pick six winning units. The city doesn't allow candy or trinkets to be thrown from floats, so participants walk them over and hand them to spectators. The Venice Area Chamber of Commerce runs a live stream starting around 6 p.m. Runners can enter The Elf Dash, a 0.9-mile fun run that opens the parade for the third year. It starts at 5:45 p.m., costs $25 and closes registration at 6 p.m. on Nov. 27. Finishers have 20 minutes to cross the line.

From Now to the Christmas Walk, Date by Date

The other events between now and early December fill in around the three big ones:

1. Friday, Nov. 6: Venice MainStreet's free outdoor showing of the live-action Moana, 6:30 p.m.
2. Nov. 6 to 8: Peter and the Starcatcher at the Venice Performing Arts Center.
3. Saturday, Nov. 7: Old Betsy Birthday Bash.
4. Wednesday, Nov. 11: A free patriotic concert by Venice High School at VPAC.
5. Friday, Nov. 13: MainStreet's Friday Night Concert Series at the Centennial Park gazebo.
6. Saturday, Nov. 14: The Urban Forest grand opening in the morning, then The New Voice of the Great American Songbook at VPAC at 7 p.m., with Danny Sinoff and the Venice Symphony Big Band.
7. Through Nov. 22: Freaky Friday at the Venice Theatre. August: Osage County opens Nov. 20 and runs into early December.
8. Nov. 20 and 21: The Venice Symphony performs Strauss and Surprises!
9. Saturday, Nov. 21: Venice Nights Market & Music, 4 to 9 p.m. at Maxine Barritt Park, 1800 Harbor Drive S.
10. Friday, Nov. 27: The Mayor's Hometown Christmas, 5 to 7 p.m. at Centennial Park.
11. Saturday, Nov. 28: The 50th Holiday Parade.
12. Thursday, Dec. 3: MainStreet's downtown Christmas Walk, 5 to 8 p.m.

New Names Downtown

Two new names showed up on downtown calendars this fall. Wild Card Boutique at 111 Tampa Ave. W. scheduled an Oct. 10 grand opening and ribbon cutting, according to Visit Venice. Sarasota Magazine reported that Ristorante Roma was slated to open in the first week of November at 200 N. Tamiami Trail, Suite D. That puts it near the parade route for anyone looking for dinner before the Nov. 28 step-off.

If the new sand has you wondering how Venice's renourishment cycles and the easement question affect coastal property you own or are considering, Smith Garcia Group can talk it through with you. Schedule Your Market Consultation, and we'll go over the stretch of shoreline you care about.