Witnesses describe plane crash off of Venice pier (AUDIO)
Ben Cadle: It went straight into the water (MP3)
Angel Neketis: 911 didn't know where Sharky's was (MP3)
-- posted 03/25/08

Milo vs. Venice, and the judge with a low tolerance for lunacy
For a judge to make a ruling like the one Judge Robert Bennett handed down to the City of Venice, there had to have been one hell of a bad legal decision made by the city -- they had to convict the baby in a case of baby rape for a judge to do that
-- Venice Florida! dot com, 03/21/08

Yet more legal nightmares for the city -- Judge Bennett agrees to open up Bella Citta can of worms (see sidebar)
Bennett issues Show Cause in Bella Citta lawsuit filed against the city by Sorrento Shores Homeowners Association, thus setting the stage up for the sequel to the Milo lawsuit
-- Venice Florida! dot com, 03/20/08

The Vellucci Papers, part 3:
Venice Florida! dot com to Marty Black: Suspend Behrens now, fuller investigation needed
Public and city employees have a basic right to both public safety and honest answers, city is providing neither
-- Venice Florida Dot com, 03/19/08

Stick a fork in it. It's done
Judge Bennett refuses to hear city's arguments in open court, gives slam-dunk win to Milo in short-term rentals case (PDF - 8 pages)
Nutshell summary: City of Venice argues that short-term rentals are prohibited; court rules that the city has never come close to expressing that intent in the city's ordinances, court further states that city ordinances as written explicitly allow short-term rentals
Political fallout: Planning Commission vindicated; today is a very bad day to be an elected official, the city attorney, or work in the city's Planning Department
-- posted to Venice Florida! dot com on 03/19/08

The Vellucci Papers, part 2:
Gay bar owner Mike Vellucci reportedly threatens city officials, city scrambles over itself not to give him a hard time
The Tavern on the Island saga gets weirder by the day as city hall launches a very limited internal investigation into its own code enforcement department; mayor decrees that code enforcement head Hans Behrens cannot be quoted at city council meetings; bar owner Mike Vellucci is reported to the cops for issuing threats against city officials
-- Venice Florida! dot com, 03/17/08

City acknowledges Bird Bay foul-up (PDF)
Finance Director Jeff Snyder does the unprecedented and unthinkable -- admits that the city made a mistake and offers to do the right thing without having to go through yet another lawsuit; in other news, Venice will be looking for a new Finance Director soon, as this kind of behavior is clearly unacceptable (see original article)
-- PDF, city document, posted on 03/16/08

The Vellucci Papers, part 1:
Look Hans, no permits
Building and Code Enforcement Director Hans Behrens has been running interference on behalf of a renegade gay bar's construction and renovations; Behrens won't say why as he insists that there is no construction going on
-- Venice Florida! dot com, 03/15/08

This week's lawsuit against the city is brought to you by the fine folks who live in Bird Bay
Condo association accuses city of bogus utility billing and refund practices, threatens to sue if city doesn't pay up
-- Venice Florida! dot com, 03/01/08

Sharky's states its case (VIDEO)
Mike Pachota, owner of Sharky's on the Pier, asks council to reconsider a few points in the ongoing land lease dispute between the city and the restaurant
-- Venice Florida! dot com,  02/29/08

Vote of confidence: Simmonds gives his traditional black spot to Black (VIDEO)
Councilman John Simmonds has twice before rallied to the side of beleaguered city managers -- both times it has been the seal of doom
-- Venice Florida! dot com, 02/28/08

This week's lawsuit against the city is brought to you by the fine folks who live in Sorrento Ranches
The approval of rezoning for the proposed Bella Citta development in the north part of Venice causes Dan Lobeck to file a novella in circuit court while Steve Milo and Marriott International watch from the wings
-- Venice Florida! dot com, 02/11/08

Venice Taxpayers League Newsletter for February, 2008
Available online for the first time:
Bella Citta ain't so Bella;
How about this new council?
Fire service fees: fair deal or flim-flam?
Same old song at the airport;
Political promises and a passive park;
and more...
-- Venice Taxpayers League, Feb. 2008 (PDF file, 6 pages)

Dan Boone to Hizzoner:
I own you and here's who you WILL put on the Airport Advisory Board!
The land development attorney isn't telling Hizzoner what to do, he's just telling Hizzoner what to do: "This letter is not written to recommend the appointment of any person" -- so long as it's the three people Boone names in his letter; what Hizzoner should have written in response: "Yo, Gollum: go find your lost ring"
-->What Hizzoner actually wrote in response<--
-- public records, City Hall, 02/01/08

Heading slowly for the showdown:
City ordered to defend its short term rental decision
Order to Show Cause signed by Judge Robert Bennett; Venice has until February 29 to respond
-- Venice Florida! dot com, 01/30/08

Conflict of interest on Airport Advisory Board
Ya think maybe there's a problem here?
Allegations of conflict of interest voting by members of the Airport Advisory Board come before council -- council promises to look into the matter while the city attorney tries to put up every road block imaginable
-- Venice Florida! dot com, UPDATED 01/29/08

Say goodbye to Vicki Taylor, say hello to Vicki Noren
City Councilwoman Taylor has separated from her controversial land speculator husband, Ed Taylor -- and now the truth can be told
-- Venice Florida! dot com, 01/20/07

Hackett on park story foul-up: "I talked with Pam Johnson"
Ahhhhh..... that explains it..... no reporter in their right mind would actually use the city's press officer as a viable source..... what were you thinking?
-- Venice Florida! dot com, 01/19/07

Broken promises, fictional history, and outside intervention -- the odd history of Tramonto Vista Park
It's just a park, but it has become Venice's Gaza Strip as two factions collide, both demanding that conflicting promises be kept
-- Venice Florida! dot com, 01/18/07

The state of the city
Hizzoner and city manager look at the present and the future of Venice
Condos on levitating platforms above the clouds with flying cars, glass elevators, portable beaches, and the end of property taxes -- nope, none of that, the future is far more banal
-- articles by Mayor Ed Martin and City Manager Marty Black, posted on 01/15/08

Milo sues: lawsuit filed against city as short-term rental fight continues
Steve Milo's attorney, Richard Rumrell, fires a major shot at the city, accusing them of selective and targeted enforcement and making up rules of procedure as they go along
-- Venice Florida! dot com, 01/12/07

Blood on the rooftops:
Fear and loathing in Sarasota County's real estate market
Tempo News' John Susce goes after the Herald-Trib, the Sarasota Observer, and Florida's top real estate psychic, Hank Fishkind
-- John Susce of Tempo News, special to Venice Florida! dot com, 01/07/08