FEDERAL PRIORITIES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024-2025 

NOTE: The Venice City Council approved the City's federal legislative priorities for 2024-25 on Nov. 28, 2023.

The City of Venice wishes to express its gratitude to the Congressional leadership supporting Florida’s legislative priorities. Our leadership continues to work to provide the best and highest quality of life for residents of the state. We are greatly appreciative of previous support for beach renourishment, a critically important project to protect our shoreline and abutting properties. The following is a list of capital and policy-level projects that would greatly benefit from Federal legislative support. The City of Venice requests your help with these important endeavors:

Beach Renourishment

The City of Venice has a 50-year contract with the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) to renourish the beaches lining the Venice shoreline. The 10-year cycle is necessary to counteract shoreline erosion caused by natural tidal flow and exacerbated by the impacts from the Venice Inlet. Renourishing the beach serves to protect the safety and welfare of this Florida coastal community. Renourishment is important for storm protection, marine turtle nesting, and as a tourism and economic driver. The City of Venice appreciates the funding that has been received through a partnership with ACOE and looks forward to the next scheduled renourishment date. Given the impact of Hurricane Ian in September 2022, the City may be requesting a renourishment in advance of the original programmed date of 2025.

FY 25 Request: The City of Venice supports the continued allocation of Federal funds for shoreline renourishment and requests assistance from the ACOE for an early assessment of need for Federal support.  

Water Plant Relocation

The City of Venice Utilities Department provides potable water to more than 26,000 regular customers and services a burgeoning tourist and visitor population. An explosive building phenomenon in Florida’s southwest corridor has led to a residential growth plan to add 9,000 new homes to the Venice community. The current water plant is located in a flood plain and is at risk during periods of high winds, hurricanes, and flooding. The rising sea level is exacerbating the existing risk. The City is pursuing a relocation site for a new water plant. Moving the water plant to a safe site with adequate elevation is critical to ensuring a reliable source of potable water for the future. A new water plant and related infrastructure requirements for the distribution system is projected to cost more than $100,000,000. The City is committed to upgrading this critical utility but will require external funding support to accomplish the goal. The City is investing in the purchase of a relocation site and preliminary engineering will be initiated to determine a more exact cost for project construction.

FY 25 Request: The City of Venice respectfully requests funding to support 50% of the project cost.

Reclaimed Water Production – Environmentally Based Initiative     

The City’s Utility Department employs a strategic modeling system to improve potable water and reclaimed water production. A complement to the production and efficient use of potable water is the processing of reclaimed water. The reuse of reclaimed water is the key element to environmentally friendly water management for irrigation and related purposes. The City is creating a master plan for the long-term expansion, collection, and distribution of reclaimed water. The first phase will complete the master plan and construct deep-water injection wells to store stormwater for later use. The projected cost is $6,000,000. Phase 2 will expand the infrastructure to distribute the stored water to residential, business, and commercial site. The City of Venice water utility infrastructure is in excess of 50 years old and is serving a rapidly expanding population. Updating and expansion of the reclaimed water infrastructure will ensure the continued adequate and efficient use as a limited water supply.

FY 25 Request: Funding support is requested by the City of Venice in the amount of $5 million.

Affordable Housing

Area businesses including critical service providers like the local hospital have conveyed to the City that they have difficulty in hiring and retaining employees due to a lack of affordable housing. Additionally, local land and construction costs preclude developers from creating residential units at affordable prices for low- and moderate-income workers. It should be possible for working families and our more vulnerable citizens to afford housing and still have enough money for basic expenses like groceries and gas.

FY 25 Request: The City of Venice respectfully requests Federal program initiatives, tax incentives and supplemental appropriations to facilitate the creation of workforce housing geared to providing residential opportunities for low- and middle-income residents.

Water Quality – Red Tide Research

The presence of Karina Brevis, commonly known as red tide, in local waters creates a significant public health risk and imparts a devastating blow to the area’s economy. The continued prevalence of the algae impacting area beaches, shoreline activity local tourism, and public health generally, is a vivid indication that continued research is needed to more precisely identify causes and develop counter measures to prevent the proliferation of the algae in populated areas.

FY 25 Request: The City of Venice supports Federal initiatives to further the research and testing of methods to predict, counteract and control the unhealthy presence of red tide.

Human Services

The prevalence of homelessness in communities is, in part, an indication of the lack of adequate human services to identify and treat the various human conditions that contribute to this population. Notably, military veterans; those suffering from mental illness and/or drug and alcohol addiction; and those suffering from physical disabilities are among those classified as homeless. Homelessness in a community undermines the welfare of all residents. Developing jobs, reinstating clinics to test and service physical and mental disabilities, increasing opportunities for veterans to receive employment assistance, and generally creating programs offering opportunities for homeless individual to gain or regain a position of independence should be priority goals of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

FY 25 Request: The City of Venice requests Federal funding to create program support for veterans, through the Department of Veterans Affairs, to provide testing, clinical services, and related outreach benefits geared to restoring the capacity and reaffirming the dignity of our country’s veteran population.