Venice Thrives

Mark your calendars for the Venice City Council meeting on Tuesday, 3/10/26! It is likely that the Vistera development in North Venice will be on the agenda… again. Developer Pat Neal has proposed a height and density increase for Vistera two times, been denied two times, and may be giving it another try. The last time… Read more: Third Attempt: Pat Neal May Again Seek Height and Density Boost In North Venice

On June 19, 2025, Councilman Ron Smith started the consideration of tax rollback conversation with his follow council members. He succeeded in convincing them. Thank you, city council, for the recent rollback. During a recent budget workshop, Venice City Council members tackled the pressing issue of property tax rates amid a challenging economic landscape. Councilman… Read more: Venice City Council Tackle Tax Rates

Venice Thrives strongly supports the “Sarasota Housing Action Plan” that was presented at the September 9th Venice Council Meeting by Jon Thaxton (Gulf Coast Community Foundation), Matt Sauer (Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation) and Kirsten Russell (Community Foundation of Sarasota County). We applaud Council Member Frank for requesting this presentation because affordable housing is a… Read more: Sarasota Housing Action Plan

At their 8/26/25 meeting, the Venice City Council, in a 4-to-3 vote, rejected a settlement that was sought by developer Pat Neal to increase the allowable residential density for the Vistera development in North Venice (see image below). The proposed settlement sought exactly the same density increase that was denied by the Council in 2023,… Read more: Venice City Council Rejects Vistera Settlement in North Venice