OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Citizen Advisory Board Meeting - February 18, 2026

City Council & Boards — Wednesday, February 18, 2026
BodyVenice, Florida
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateWednesday, February 18, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 34:07

Transcript — Verbatim
0:43

Microphones are live.

1:04

Not quite two o'clock, Roger.

1:20

It's two o'clock now.

1:26

Good afternoon.

1:28

This is the meeting of the Citizens Advisory Board.

1:43

Mr.

1:43

Carr.

1:44

Yes, here.

1:45

Dr.

1:45

Davis.

1:46

Mr.

1:46

DeFallis.

1:47

Here.

1:48

Mr.

1:48

Efron.

1:50

Mr.

1:50

Ellis.

1:50

Here.

1:51

Ms.

1:51

Mascatelli.

1:52

Here.

1:53

Ms.

1:53

Panfill.

1:55

Mr.

1:55

Redman.

1:56

Here.

1:57

Mr.

1:57

Haney.

1:58

Here.

2:02

Good afternoon, everyone on this beautiful day here.

2:06

Venice, Florida.

2:12

Is anyone signed in to see?

2:15

There is no one signed up.

2:18

Okay.

2:38

I'll second it.

3:26

Please let's hear your presentation.

3:30

Thank you, Chair.

3:31

Uh, and if I could, before I get started, I look nice and loud this morning.

3:35

Um, I do want to take a moment and just introduce our new assistant city manager in the back, Roger Omanheiser.

3:41

Roger's joined us on week two here.

3:43

He's still still coming back, so that's a good sign.

3:46

Um, he comes from the U.S.

3:48

Coast Guard, recently retired after a twenty-four-year career there.

3:51

Thank you for your service.

3:53

And he'll be working with us in the future.

3:55

So for your consideration today and with any questions you may have, um, is a plaque in Centennial Park.

4:05

And as the chair said, Centennial Park is our main downtown park.

4:09

It's got a lot going on between the gazebo, the children's fountain, and some other uh memorials that we have there.

4:16

Um, but it was really important to the Centennial Committee, which uh includes Mayor Pashoda, myself, and our team, uh, and historical resources that when we rededicate this park, which is going to happen on April 15th, we do something to uh commemorate that event.

4:32

And so just the quick history here is Centennial Park.

4:35

A lot of people think it's named after our centennial.

4:38

In reality, it was established and named after the centennial of the post office.

4:43

So the post office was started in the Venice area in eighteen eighty-eight, and then they named Centennial Park in nineteen eighty-eight after that centennial.

4:52

Uh so not taking away from that history, but we'd like to add to it by um marking our own centennial and recognizing that Centennial Park can also stand for the city's centennial.

5:02

So that is kind of the purpose of that rededication on April 15th.

5:06

And as part of that, we'd like to put a plaque that recognized that moment, and so people can uh read about it and understand uh the significance of our centennial and that really important park uh to our city.

5:20

So we worked with public works to find a location that doesn't compete with any of the other plaques and memorials that are there.

5:27

Uh it's actually located kind of just to the east of the kiosk, if you're familiar with that, uh kind of in the central 200 block of West Venice Avenue, and then it's just uh just east of the there's a veterans memorial in the in in the center there, um, and it'll be a nice little spot where we'll we'll add some pavers, a couple benches.

5:49

We've talked with Mr.

5:50

Vetter and his team, he's gonna add some flower, uh, some flowers there to make it look pretty, uh, and then we'll have our dedication plaque right in the center.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Parks and Recreation█████████████████████████████29%
Procedural████████████████████████24%
Community Engagement████████████████16%
Public Safety████████████████16%
Economic Development████████8%
Technology and Innovation███████7%
Summary of Proceedings

City of Venice Citizen Advisory Board Meeting - February 18, 2026

The Citizen Advisory Board met on February 18, 2026, at 2:00 PM in Council Chambers. The board approved a recommendation for a Centennial Park rededication plaque and received updates on the city website redesign and other city initiatives. No public comments were made.

New Business: Centennial Park Rededication Plaque

  • Staff presented a proposal to install a commemorative plaque in Centennial Park to mark the city's centennial. The plaque will be placed east of the kiosk, near the veterans memorial, with added pavers and benches. The project is scheduled for a rededication ceremony on April 15, 2026.
  • Staff reported no negative public feedback, only positive responses. The idea originated from community members.
  • The board unanimously voted (9-0) to recommend city council approval.

Unfinished Business: City Website Redesign

  • Mr. DeFallis reported that an RFI was issued to vendors, amended to include an AI chatbot as previously recommended. Staff have narrowed down to two vendors, with demos scheduled for the following week. A contract is expected by March.
  • Mr. Carr confirmed that the board's specific recommendations were included in the redesign project document.
  • Staff will coordinate with the board for future presentations and demos.

Board Discussion

  • Chair provided an update on the board's presentation to city council regarding the annual report, hurricane after-action plan, and bicycle master plan. Council expressed gratitude for the board's work.
  • Mayor Pachota thanked the board for its contributions, noting that the board helps the council address important community needs such as bicycle and pedestrian planning.
  • Discussion on hurricane preparedness: Staff are implementing recommendations from the board's after-action report, including adding a deputy public information officer. The board requested a formal implementation update at the April meeting.
  • Board member Panfill suggested incorporating environmental guidelines (native plants, live oak protection, butterfly habitats) into the upcoming parks master plan update.

Staff Comments

  • City Manager Clinch noted that the parks master plan consultant selection process is underway; eight proposals were received, narrowed to three for in-person interviews.
  • Public Works Director Rick Simpson was introduced.

Key Outcomes

  • The board recommended city council approval of the Centennial Park rededication plaque (unanimous vote).
  • Website redesign vendor selection is progressing; board will be involved in future presentations.
  • A hurricane implementation update will be provided at the April 15, 2026 meeting.
  • Next regular meeting scheduled for April 15, 2026 at 2:00 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Microphones are live. Not quite two o'clock, Roger. It's two o'clock now. Good afternoon. This is the meeting of the Citizens Advisory Board. Mr. Carr. Yes, here. Dr. Davis. Mr. DeFallis. Here. Mr. Efron. Mr. Ellis. Here. Ms. Mascatelli. Here. Ms. Panfill. Mr. Redman. Here. Mr. Haney. Here. Good afternoon, everyone on this beautiful day here. Venice, Florida. Is anyone signed in to see? There is no one signed up. Okay. I'll second it. Please let's hear your presentation. Thank you, Chair. Uh, and if I could, before I get started, I look nice and loud this morning. Um, I do want to take a moment and just introduce our new assistant city manager in the back, Roger Omanheiser. Roger's joined us on week two here. He's still still coming back, so that's a good sign. Um, he comes from the U.S. Coast Guard, recently retired after a twenty-four-year career there. Thank you for your service. And he'll be working with us in the future. So for your consideration today and with any questions you may have, um, is a plaque in Centennial Park. And as the chair said, Centennial Park is our main downtown park. It's got a lot going on between the gazebo, the children's fountain, and some other uh memorials that we have there. Um, but it was really important to the Centennial Committee, which uh includes Mayor Pashoda, myself, and our team, uh, and historical resources that when we rededicate this park, which is going to happen on April 15th, we do something to uh commemorate that event. And so just the quick history here is Centennial Park.

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