Don Hay to council: Weasels ripped my flesh The CQG member and leader of a local teen activist group wants council to get some integrity, to stop acting like a bunch of weasels, and to break the Sunshine Law by attending a private meeting with him; oh, and he also wants a concert stage on the beach, right next to Sharky's Restaurant -- Venice Florida! dot com, 12/19/07
City clerk reverses policy: video recordings of council meetings are now public records Getting a copy of a video of city council would set you back $25 to $35 and could only be ordered from a video company in Bradenton; Venice Florida! dot com cries foul and enlists the help of Adria Harper of Florida First Amendment Foundation -- Venice Florida! dot com, 12/18/07
City's personnel director is sacked Over the past two years, Brenda Digges has refused to pay back-owed overtime to utilities workers and has allowed supervisors and department heads to violate union contracts and federal labor laws as they saw fit -- strangely, those aren't the reasons why Digges has been ordered to turn in her keys and city ID badge -- Venice Florida! dot com, 12/16/07
Airport Advisory Board and VASI: a Sunshine Law nightmare realized Several members of the Airport Advisory Board are board members of the Venice Aviation Society; the former is a government board, the latter is a non-profit organization, both boards deal with almost the exact same issues -- hey, no problem whatsoever, right? -- Thomas Brener, posted to the web on 12/15/07
Prelude... For almost a year and a half, Venice Florida! dot com has been investigating the city's drinking water department, its permitting process with the DEP, and the way that the city has been dealing with workers who have been asking uncomfortable questions. This is the first in a series of stories. -- Venice Florida! dot com, 12/10/07
Bandshell on the beach? And this was approved by the voters... when, exactly? In 2003, voters very narrowly approved a $10 million bond referendum, one that this web site opposed for some very prescient reasons; curiously, a bandshell on the beach was never mentioned prior to the election as the projected community center renovations would include a performing arts venue -- Venice Florida! dot com reprint, 10/20/03
Tempo News' John Susce on recent coverage of Grove Terrace: Ship of fools at helm of Herald-Trib (with video) Tempo News reporter John Susce is right when he accuses the Sarasota Herald-Tribune of near-total failure in their coverage of the ongoing Grove Terrace story -- written by John Susce of Tempo News, special to Venice Florida! dot com, posted 11/30/07
Repeal the CMU ordinance? Mayor Martin responds to Black's "43" memo Mike Miller's Tra Ponti, pavilions at the beach park, and the repeal of Boone's CMU ordinance -- Mayor Martin is filling his plate up fast -- Mayor Ed Martin, posted to Venice Florida! dot com on 11/27/07
Marty Black: 43 ways to confuse the hell out of your lover You don't need to be coy, Roy, but it helps: 43 agenda items, mostly related to day-to-day operations, that the city manager is requesting input on from the new city council; best option might be to continue past practice: ignore the whole mess and annex something -- City Manager Marty Black, posted to Venice Florida! dot com on 11/17/07
Civility matters? Gulf Coast Foundation's spokesman Don Hay has been promoting the $500,000 "civility" campaign; in this clip, from (now ex-) Mayor Hammett's last appearance on the council dais, Hay laments the departure of defeated council members and very civilly warns the new council members that are sitting in the audience that a war against them is brewing
-- Venice Florida! dot com via YouTube, posted 11/18/07
Venice will comfort you From the BBC comes a beautiful song that appears to be tailor-made for our city -- Venice Florida! dot com, 11/16/07
Nevermind the bollocks -- here's the new city council While CQGers are grumbling that an anti-business council now exists, the truth is that this election was about access and trust (and kicking Dan Boone in his bollocks) -- Venice Florida! dot com, 11/11/07
More Moore on Hona Luana airport lease (WITH AUDIO) One of the stories that was buried by election coverage was the ongoing controversy over the sweetheart lease and highly profitable sub-lease of the Hona Luana Restaurant at Venice Airport; relax, Venetians, John Moore is in the house and on the case -- Venice Florida! dot com, 11/09/07
City manager suspends airport charrettes indefinitely(PDF file) In the face of an impending overturned council, Marty Black folds his cards; Note to Marriott reps: bye bye, have a nice trip, don't forget to write -- memo from Marty Black, dated 11/02/07
Steve Albee wants a Wal-Mart The direct descendent of Venice's first and biggest ever real estate flipper pulls a Jim Clinch -- Albee can't understand why anyone would be so stupid as to oppose a Wal-Mart in North Venice, suggests the city put a truck stop there instead as revenge for those who disagree with him -- written by Steve Albee, special to Venice Florida! dot com, posted 11/02/07
In case you missed them, here's the city council election TV ads
First ever TV ads in a city council election: Venice is now officially ready for the 1990s BONUS LINK: Our review of the ads (they're both pretty bad) -- Venice Florida! dot com via YouTube
City manager suspends airport charrettes indefinitely(PDF file) In the face of an impending overturned council, Marty Black folds his cards; Note to Marriott reps: bye bye, have a nice trip, don't forget to write -- memo from Marty Black, dated 11/02/07
Super Majority court ruling - full text (PDF file) Judge Riva rules that to stop the Super Majority from appearing on the ballot would usurp the election process; Marriott on the beach's point man Ed Taylor is one of the named plaintiffs who is trying to prevent the issue from appearing on the ballot -- court ruling, 12th Judicial Circuit, 11/02/07
Mike Miller: Busted! Accused of running a stealthed fake grassroots campaign for Wal-Mart, the land developer accuses his accusers of taking his shenanigans just a bit too seriously
-- Venice Florida! dot com via YouTube, 10/225/07
Environmentally friendly he ain't Hammett reality check -- he engineered what? In his latest ad, Hizzoner is taking credit for supporting a number of causes that he is on record as staunchly opposing -- but since this is election time, he doesn't want you to know that -- Venice Florida! dot com, 10/23/07
CQG fundraising to date nears $30,000 mark Latest report doesn't include funds raised by individual candidates -- PDF file, SRQ elections campaign filing, dated 09/30/07
Wal-Mart, Venice MainStreet Association, and city council elections (VIDEO) Mike Miller parked an elephant in the living room at last Tuesday's planning commission meeting; while the CQG incumbents are avoiding the topic at all costs (Miller is donating heavily to their campaigns), the challengers are more than happy to talk about it -- Venice Florida! dot com, 10/18/07
Priceless! (click on pic for larger version)
Tra Ponti, fire department add-on fees, Marriott, Wal-Mart: CQG candidates can't seem to catch a break or their breath Three weeks until the election: Fiasco after fiasco are threatening to totally derail the city's status quo power structure; In other news, VTL prez Herb Levine is scheduled for emergency ass-reattachment surgery, claims it fell off while laughing -- Venice Florida! dot com, 10/15/07
NEWS FLASH: City Manager Marty Black is still City Manager Marty Black (VIDEO) Levine, council candidates debunk rumors that there is a conspiracy to stuff Black head first into a wood chipper; in other news, Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead -- Venice Florida! dot com, 10/08/07
State returns Comprehensive Plan amendment to Venice Round one goes to the state: Future land use designations by city are too vague, not supported by data, missing stated objectives, missing data analysis, missing policies, missing data on schools, city's provided maps are self-contradictory -- Venice Florida! dot com, 10/05/07
Martin, Zavodnyik & Lang: Live at Caspersen Beach VIDEOS: Ed Martin | Sue Lang | Ernie Zavodnyik While the incumbents are running closed door, press-not-invited meetings, the new kids are reaching out to everyone who will listen -- You Tube, via Venice Florida! dot com, posted 09/30/07
Stealthed pro-growth politicos hidden in U.S. News and World Report retirement article - REVISED A deceptive message goes out as pro-developer PAC fundraiser Jack Meyerhoff and Planning Commissioner Janis Fawn are stealthed in Top Ten article as simple anonymous retirees; Fawn says residents don't want a lot of 15-story buildings on the Intracoastal -- how many is "not a lot?" -- Venice Florida! dot com, 09/28/07
Tra Ponti: And Justice For All (video) Councilman John Moore saves the day by introducing a successful motion to delay Tra Ponti approval until council can more fully consider their options, although he has to open up a can of Al Pacino whoopass on John Simmonds to get there -- Venice Florida! dot com, 09/27/07
Short term rentals: Power failure shuts down Hammett's brain (video) The appellate hearing on short term rentals is scheduled for the December 11 city council meeting -- Hizzoner freaks out like a deer in the headlights -- Venice Florida! dot com, 09/26/07
Martin, Zavodnyik react to Tra Ponti vote
Tra Ponti at Ground Zero -- The view from above (video) Tra Ponti will be six and five stories -- in the city's words, this is to transition from Miller's nine story towers to the three- and four-story buildings already along Business 41 and Venice Avenue -- wait, what? What three- and four-story buildings? -- Venice Florida! dot com, 09/24/07
Freakout at the CQG BONUS SIDEBAR GOODNESS: The Gospel According to Jim Clinch Bennies, cocaine and vodka are the only friends that council and the development PAC that supports them has, as the citizens of Venice have picked a new song for the city's official anthem: "Burn Down The Mission" -- Venice Florida! dot com, 09/18/07
Dear Jim Letters from Venice Florida! dot com to the Gondo and Jim Clinch -- Venice Florida! dot com, 09/17/07
Simmonds on YouTube: That's why the lady is a... Venice resident Rita Sakowicz gets under Councilman John Simmonds' skin
John Moore on Tra Ponti: The quiet voice of ignored sanity (video) In 2005, Councilman Moore warned about the down sides in the wording of the CMU ordinance -- he was ignored; it's now 2007 and the future that Moore predicted has become a reality, so you'd think that council would pay heed to his current warnings about Tra Ponti, but council doesn't want to hear it this time around either -- Venice Florida! dot com, 09/14/07
The Tra Ponti War (video) The island of Venice is about to become a lot more crowded as council approves Mike Miller's massive Tra Ponti condo-hotel complex to be built at the island's entrance, while the war surrounding the project becomes the focal video debate of the 2007 city elections -- Venice Florida! dot com, 09/13/07
Fear and loathing returns to city hall Planning Commissioner Janis Fawn gets some tough questions thrown at her about her involvement as a board member of the newly formed Venice Tiger Bay Club, so her husband is sent out to beat up Venice Florida! dot com's Patten -- Venice Florida! dot com, 09/12/07
More city council videos Don Hay, Maxine Barritt, Pat McDonald, Herb Levine, Bill Dowling, and Walter Hake in clips from the August 28, 2007 city council meeting -- Venice Florida! dot com, 09/03/07
Anderson and council: Short term rentals Q&A -- VIDEO Before council can decide the case of short-term rentals, it has to figure out which members can participate due to potential conflict of interest issues; to that end, City Attorney Bob Anderson puts council under the microscope -- Venice Florida! dot com, 09/01/07
The council races are tightening up Martin versus Hammett will be a comedy goldmine, a four-way race for Woods' seat will be disastrous for Lang, and Willson holds the early edge over Zavodnyik -- let the games begin -- Venice Florida! dot com, 08/31/07
The Bella Citta debate (with video) Venice Florida! dot com's Patten argues that taking on the county over the Bella Citta development in the current JPA dispute is using public funds to defend a developer -- council argues otherwise -- Venice Florida! dot com, 08/29/07
Disgusting, abhorrent, morally reprehensible Those are the terms being used by the mayor, the city manager, and the husband of a planning commissioner to describe a recent (rare) editorial on Venice Florida! dot com -- and that was before at least one of them had actually read the article -- Venice Florida! dot com, 08/29/07
IsTacy out or in? City Councilman Rick Tacy has been, and apparently continues to be, very seriously ill; city has been silent so far on whether or not he is coming back, which begs the question: Is city hall and the CQG riding the calendar to avoid Tacy's replacement's name appearing on a ballot? -- a rare editorial, 08/26/07
Charrette PR has gone too far Venice resident Peg Tomanio has a few bones to pick with named charrette consultant Steve Albee -- Peg Tomanio for Venice Florida! dot com, 08/23/07
Charrette diary -- Day Two Touchy-feely. Encounter groups. Focus groups. I absolutely despise this warm and fuzzy crap. -- Venice Florida! dot com, 08/05/07
Charrette diary - Day One Runway construction and maintenance, B-II or C-II, yada, yada, yada, just kill me now, damn those androids look real -- Venice Florida! dot com, 08/04/07
More questions on airport charrettes It's not the usual rabble-rousers that are causing migraines at city hall in the push to ram airport development down our throats -- citizens like Rita Kutie and Mike Rafferty are asking hard questions, questions that city hall would just as soon never be asked -- Venice Florida! dot com, 08/03/07
Now it can be told: Almost framed by the city MP3 audio file, story told by Patten to the Charter Review Board Think Herb Levine was the first person city hall tried to set up with a false arrest? Think again. Shortly before Levine's arrest (lawsuit still pending), city officials tried to frame Venice Florida! dot com's Patten with a bogus extortion charge -- a nose-to-nose showdown between Police Chief Jim Hanks and Emergency Services Director Joe Slapp narrowly prevented an arrest and a whopper of a lawsuit; we've withheld this from publication for years, but now it can finally come out; -- Venice Florida! dot com, published for the first time, 07/19/07
Who screwed Hunt? Barefoot Bay resident Sylvia Parish and Venice Florida! dot com's Patten are being sued for sending non-existent negative emails to the City of Fernandina Beach -- turns out there was such an email -- SENT BY HUNT'S OWN HIRED HEADHUNTER! -- Venice Florida! dot com, 07/12/07, revised 07/13/07
Big stink about roundabouts overblown? County Commissioner Shannon Staub is a big fan of a specific style of roundabout, like the one planned for the corner of Venice Avenue East and Jacaranda Boulevard -- according to Staub, what is planned for Venice is safer, greener, and more efficient -- Venice Florida! dot com, 07/02/07
Yet another example of a city hall disconnect: Hizzoner's response to Sue Lang's letter of opposition to the city's Comprehensive Plan revision is strangely not a disagreement with Lang, but a confession of utter mystification when it comes to understanding the concept of reading; to further bollix things, Hizzoner can't tell the difference between a discussion of 25 units per acre (which Lang mentioned four times in her letter) and a 25-story building (which Lang never mentioned); Note to Lang: next time, use smaller words or maybe just pictures; Note to Hizzoner: since you can't read this anyway, your fly is open -- posted to YouTube, 06/28/07
Lang to fight Comprehensive Plan revision The president of Venice Neighborhoods Coalition is set to go nose-to-nose with the city -- Venice Florida! dot com, 06/27/07
The Master Plan That Ate Venice Marty Black's June 11 memo to city council is unique for a couple of reasons: it's the first time that Black has ever backed down on anything this major and it contains an acknowledgment that city hall scientists have been conducting mad experiments designed to breathe life and self-awareness into the proposed Airport Master Plan -- Venice Florida! dot com, 06/16/07
Simmonds gets spanked How council earned the public's distrust and why that distrust continues Venice resident Rita Kutie eloquently writes to John Simmonds and takes him on point by point over a column Simmonds wrote for the Venice Gondolier; Kutie's letter obtained from public records -- Rita Kutie, posted to the web on 06/12/07
Golden Beach Vice President writes in favor of airport development Golden Beach VP Bill Whalen is sick and tired of middle-class slackers getting cheap golf; he wants an upscale hotel and an upscale golf course, but he'd rather you didn't learn about his views -- at least not from this web site -- Venice Florida! dot com, 06/11/07
'Brown data' in the Airport Master Plan: B-II or not B-II -- that is the question Well, it's one of them, anyway: Pesky citizens are raising questions about the accuracy of some of the data contained in the proposed Airport Master Plan -- are we a B-II or a C-II? And what about the accuracy of reported air traffic numbers? -- Venice Florida! dot com, 06/10/07
Interview with John Wetton of Asia Heat of the Moment -- podcast Asia is coming to the Van Wezel this Wednesday; their lead singer, John Wetton, discusses a brief history of prog-rock with Venice Florida! dot com's John Patten, with a stop along the way in Larry Norman's recording studio and a look at Life, the Universe, and Wetton's Rock of Faith -- Venice Florida! dot com, 06/09/07
Best Let 'Em Have It post... ever... The art of irony is alive and well in Venice as a Gondo reader spoofs the Gondo in fake praise of publisher Bob Vedder -- Venice Florida! dot com, 06/01/07
Venice4PositiveFuture: Anything Dan Boone wants is fine with us City hall keeps trying unsuccessfully to stomp out urban myths about airport development; who'da thunk that the purveyors of the very myths that city hall can't quite kill would turn out to be the Chamber of Commerce's cheerleading squad? -- Venice Florida! dot com, 05/26/07
Mayor, Boone tag team Ed Martin on urban sprawl, hilarity ensues
Columnist Ed Martin (web site) gives an impassioned plea to council to reexamine the second Venice that they are about to create in the North Venice area -- Fred Hammett and Jeff Boone take him on and get their butts kicked, council gives Boone what he wants anyway -- Venice Florida! dot com via YouTube, posted 05/12/07
Venice Housing Authority secretary fired over allegations of theft The last of the holdover employees from Peter Lopez' failed regime is let go after being accused of stealing her own rent check and falsifying her rental records -- Venice Florida! dot com, 05/08/07
Letters from home City hall has been bombarded with emails from outraged citizens over the airport development fiasco; here's another sample of what your friends and neighbors are thinking and writing -- compiled by Venice Florida! dot com, 05/04/07
Marty Black's misinterpreted comments (huh?) City manager backpedals, is now stating that he has been misinterpreted when it comes to alleged FAA requirements for a marina and hotel / resort complex -- Venice Florida! dot com, 05/02/07
Hammett and Marriott go in through the back door An email from Ritz-Carlton (Marriott) indicates that a Marriott executive's wife met with Hammett last Easter and that other back door meetings have happened as well -- Oh Freddie, I think you've got some 'splaining to do -- Venice Florida! dot com, 04/30/07
Backstage at the charrette ("My butt is about shot") Council and city administrators used email as Instant Messaging during the charrette to avoid speaking within earshot of the public, sometimes to make fun of public speakers and once to try to shut out the public -- Venice Florida! dot com, 04/28/07
Lies, damned lies The city kinda made things up about VNC's Sue Lang, then blasted at her about it in order to try to save face in the airport fiasco; Venice Gondolier merrily went along for the ride ... tsk, tsk, tsk -- Thomas Brener, Venice Florida! dot com, 04/25/07
Airport misconceptions and The Black FAQ Is the FAA requiring more development at the airport? City Manager Marty Black says "Yes;" the correct answer, though, would be "No" -- Venice Florida! dot com, 04/22/07
You folks just don't get it Why city hall's PR is backfiring --John Patten, Venice Florida! dot com, posted 04/16/07
Black announces layoffs Three city hall employees are let go due to budgetary considerations; Black states that no further layoffs are being considered -- Venice Florida! dot com, 04/14/07
YOUR VIEWS ON AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT RAY HOLIMAN: Who is going to benefit? Not the people of Venice. (2:32)
HERB LEVINE: Council will do the right thing... for somebody. (5:37)
The Black FAQ The Herald-Tribune is complaining that City Manager Marty Black won't answer their questions; Black responds by writing his own questions and answering them instead -- by Marty Black, posted to Venice Florida! dot com on 04/10/07
Hugh Laubis: An open letter to Venice City Council The city's PR on airport development continues to do a spiraling nosedive with both wings in flames; City Manager Marty Black states that if citizens continue to make this a major issue, ex-City Manager George Hunt might come back back to town -- Venice Florida! dot com, 04/08/07
Dirty deals done dirt cheap The VGA, the FAA and the Venice Airport: How we got to where we are The ultimate legal end game was played by City Attorney Bob Anderson three years ago in the legal wrangling over the VGA lease and Dan Boone has been smarting ever since; maybe what is happening now is really less about the money and more about Dan Boone sticking it back in the city's face -- Venice Florida! dot com, originally posted on 06/16/04
Your emails to city hall: Locals are out for blood on airport development "When [former City Manager George] Hunt was fired, everyone believed that the city government would get better; well it looks like Hunt must have forgot to take his handbook. It's business as usual in Venice." -- compiled by Venice Florida! dot com, 04/02/07
OUR APRIL FOOLS JOKE IS NO JOKE -- SOMETIMES REALITY IS JUST PLAIN FUNNIER Dear Mayor: Canada is not another state. It is a foreign country. Mayor Fred Hammett continues to take issue with a state law enforcement officer for enforcing boating laws in Florida while an officer and an attorney for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission issue their official opinions that North Carolina may actually have an entirely different set of laws from Florida and that Canada is, in all likelihood, not a part of the United States of America -- Venice Florida! dot com, 04/01/07
Residents speak out on airport development HERB LEVINE - 5:30
Venice Taxpayers League prez Herb Levine repeats an old mantra that has consistently fallen on deaf ears -- bring in an expert consultant on growth BEFORE starting this process -- Venice Florida! dot com via YouTube, posted 04/01/07
TOM WEST - 4:03
City resident Tom West tries to warn council on how to avoid leaving residents in the dust during airport development process; mayor yawns, says thank you -- Venice Florida! dot com via YouTube, posted 03/30/07
Marty Black on airport development process: VIDEO - 7:57
Venice's city manager discusses how council can tweak (Marriott) the process of builder applications (Marriott) so that council can get (Marriott) what it wants built (Marriott) at the airport. Problem? For starters, council claims (Marriott) that it doesn't have a clue (Marriott) what it wants; BONUS HILARITY IN ABOVE VIDEO: John Simmonds rips a new one into an unnamed individual, namely Sue Lang, and accuses Lang of whipping up the masses into a war with city hall -- Venice Florida! dot com via YouTube, posted 03/29/07
Airport Shade Meetings Redux You've been had and it all started a few years back With Simmonds, council and the Boones all drooling at the prospect of getting condos or a hotel chain built at the airport, it's time to look backwards a bit -- this was a setup from the beginning, a very profitable setup at that for a select few hidden investors -- Venice Florida! dot com, originally published in June, 2004
Black in a box City Manager Marty Black is forecasting the end of civilization as we know it -- if the worst-case scenario that he is spinning comes true, he may have plenty of real reasons to be in fear -- by Earl Quandt -- Venice Florida! dot com, 03/06/07
Black Wednesday -- Your taxes are going up yet again, city layoffs are coming, and it is all the fault of this web site (natch) City Manager Marty Black waits until after news reporters have left to clue council in on a $5.7 million budget shortfall, states that services will have to be cut, layoffs will have to be made, and taxes will have to be increased; Black apparently forgets to let any city employees know about the situation, so of course when panic sets in due to trickled down misinformation, it's all the fault of Governor Crist and Venice Florida! dot com; hilarity ensues -- Venice Florida! dot com, 03/02/07
Tuesday in the park with Chris City's Utilities Director to get demoted after his team loses to a swamp; other city employees were involved in trying to help Sharek in initial cover-up -- Venice Florida! dot com, 02/26/07
"Council members made no response" Herald-Trib calls the purchase of gift cards from Bogey's "political patronage," city council stares at the ceiling and whistles -- Venice Florida! dot com, 02/17/07
Sarasota 2050 -- The future's so bright, I gotta wear flotation devices Sarasota 2050 could be a moot point if this entire section of the state is under 40 feet of water in 2050; Former Vice-President Al Gore is saying that that's a likely scenario if we don't change our ways -- Venice Florida! dot com, REVISED 01/02/07
Mayor Fred Hammett continues to take issue with a state law enforcement officer for enforcing boating laws in Florida while an officer and an attorney for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission issue their official opinions that North Carolina may actually have an entirely different set of laws from Florida and that Canada is, in all likelihood, not a part of the United States of America
