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Venice proposes 90–100 new Brohard Beach parking spaces to ease post‑hurricane demand
Summary
City staff proposed expanding existing county right‑of‑way parking at Brohard/North Pearl Harbor by about 500 feet north and south to add roughly 90–100 spaces using a previously proven low‑maintenance design, with the city installing and maintaining the improvements.
City of Venice staff presented a conceptual plan to expand public beach parking at North Brohard/North Pearl Harbor to relieve increased demand after Caspersen Beach closures.
James Clinch, assistant city manager, said the city would replicate a 2014 design in the county right of way and extend it 500 feet north and south to create roughly "90 to 100 new spaces." He noted that Caspersen's road damage removed 200–300 spaces this season and that demand has pushed drivers into unsafe and illegal parking.
Ashley Castle said the design is low maintenance and city‑maintained, featuring concrete driveways, shrubs to prevent unsafe backing, pedestrian crosswalks and landscaping. "...it is a very low maintenance addition for the city to take on and it works very well," she said.
Staff said funding is available to begin design and permitting and the project will require a right‑of‑way use permit. Commissioners asked about longer‑term capacity — one commissioner noted that while 90 spaces help, the community still needs far more (the city estimated about 500 additional spaces would be needed to meet demand) and that options are constrained by developed land and environmentally sensitive areas.
Questions about FAA clearance for work near airport property and irrigation for landscaping were addressed: staff said the mirrored design previously met FAA requirements and that landscaping will rely on drought‑tolerant plantings rather than irrigation because prior plantings had been damaged by storm surge.
Staff asked the boards for conceptual support to proceed with permitting and design work.
