Venice Beach is a Certified Blue Wave Beach. The unique “sail” style pavilion at the beach is an iconic landmark along with the beach restroom building that was built in 1964. The beach is in Venice city limits but is maintained by Sarasota County, including its concession area. Parking is free and lifeguards are available. Camping is not allowed on the beach and fires are also prohibited.
Venice Beach provides a scenic view of the Venice Public Fishing Pier and many opportunities to see dolphins and shorebirds. The beaches along Venice are home to a large number of marine turtle nests between the months of May and October.
Beach renourishment is an important way to protect coastal communities from storm surge and hurricane impacts. It also has the added benefit of providing a beautiful, sandy beach for recreation. Beach renourishment is funded with a combination of contribution from the Army Corps of Engineers (65%), with the remaining 35% cost shared by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection/City of Venice (47%/53%). The beach is renourished on a 10-year cycle, with the second renourishment of the first 50-year contract with the Army Corps completed in 2015.