City Council

Dean Calamaras, Mayor

mailto:dcalama@ci.venice.fl.us

Term Expires - November 2007

Mayor Dean Calamaras was first elected to his current office in November 1998 and is serving his third term as mayor.

He represents the city on the Council of Governments.

Before becoming mayor, he served on Venice City Council for 9 years from 1987-96. During that time he served twice as vice mayor.

He also served on the city's Planning Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, and Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.

He is an owner of Southern Home Services. His community involvement includes being a founding member of Royal Venice Foundation, an organization which helps first-time home buyers with minimal salaries obtain mortgages. He served as the first president of the Pinebrook South Homeowners Association and was on the Venice Little League board of directors.

Mayor Calamaras and his wife, Barbara, moved to Venice from New Jersey in 1978. The couple raised their two children, Dana and Dean, here. They have two grandchildren.

bwillso@ci.venice.fl.us

Term Expires - November 2007

Council Member Bill Willson began his first term Nov. 3, 2004. He serves as ex-officio on the Accessibility Advisory Committee, Architectural Review Board and Committee on Senior Living. He served as the president of Venice Area Beautification Inc. and was instrumental in the development of Venetian Waterway Park. He was a member of the Venice Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors for six years. He is past president of Venice-Nokomis Rotary Club.

Mr. Willson is an insurance agent for Roberts Insurance Group of Venice. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of South Florida.

He is a Riverview High School (Sarasota) graduate who served in the Air Force 37th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron. He is married to Deb Lawrence and has two grown daughters.

Vicki Taylor, Council Member

mailto:vtaylor@ci.venice.fl.us

Term Expires - November 2006

Council Member Vicki Taylor was elected in 2003.

She serves as ex-officio on the Youth Advisory Board. She is the Venice representative on the Manatee/Sarasota Counties Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). Before being elected, she served as a member of the city's Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and Municipal Code Enforcement Board.

Mrs. Taylor holds a master's degree in health services administration from Central Michigan University and is a licensed registered nurse. She is a senior administrator for Heartland Health Care.

She is on the board of directors of the Venice Area Chamber of Commerce and a 2001 graduate of Leadership Sarasota County.

She has lived in Venice since 1995. She and her husband, Edwin, have three children.

John Simmonds, Council Member

jsimmon@ci.venice.fl.us

Term Expires - November 2006

Council Member John Simmonds was elected in 2003. He serves as ex-officio on the Airport Advisory Board and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.

Before being elected to City Council, Mr. Simmonds served on the Blue Ribbon Charter Review Committee, the Airport Advisory Board, the Police Pension Board, and was appointed to fill an unexpired city council term in 2000. Mr. Simmonds holds a bachelor of science degree from Sacramento State University in California.

He served as a pilot in the United States Air Force, from which he retired after 28 years of service. His military experience included a combat tour in Vietnam. He served as the mayor of Winter Haven, Fla., and was the personnel manager for the Winter Haven Hospital, director of school planning and construction for Dade County Schools, was CEO of an umbrella corporation owning three healthcare corporations, and was the owner of a high-end furniture and design company.

He and his wife, Sarah, have lived in Venice full time since 1994, after decades of owning a weekend home here. The Florida native was born in Bradenton.

John K. Moore, Vice Mayor

mailto:jmoore@ci.venice.fl.us

Term Expires - November 2005

Vice Mayor John K. Moore was elected in 2002.

He serves as ex-officio on the Venice Historical Commission. He is the Venice representative on the Manasota League of cities, the Sarasota County Tourist Development Council and Tourism and Economic Development Board.

Before being elected to the council, he served as chairman of the Municipal Code Enforcement Board.

Mr. Moore holds a B.S. degree in civil engineering from Virginia Military Institute and a law degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He served in the U.S. Army.

He, and his wife, Linda, moved to Venice in 2000 from Virginia Beach, Va., where Mr. Moore served as circuit court judge. The couple have three children and six grandchildren.

Rick Tacy, Council Member

rtacy@ci.venice.fl.us

Term Expires - November 2005

Fred Hammett, Council Member

fhammet@ci.venice.fl.us

Term Expires - November 2007

Council Member Fred Hammett was elected in November, 2004. Before beginning his first term of office, he was appointed on Dec. 1, 2003, by the mayor and city council to fill the unexpired term of Virginia Warren. Before becoming a member of the City Council, he served on the city's Planning Commission, Municipal Code Enforcement Board and Citizen Tax Oversight Committee.

Mr. Hammett works as a consultant for SiteScape Inc. and is a member of its board of directors. He has worked in computer product marketing. He holds a bachelor of science degree in industrial technology from Ohio University.

He serves as ex-officio on the Municipal Code Enforcement Board, Architectural Review Board and represents the city on the Sarasota County Children and Youth Services Advisory Council, the Community Action Agency Board of Sarasota County and the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council.

Mr. Hammett and his wife, Debra, moved to Venice in 1996. He has two grown daughters and a son who attends Pine View School.