On Nov. 21, 1925, the Florida Legislature considered and approved Venice’s charter to incorporate as a town; the legislation had an effective date of July 1, 1926.  

Construction began on Feb. 1, 1926, and the Venice Company declared Venice was open on Feb. 27, 1926.

Gov. John Martin appointed the first mayor of Venice, Edward L. Worthington, and council on Dec. 1, 1926. Venice’s incorporation was amended on May 9, 1927, to change its name from town of Venice to city of Venice.

The population of Venice has grown from 309 in 1930 to an estimated 26,047.

Below you will find brief biographies and dates served of our mayors who have contributed their time, talents and hard work to the residents of our beautiful "City on the Gulf."

                                                                                                                          1. Edward Worthington (1926-1928)

Edward Worthington, Venice’s first mayor, was a native of Cleveland, Ohio, where he was a senior member of the investment firm of Worthington and Murfey. He befriended George T. Webb, executive vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers’ bank and president of the Venice Company. Webb encouraged Worthington to get involved in fledgling Venice’s politics, which led to him serving as mayor shortly after the city was incorporated.

                                                                                                                           2. James Blalock (1929-1941)

James Blalock, Venice’s first elected mayor, served six consecutive terms from 1929 to 1941. His background was in the banking industry including being involved with the Venice-Nokomis Bank when it opened in downtown Venice in 1927. In that same year, Blalock formed the Blalock Insurance Company. In 1958, Venice City Council passed Resolution 78, naming a large area in the Venezia Park Neighborhood, Blalock Park. 

                                                                                                                            3. Clyde Higel (1942-1943, 1946-1947) 

Clyde Higel served two terms as the city’s mayor. The first was in 1942 before enlisting in the U.S. Navy. The second was in 1946 when he returned home from service. Mr. Higel was a builder for more than 30 years in the Venice area. He helped in the construction of the Hotel Venice in 1926 and built many residential homes in the area. Higel Marine Park in Venice is named after the Higel family, one of the first early pioneer families in the area.

                                                                                                                                4. Mitt Cousins (1944-1945) 

Mitt Cousins was a prominent local building contractor who served as Venice’s mayor in the absence of Clyde Higel who enlisted into the U.S. Navy during the World War II era. For 23 years, Cousins also served as grounds superintendent for the Kentucky Military Institute’s winter campus located in downtown Venice. 

                                                                                                                            5. Louis Suter (1948-1949)

Louis Suter served a two-year term as Venice’s mayor from 1948-1949. He owned the Venezia Hotel and was a former government financial analyst and postmaster in Venice. Suter was involved in the Boy Scouts and the American Red Cross, serving as both scoutmaster and director of the Sarasota County American Red Cross for many years.

                                                                                                                           6. Frank Raeburn (1950-1951)

Frank Raeburn became mayor of the City of Venice on Dec. 7, 1949, and served a two-year term from 1950-1951. After his service in the Army Air Corps, he founded and became president of Frank C. Raeburn, Inc., Realtors. Raeburn also served as a director of the Venice-Nokomis Bank. In 1949, he was the youngest mayor in the state of Florida at the age of 29.

                                                                                                                          7. George Youngberg Sr. (1952-1953)

George Youngberg Sr. served as mayor of the City of Venice from 1952-1953. He was one of the organizers and first chairman of the board and the president of the First National Bank in Venice. Prior to his career in banking, Youngberg served as chief engineer in charge of the development of the city for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers from 1925-1929.

                                                                                                                            8. James Kiernan (1954-1957)

James Kiernan was elected mayor in 1954 and served two terms. He introduced many sweeping reforms and improvements in numerous city departments. Most of these reforms were approved by city council and remain to the present.

                                                                                                                          9. Smyth Brohard (1958-1971)

Smyth Brohard served seven terms as mayor of Venice, passing away while serving in office in 1971. Brohard owned and operated Smitty’s Tavern in Venice and Fort Myers. He was an active member of the Elks and the Rotary Club.

                                                                                                                        10. Thomas Humphris (1972-1973)

Thomas Humphris served a two-year term as mayor for the City of Venice. He pushed for the planning of new recreation facilities and pushed state officials for a southern link to I-75 along with improvements to U.S. 41. Humphris, who was from Champaign, Illinois, worked as an executive for General Paving Company of Champaign before moving to Venice in 1966. Humphris Park near Venice’s South Jetty is named in honor of the former mayor.

                                                                                                                            11. William McCracken (1974-1975)

William McCracken was a financial consultant for A.G. Edwards in Venice before becoming mayor of the city. He was a past president of the Venice Lions Club and Sarasota County Teachers Association. Originally from Kentucky, McCracken lived in Venice for almost 40 years.

                                                                                                                            12. Harry Case (1976-1980)

Harry Case served two stints as Venice’s mayor which were seven years apart and spanned three decades. He was originally from Ohio where he earned a degree in engineering. After college, he worked for the federal government in the Works Progress Administration, building roads and bridges. He moved to Venice in 1971 with his wife, Marguerite.   

                                                                                                                              13. Frank Proctor (1981-1983)

Frank Proctor occupied the position of mayor for one term in Venice. Before this post, Proctor had a long career as a presidential secret service agent. He served under three presidents: Franklin Roosevelt, Truman, and Eisenhower. He came to Venice in 1962, serving on the city council and planning commission before becoming mayor.

                                                                                                                        14. Richard Louis (1984-1986)

Richard Louis was from Keene, New Hampshire, and served one term as Venice’s mayor. Prior to his role as mayor, Louis served as assistant to the city manager and airport manager. He also became executive director of the Venice Area Chamber of Commerce and was the owner of The Paper Clip, an office supply store.

 15. Harry Case (1987-1992)

 See bio above.

                                                                                                                              16. Kathy Schmidt (1992-1993)

Kathy Schmidt was elected Venice’s first female mayor in December 1992. She was instrumental in working on one the early large-scale beach nourishment projects on Venice Beach. Schmidt relocated out of Venice in 1994, resigning her post as mayor in 1993.

                                                                                                                            17. Merle Graser (1993-1998)

Merle Graser served two terms as the city’s mayor. His professional career was in banking, working for City National Bank in Coral Gables, Florida, before becoming vice president and cashier for First National Bank of Venice in 1963. He would later become the bank’s president and chairman of the board before serving as Venice’s mayor. Graser Park, located on the corner of Barcelona Avenue and The Esplanade across from Venice Beach, is named in his honor. 

                                                                                                                                  18. Dean Calamaras (1998-2006)

Dean Calamaras was elected Venice's mayor three times, the first in 1998. Prior to this post, he served on Venice City Council from 1986-1995. Calamaras was instrumental in creating a dog beach, Brohard Paw Park, named after Venice’s former mayor Smyth Brohard, in Venice and a marine park at the historic Venice Train Depot. He retired in 2006. Calamaras is an amateur paleontologist and history buff.

                                                                                                                              19. Fred Hammett (2006-2007)

Fred Hammett was elected in 2006, serving as Venice’s mayor until 2007. He grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, where he obtained a degree in engineering. He later went on to become a business executive before serving as the city’s mayor.

                                                                                                                                  20. Ed Martin (2007-2010)

Ed Martin served one term as Venice’s mayor starting in 2007. He is originally from Rockville Center, New York, and studied literature as an undergrad. He served as a top federal education official before obtaining the post of Venice’s mayor.

                                                                                                                              21. John Holic (2010-2019)

John Holic served three terms as mayor of the City of Venice. Prior to his work with the city, Holic was a certified financial planner and branch manager for A.G. Edwards. He and his wife, Pam, have been living in Venice since 1990.  

                                                                                                                                22. Ron Feinsod (2019-2022)

Ron Feinsod was elected Venice’s mayor in 2019 and served one term. He grew up in New Jersey where he joined and helped grow the family business, The Camera Mart and Stereo Sound Center. He had been visiting Venice for over 15 years before deciding to retire here full time.