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Record of Proceedings

Venice City Council Meeting Summary – September 9, 2025

City Council & Boards — Tuesday, September 9, 2025
BodyVenice, Florida
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateTuesday, September 9, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 4:03:32

Transcript — Verbatim
0:12

Testing, testing.

0:16

Mercedes, if you want to run a live stream.

0:20

Mercedes, if you want to let me know if you can hear me.

0:31

Morning.

0:32

Oh, go ahead.

0:33

Oh, hold on.

0:35

Morning, gentlemen.

0:36

Test us.

1:14

Testing, testing.

2:03

Testing, testing.

2:05

Are you like Mercedes?

2:07

Can you hear me?

2:09

Well, you have a plate.

2:20

Testing, testing.

2:29

Is that loud enough?

2:38

Testing, testing.

5:04

We got the firefighters in the house, so we're gonna be a little bit more rowdy this morning.

5:09

Let's do that again.

5:13

There it is.

5:14

There it is.

5:16

A little quiet this morning.

5:18

All right.

5:19

Uh let's go ahead and get started.

5:21

Madam Clerk, if we could do a roll call, please.

5:24

Mr.

5:24

Engle Key.

5:25

Here.

5:25

Mrs.

5:26

Frank.

5:26

Here.

5:27

Mr.

5:27

Howard.

5:28

Here.

5:28

Mr.

5:29

Smith.

5:30

Mr.

5:30

Weed.

5:31

Here.

5:31

Vice Mayor Bolt.

5:33

Mayor Pichota.

5:34

Here.

5:35

All right.

5:36

We've got a fun day today.

5:37

We have an executive session at noon.

5:39

There'll be a lunch break at one o'clock, and then we have a budget hearing at 5 01 p.m.

5:43

No sooner.

5:44

And we will start with the invocation and the pledge of allegiance and then move into some exciting things like swearing ins and proclamations.

5:55

Heavenly Father, send down upon those who hold office the spirit of wisdom, charity, and justice that with steadfast purpose they may faithfully serve the residents of Venice to promote the well-being of our community.

6:08

In your holy name we pray.

6:10

Amen.

6:17

And to the Republic for which it stands.

6:20

One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice draw.

6:29

I threw everyone off this morning not telling them who's leading that pledge.

6:32

All right, let's start with some swearing ins.

6:35

Yes, Lord.

6:36

Oh, that's just my voice.

6:37

Can we just a little lower on the volume?

6:41

It's blasting right in my face.

6:43

Okay.

6:44

We'll bring up Deputy Clerk Mercedes Barcia, Jeff Petrovski, Mark Rodriguez, Chief Giddens.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Land Development Code███████████████████████████████31%
Procedural█████████████████17%
Affordable Housing███████████11%
Planning And Zoning███████████11%
Pending Litigation██████6%
Community Engagement█████5%
Public Safety████4%
Stormwater Management███3%
Personnel Matters███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Venice City Council Meeting Summary – September 9, 2025

The Venice City Council held a regular meeting on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, beginning at 9:00 AM in the Council Chambers. The agenda included recognitions, a consent agenda, a presentation on the Sarasota Housing Action Plan, a quasi-judicial appeal hearing for a variance at 240 Base Avenue East, final readings of two ordinances, new business items, charter officer reports, council reports, and audience participation. The meeting was adjourned at approximately 5:00 PM, with a budget hearing scheduled immediately following at 5:01 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved unanimously: Minutes of the August 26, 2025 regular meeting; Amendment No. 1 to FDEP Beach Funding Agreement; Collective Bargaining Agreement with Fraternal Order of Police Sergeants and Lieutenants for October 1, 2025 – September 30, 2028.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Chris Dürrbeck: Spoke against proposed property tax increases, arguing the city has sufficient surplus ($52 million) and that increases unfairly burden families and seniors on fixed incomes. He cited a job posting for a city manager that he claimed showed the city was

Meeting Transcript

Testing, testing. Mercedes, if you want to run a live stream. Mercedes, if you want to let me know if you can hear me. Morning. Oh, go ahead. Oh, hold on. Morning, gentlemen. Test us. Testing, testing. Testing, testing. Are you like Mercedes? Can you hear me? Well, you have a plate. Testing, testing. Is that loud enough? Testing, testing. We got the firefighters in the house, so we're gonna be a little bit more rowdy this morning. Let's do that again. There it is. There it is. A little quiet this morning. All right. Uh let's go ahead and get started. Madam Clerk, if we could do a roll call, please. Mr. Engle Key. Here. Mrs. Frank. Here. Mr. Howard. Here. Mr. Smith. Mr. Weed. Here. Vice Mayor Bolt. Mayor Pichota. Here. All right. We've got a fun day today. We have an executive session at noon. There'll be a lunch break at one o'clock, and then we have a budget hearing at 5 01 p.m. No sooner. And we will start with the invocation and the pledge of allegiance and then move into some exciting things like swearing ins and proclamations. Heavenly Father, send down upon those who hold office the spirit of wisdom, charity, and justice that with steadfast purpose they may faithfully serve the residents of Venice to promote the well-being of our community. In your holy name we pray. Amen.

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