OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Venice City Council Meeting – August 25, 2026: Police Promotions, Airport, Budget, and Land-Use Decisions

City Council & Boards — Tuesday, August 25, 2026
BodyVenice, Florida
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateTuesday, August 25, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:40:27

Transcript — Verbatim
1:09

All right, let's call this meeting to order.

1:11

Madam Clerk, a roll call, please.

1:13

Mr.

1:13

Engelkey.

1:14

Here.

1:15

Mrs.

1:15

Frank.

1:16

Here.

1:16

Mr.

1:17

Howard.

1:17

Here.

1:18

Mr.

1:18

Smith.

1:19

Mr.

1:19

Weed.

1:20

Here.

1:20

Vice Mayor Bolt.

1:22

Here.

1:22

Mayor Pechota.

1:23

And I'm here as well.

1:25

We will stand for the invocation, and today's pledge can be led by Captain Hill.

1:33

Lord Father, we pray for our mayor, city council, and all who serve our community.

1:38

Strengthen us with wisdom and grace for the work that we do every day.

1:42

May our duties be carried out with respect and care, keeping our hearts pure as we work towards the best interest of all of our residents.

1:50

Amen.

2:10

Okay.

2:12

Let's have some fun.

2:13

If we could get the police chief to join me up front, and we will start with uh James Browning and family.

2:43

Yeah.

2:46

Oh, yes.

2:49

Good morning, everybody.

2:51

This is a great day for the police department.

2:54

We didn't get to have uh three promotions that we're celebrating.

2:58

And what first I'll just want to thank City Council for kind of helping us over the recent months to reorganize our department, created some new positions as well and helping us to move forward.

3:09

So thank you for that and for uh celebrating uh these moments with us.

3:14

Um these supervisors will be taking the oath of office, and when you start as a police officer, you take this oath, and then during these milestones where they take on new responsibilities, it's a good opportunity to publicly renew that oath, and that oath is to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the state of Florida and uh this trust that this community puts in them.

3:40

Then we have pinning of the badge, which is part of this ceremony.

3:44

Where in this case, the badge elevates them to a new role.

3:49

And if anyone has a business, you know that your line level supervisors are some of the most important.

3:58

So he James Browning here is moving into that critical role.

4:01

Well, he'll be a role model for the officers.

4:04

There's a lot of them you see here.

4:06

And he really as a supervisor sets the tone for the organization.

4:11

So we're looking forward to uh him taking on this new responsibility.

4:15

And then we incorporate family, his wife Jessica's here into this moment because these achievements are not the roan, it's shared achievements because their family's with them during all the hard times and all the good times as well.

4:31

So we're glad to have her here with us.

4:33

So let's go ahead and get started.

5:01

Ready.

5:02

I say your name.

5:03

James Browning.

5:04

Do you solemnly swear?

5:06

Do solemnly swear.

5:07

That I will support, protect, and defend.

5:09

That I will support protect and defend.

5:13

The Constitution and Government.

5:15

Of the United States.

5:16

And of the state of Florida.

5:17

And of the state of Florida.

5:18

That I'm duly qualified.

5:19

That I'm duly qualified.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████21%
Engineering And Infrastructure███████████████████19%
Budget Equity Analysis█████████9%
Personnel Matters████████8%
Community Engagement███████7%
Airport Management███████7%
Public Engagement██████6%
Fiscal Sustainability██████6%
Technology and Innovation█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Venice City Council Meeting – August 25, 2026

The Venice City Council met on August 25, 2026, beginning at 9:00 AM with a ceremonial swearing-in of three police officers. The meeting included public comments, a consent agenda, public hearings, and multiple discussion items covering airport management, stormwater maintenance, road widening, a wellness village proposal, a data center moratorium, charter officer compensation, and budget adjustments for FY2027. A noon executive session was held; the meeting reconvened at 1:10 PM and adjourned after 5:00 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved items on the consent agenda unanimously, with the exception of Item 26-0701 (Memorandum of Understanding to participate in the Advanced Air Mobility Task Force), which was pulled by Councilmember Howard.
  • Item 26-0701 was later postponed via a motion that passed 5-2 (after a vote correction, 6-1). The motion directed staff to provide a more comprehensive understanding of how the MOU would impact the airport and residents before future consideration.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Steve Oglethorpe (Venice resident) alleged that city employees are misleading the council and public about airport intentions, citing discrepancies between a June 23 council presentation and a July FAA briefing that discussed a new terminal project and hiring five full-time staff to manage increased traffic.
  • Amber Jacob (nonprofit event organizer) requested a concrete date for continued use of airport grounds for events like the Megalodon Weekend, noting uncertainty hampers planning and revenue.
  • Bryce Ferguson (community member) shared personal history with the airport and urged preservation of festival grounds for non-aviation community events, referencing an FAA handbook allowing non-aviation uses.
  • Bonnie Kivlin (airport neighbor) opposed a proposed two-story control tower and grant proposal, arguing it contradicts earlier assurances that the remote tower would be a simple pole with cameras, and requested the proposal be withdrawn.
  • Brett Spengler (community member) presented video clips from past meetings and argued that city staff are pursuing growth-oriented grants under the guise of safety, urging the council to rescind and postpone grants until a resident-centered vision is adopted.
  • Jonathan Barrett (first-time speaker) requested interim public access to Humphreys Park and the South Jetty shoreline while repairs continue, noting the area has been closed for nearly two years since Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Discussion Items

  • Airport Workshop Scheduling (26-0705): Council discussed scheduling a workshop to hear from aviation attorney Chris Wilson on FAA regulations, the remote tower grant, and clarification of future plans. City Manager James Clinch clarified that the remote tower remains a safety-focused project; a control room would be needed but not necessarily in the new administrative building. The council expressed concerns about transparency and the need to address community distrust. A motion passed unanimously to schedule the workshop on October 15, 2026 (or a date to be coordinated with the clerk).
  • Curry Creek Maintenance and Deertown Gully Transfer (26-0706): City Engineer John Kramer presented a plan to transfer city-maintained portions of Curry Creek to Sarasota County in exchange for Deertown Gully and other easements. He noted that maintaining the Sawgrass section of Curry Creek would cost about $10,000 per year. Council debated the public benefit and liability; a motion passed unanimously authorizing the city manager to negotiate with the Sawgrass Community Association and the Central Venice Coalition to develop a plan for routine maintenance of the section of Curry Creek flowing through Sawgrass.
  • Laurel Road Widening Project Update (26-0707): Mr. Kramer reported that initial bids exceeded the $16 million budget (half state grant, half mobility fees). The Laurel Road CDD re-engineered the project (e.g., using a deeper pond as a fill source) and rebid; new bids are due September 3, 2026, with construction expected by year-end. The signalization at Venetian Golf & River Club and the MERT path remain unchanged.
  • Wellness Village Development on Old Venice Hospital Site (26-0708): City Manager Clinch reported a July meeting with developers who expressed willingness to scale the project to meet current zoning and code. No formal application has been submitted. Councilmember Smith requested immediate notification of any future application.
  • Data Center Moratorium (26-0709): Mayor Pachota proposed an 18-month moratorium on data centers to allow development of land-use regulations. Council discussion noted that current code lacks provisions for data centers and that the technology is evolving. A motion to direct staff to bring back an ordinance for an 18-month moratorium (or legally permissible timeframe) passed unanimously.
  • Charter Officer Compensation (26-0710): HR Director Alan Bullock presented salary data for City Manager ($217,500) and City Clerk ($164,052). Council debated the lack of formal performance evaluations. A motion to award a 3.4% CPI-based increase to base salary for both positions passed unanimously.
  • FY2027 Budget Changes (26-0711): Finance Director Linda Senne detailed 20 adjustments to the proposed budget, including adding two police officers (funded through cuts in travel, training, decorative street lights, and other areas), funding a fire assessment and staffing study, and moving IT security projects to the one-cent sales tax fund. The net effect on the general fund is an $885,821 deficit (up from $800,000). Council commended staff for the creative solutions and approved the changes unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Ajax Site Plan Appeal (26-03AP): The applicant requested remand; council unanimously vacated the Planning Commission's approval and remanded the application to staff for revision.
  • Ordinances:
    • 2026-22 (Recovery Residences): Approved unanimously on final reading.
    • 2026-23 (Land Development Code amendments): Approved unanimously on final reading, with a commitment to revisit temporary sign regulations at a future meeting.
    • 2026-24 (Budget Amendment): Approved on first reading unanimously, with final reading scheduled for September 8, 2026.
  • Resolution 2026-15 (Village on the Isle Phase 2 improvements): Approved unanimously.
  • Appointments:
    • Peyton DeWitt appointed to the Citizens Tax Oversight Committee (term 2026-2030) unanimously.
    • John Secete and Gene Trammell appointed to the Historic and Architectural Preservation Board (terms 2026-2029) unanimously.
  • Quarterly Financial Update (26-0702): Presented; no action taken.
  • Airport Workshop: Scheduled for October 15, 2026 (or coordinated date).
  • Curry Creek: Negotiations authorized with Sawgrass and Central Venice Coalition.
  • Data Center Moratorium: Staff directed to prepare an ordinance.
  • Charter Officer Compensation: 3.4% increase approved.
  • FY2027 Budget Changes: Approved.

Meeting Transcript

All right, let's call this meeting to order. Madam Clerk, a roll call, please. Mr. Engelkey. Here. Mrs. Frank. Here. Mr. Howard. Here. Mr. Smith. Mr. Weed. Here. Vice Mayor Bolt. Here. Mayor Pechota. And I'm here as well. We will stand for the invocation, and today's pledge can be led by Captain Hill. Lord Father, we pray for our mayor, city council, and all who serve our community. Strengthen us with wisdom and grace for the work that we do every day. May our duties be carried out with respect and care, keeping our hearts pure as we work towards the best interest of all of our residents. Amen. Okay. Let's have some fun. If we could get the police chief to join me up front, and we will start with uh James Browning and family. Yeah. Oh, yes. Good morning, everybody. This is a great day for the police department. We didn't get to have uh three promotions that we're celebrating. And what first I'll just want to thank City Council for kind of helping us over the recent months to reorganize our department, created some new positions as well and helping us to move forward. So thank you for that and for uh celebrating uh these moments with us. Um these supervisors will be taking the oath of office, and when you start as a police officer, you take this oath, and then during these milestones where they take on new responsibilities, it's a good opportunity to publicly renew that oath, and that oath is to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the state of Florida and uh this trust that this community puts in them. Then we have pinning of the badge, which is part of this ceremony. Where in this case, the badge elevates them to a new role. And if anyone has a business, you know that your line level supervisors are some of the most important. So he James Browning here is moving into that critical role. Well, he'll be a role model for the officers. There's a lot of them you see here. And he really as a supervisor sets the tone for the organization. So we're looking forward to uh him taking on this new responsibility. And then we incorporate family, his wife Jessica's here into this moment because these achievements are not the roan, it's shared achievements because their family's with them during all the hard times and all the good times as well. So we're glad to have her here with us. So let's go ahead and get started. Ready. I say your name. James Browning.

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