OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Venice City Council Regular Meeting: September 23, 2025

City Council & Boards — Tuesday, September 23, 2025
BodyVenice, Florida
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateTuesday, September 23, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:05:09

Transcript — Verbatim
1:21

Good morning, good morning.

1:24

I'm gonna go ahead and call this meeting to order.

1:27

Just so everyone knows, today we have an attorney uh client session at noon and then a budget public hearing at 5 01 p.m.

1:34

Madam Clerk, you can start us out with the roll call, please.

1:37

Mr.

1:37

Engle Key.

1:38

Mrs.

1:39

Frank.

1:39

Here.

1:40

Mr.

1:40

Howard.

1:41

Here.

1:41

Mr.

1:42

Smith.

1:42

Here.

1:43

Mr.

1:44

Weed.

1:44

Here.

1:45

Vice Mayor Bolt.

1:46

Here.

1:46

Mayor Pichoda.

1:48

Here.

1:48

And then we'll all stand for the invocation, and today's pledge can be led by uh Councilmember Ingle Key.

1:57

Father, we thank you for another full day of opportunity as well as responsibility.

2:02

It is with gratefulness that we accept the task before us.

2:05

We ask you to bestow your blessings on all who live in, visit, or work in our beautiful city.

2:11

Thank you.

2:12

Amen.

2:15

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

2:19

And to the Republic for Richard Stands.

2:23

One nation under God.

2:26

Liberty and justice for all.

3:30

This is always uh a special time.

3:32

And uh they bring a variety of experience that will certainly benefit uh VPD and the and the community as a whole.

3:39

Uh first let me introduce Jessica.

3:42

Um Jessica has four years of experience with uh New Britain Police Department in Connecticut.

3:49

And she's here with her family.

3:52

Excuse me.

3:53

And she also served uh, let's see, about eight years in the Army National Guard, specifically with the six hundred and forty-third Military Police and held the rank of sergeant.

4:05

Uh, she's a recipient of the Army Commendation Medal.

4:08

And uh most recently, Jessica had probably the most uh significant job of working to raise her children and family and working with her husband at his job.

4:18

So uh thank you for being here and congratulations.

4:22

And then uh we have LJ.

4:24

I got some notes on you.

4:29

LJ comes to us with about 40 years of experience in law enforcement and security.

4:34

So I had to write a few things down.

4:37

I'm only gonna scratch on a couple things because his resume was so lengthy, but uh he spent 13 years with the Boston Police Department, including 12 years in special operations with and designated as a senior SWAT operator.

4:51

He's uh has background in training and and defensive tactics and trained not only the members of the Boston Police Department, but also other police agencies in the surrounding area.

5:02

Uh worked directly with a deputy of operations for six years, focusing on hiring training budgets, policy development, officer retention.

5:11

And uh most recently, he served locally as a school guardian with the Manatee County School District, and previously as a sheriff's deputy with Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

5:24

Also very notably, Officer Hickman is a retired chief petty officer from the United States Navy Reserves, where he served for 20 years, uh including 10 years in the intelligence department and two years as a mission commander.

5:37

He holds a master's degree in criminal justice and police science.

5:42

So welcome to the team, and uh, we're gonna go ahead and have the swearing in, take your oath, and then your families will pin the badge.

5:49

But before we do that, would you like to introduce who you brought with you?

5:53

Sure.

5:54

I have my husband here, Matthew, my daughter Mia, wardrobe malfunction, and my son Faxen.

6:04

Yes, good morning.

6:05

Uh, this is my my sister Giovanna.

6:09

Um I'll say um, you know, for the family members specifically, just supporting the police officers is extremely important.

6:21

We can't do what we do without the support of our families, and uh, I know that uh not only do they make sacrifices, but you all make sacrifices on their behalf, so thank you specifically.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Airport Management█████████████████████21%
Public Engagement█████████████13%
Historic Preservation████████████12%
Planning And Zoning████████████12%
Procedural█████████9%
Public Safety███████7%
Personnel Matters█████5%
Environmental Protection████4%
Flooding And Drainage███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Venice City Council Regular Meeting: September 23, 2025

The Venice City Council met on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, at 9:00 AM in Council Chambers. The meeting included recognitions, public hearings, new business, and reports. A private attorney-client session was held at noon to discuss litigation. A budget public hearing was scheduled for 5:01 PM.

Recognitions

  • Swearing in of Police Officers Jessica Fernandez and Lawrence Hickman, who brought diverse experience from Connecticut and Boston, as well as military service.
  • Proclamation declaring October 5-11, 2025 as "Fire Prevention Week," presented to Fire Chief Giddens, highlighting lithium-ion battery safety.
  • Proclamation declaring October 2025 as "Florida Native Plant Month," presented to Ava Lasseter, President of the Mangrove Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society, emphasizing the ecological importance of native plants.
  • Venice Historic and Architectural Preservation Board honored Earl Midlam with the Legacy Award for his decades of service preserving the city's history, including care for the 1926 American LaFrance fire engine "Old Betsy."

Consent Calendar

  • Approved unanimously: Minutes of the September 9, 2025 Regular Meeting and Budget Public Hearing (Item 25-0348).
  • Approved unanimously: Collective Bargaining Agreement with AFSCME Local 1718 for October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2028 (Item 25-0349).
  • Approved unanimously: Collective Bargaining Agreement with Fraternal Order of Police (Officers) for October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026 (Item 25-0350).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Jenny Heisner, a Venice resident, thanked the council for the new Heckshire Park pickleball courts and presented council members with pickleballs as a gift. She expressed appreciation for the city's follow-through and communication.

Discussion Items

  • Height Exception (CC 25-43HE): Staff and applicant presented a request for a building height of 43 feet 4 inches (within the allowable exception up to 46 feet) for a three-story outpatient medical facility with ambulatory surgery center at 2695 Curry Lane. The building is set back over 300 feet from the road to mitigate visual impacts on nearby residential areas. The Planning Commission previously recommended approval 6-0. Council discussed landscaping buffers and compatibility.
  • Ordinance 2025-33 (First Reading): An ordinance to place the structure at 500 Nassau Street South on the Local Register of Historical Resources. The property, built in 1927 in Mediterranean Revival style, meets three criteria for designation. The new owners plan restoration. Approved on first reading and scheduled for final reading.
  • Resolutions 2025-22, 2025-23, 2025-24: Resolutions accepting utilities and improvements for Magnolia Bay North Phase 2 (water distribution system and wastewater collection system) and amending city personnel procedures (employment of relatives, health insurance access, safety training). All approved unanimously.
  • Airport Community Outreach Update (Item 25-0351): David Surwilo, Airport Community Outreach Manager, presented his efforts since February 2025. He described building communication channels with residents, solving issues such as the lack of PAPI lights on Runway 5/23 (which caused all night flights to use Runway 13/31, disturbing neighbors). He coordinated with FDOT and FAA to fund and install new lights. He also uses flight tracking software (Vert Tower) to verify complaints and has established a direct email list with neighborhood leaders. He emphasized his role as an ombudsman, not a defender of the airport. Council members praised the reduction in complaints and improved trust.
  • Budget Process Workshop Discussion (Item 25-0352): City Manager Clinch proposed a half-day workshop to review the city's budgeting process and explore other models. Council agreed to hold the workshop on Friday, January 9, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

Key Outcomes

  • All consent items approved unanimously.
  • Height Exception (CC 25-43HE) approved unanimously (Development Order 25-43HE).
  • Ordinance 2025-33 approved on first reading unanimously; final reading to be scheduled.
  • Resolutions 2025-22, 2025-23, and 2025-24 approved unanimously.
  • Budget process workshop scheduled for January 9, 2026, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM (consensus of council).
  • Council acknowledged the airport outreach efforts and received updates on upcoming events: Student Government Day (October 21, 2025) and Make a Difference Day (October 25, 2025).
  • The meeting recessed for a private attorney-client session at noon and then adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning, good morning. I'm gonna go ahead and call this meeting to order. Just so everyone knows, today we have an attorney uh client session at noon and then a budget public hearing at 5 01 p.m. Madam Clerk, you can start us out with the roll call, please. Mr. Engle Key. Mrs. Frank. Here. Mr. Howard. Here. Mr. Smith. Here. Mr. Weed. Here. Vice Mayor Bolt. Here. Mayor Pichoda. Here. And then we'll all stand for the invocation, and today's pledge can be led by uh Councilmember Ingle Key. Father, we thank you for another full day of opportunity as well as responsibility. It is with gratefulness that we accept the task before us. We ask you to bestow your blessings on all who live in, visit, or work in our beautiful city. Thank you. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for Richard Stands. One nation under God. Liberty and justice for all. This is always uh a special time. And uh they bring a variety of experience that will certainly benefit uh VPD and the and the community as a whole. Uh first let me introduce Jessica. Um Jessica has four years of experience with uh New Britain Police Department in Connecticut. And she's here with her family. Excuse me. And she also served uh, let's see, about eight years in the Army National Guard, specifically with the six hundred and forty-third Military Police and held the rank of sergeant. Uh, she's a recipient of the Army Commendation Medal. And uh most recently, Jessica had probably the most uh significant job of working to raise her children and family and working with her husband at his job. So uh thank you for being here and congratulations. And then uh we have LJ. I got some notes on you. LJ comes to us with about 40 years of experience in law enforcement and security. So I had to write a few things down. I'm only gonna scratch on a couple things because his resume was so lengthy, but uh he spent 13 years with the Boston Police Department, including 12 years in special operations with and designated as a senior SWAT operator. He's uh has background in training and and defensive tactics and trained not only the members of the Boston Police Department, but also other police agencies in the surrounding area. Uh worked directly with a deputy of operations for six years, focusing on hiring training budgets, policy development, officer retention. And uh most recently, he served locally as a school guardian with the Manatee County School District, and previously as a sheriff's deputy with Manatee County Sheriff's Office.

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