City staff present 45-page after-action report on back-to-back 2024 storms; 43 recommendations proposed

City staff presented a comprehensive after-action report summarizing the city's response to the two major storms that made landfall near Venice in 2024, outlining operational successes, vulnerabilities and 43 recommendations to improve preparedness and recovery.

Assistant City Manager James Clinch and Fire Chief Frank Giddens led the briefing and described the report as the most comprehensive after-action the city has prepared. The document compiles department-level observations, quantifiable operational data and recommended follow-up actions covering emergency operations, utilities, debris removal, communications and infrastructure resilience.

The report attributes fast debris removal and utility restoration to preplanning and mutual-aid resources. It records 106,930 cubic yards of storm debris removed in 52 days, 39 requests for county resources, 60 wastewater pump stations temporarily without power that were restored quickly by city crews, and about 14,500 private-property damage inspections. The report also notes there were no hurricane-related fatalities and no reported city-staff injuries.

Clinch said staff used a three-stage methodology of data collection, observation and recommendation and that the final document was assembled by a smaller team to produce the consolidated report. "This is a comprehensive, objective, factual-based review of our staff's performance during the storm," Clinch said.

Chief Giddens highlighted operational successes such as sandbag operations, EOC activation, identification of critical facilities and the public-information effort. He said the city performed better than in past events and better than many neighboring jurisdictions on measurable metrics.

The report estimates about $14 million in city impacts across debris, parks, buildings and equipment and emphasizes that FEMA reimbursement is an ongoing multi-year process. Recommendations include more resilient placement of critical infrastructure, additional high-water-rescue and shallow-water response equipment, improvements to debris logistics and contractor agreements, and expanded public communication and preparedness education. Staff said some recommendations are already in progress while others will require multi-year capital or grant efforts.

Clinch and Giddens announced a public "Hurricane Expo" on May 30 at the Venice Community Center to share practical preparedness information with residents and to publish recorded presentations for future use. They also said the city's Citizens Advisory Board is drafting its own perception-based review and staff will cooperate in the integration of findings.

Council members praised the report and the speed of recovery; several asked staff to explore alternatives to sandbag operations and to consider purchasing or staging mobile shower, toilet and laundry trailers for large-scale events. No formal council action was recorded on the report; staff said the next step is an implementation plan to track and schedule the recommendations.