Venice council asks staff to work with county and police after repeated complaints at beach yoga

Dozens of Venice residents urged the City Council on Dec. 9 to act after a single man’s repeated presence at the city’s popular Venice Beach yoga drew complaints of intimidation and videoing of participants.

Several people who attend the long‑running classes — some of them in their 80s and 90s — said the activity has become unsafe and asked the city to use every available tool to protect the group. “I am the yoga teacher and the permit holder on Venice Beach,” said Elin, the instructor, who described 18 years of organized daily classes and said the disruption has frightened longtime participants.

Police briefed the council on their response, saying officers and community outreach staff have monitored the situation since early November and have made repeated checks. Chief Andy Leisenring said officers have offered the man social‑service referrals and that the department has logged tens of checks at the site. “We’re going to continue to monitor the situation,” Leisenring told the council.

Police cautioned, however, that constitutional protections limit what officers can do in an open public space. Lt. Matt Sauschnitz, who compiled a staff memorandum, said the yoga permit issued by Sarasota County authorizes activity on the public beach but does not define a private perimeter for the instructor. That, the department said, constrains enforcement options: the permit “must accommodate beach user access,” the memo states, and the city’s ability to remove an individual from a public area is narrowly circumscribed unless the person violates a specific law.

Council members said they were sympathetic to the instructors and participants and wanted a practical way to reduce conflict without infringing rights. The council voted unanimously to direct the city manager and staff to work with Sarasota County and the permit holder to seek permit or operational changes that would reduce the likelihood of future disruption and to report back to the council on options. The direction also asked staff to continue coordinating with the police and to consider whether a targeted, paid detail or other measures could help while longer‑term permit changes are pursued.

The city manager said staff would seek the permit holder’s cooperation in any county discussions and would review options ranging from permit clarifications to operational measures such as defined class perimeters, additional signage, or scheduled police/community outreach presence during classes. The council did not adopt a specific ordinance or immediate enforcement change; instead it asked staff to return with possible approaches and associated costs and legal constraints.

Next steps: staff will open discussions with the county permitting office and the yoga permit holder, continue police monitoring and outreach, and present options to the council. The city advised residents to report any criminal conduct to 911 so officers can respond and document incidents.