VENICE – Venice residents seeking to fill the Seat 1 vacancy on the Venice City Council have until the close of business May 2 to submit an application. The six current board members will review those applicants and choose one as soon as May 13 to complete the term vacated by Joan Farrell, which ends in November 2026.
Farrell resigned April 11 in an email to City Clerk Kelly Michaels, two days after the council denied an appeal of the Venice Planning Commission’s approval of the site plan for developer Pat Neal’s proposed Village at Laurel and Jacaranda shopping center by a 3-2 vote.
According to Venice’s charter, the City Council must appoint a successor to Farrell from a pool of qualified city residents within 60 days, with a tie broken by drawing lots.
The Venice City Council took steps to fill the Seat 1 council vacancy created by the resignation of Joan Farrell
The council could have appointed that person to fill the entire term, or until a set date followed by a special election, but opted to have Farrell’s successor finish the term.
Council Member Ron Smith, the only negative vote in the 5-1 decision to start the process, had wanted to hold a special election for the person to complete the last year of Farrell’s term.
Smith said that since the vacancy could be for as long as 18 months, the special election was the best option.
The other five board members disagreed.
Vice Mayor Jim Boldt pointed to the fact that last November 2024, nearly 68% of voters approved a city charter amendment that will end the practice of odd-year elections and extended the terms of council members from three to four years.
“The last election was a referendum about special elections that was resoundingly defeated,” Boldt said. “Our public does not want special elections because they cost a lot of money.”
The ballpark cost of an odd-year election is roughly $50,000.
That chater change was placed on the ballot the year after both Smith and Farrell won their seats in an odd-year election – which typically have roughly half the turnout of even-year elections, when county, state and national candidates are also on the ballot.
The Nov. 3, 2028 council election will be busy for Venice voters, with seats: 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7 on the ballot.
Farrell praised by former colleagues for tenure on board
During council member reports, both Council Member Rachel Frank and Pachota praised Farrell for her service.
“Her and I often found each other on opposite ends of the vote and I know how frustrating it can be, to be in a situation where you’re on the losing end of a vote,” Frank said. “I wanted to publicly thank Miss Farrell for her service; I think that what she did – and even though her term was cut short by her own choice – I think what she did is educate the public about how hard the role of City Council member can be.
“While it can be frustrating and heart-wrenching, she definitely shed light on the fact that we don’t get involved in municipal government to further ourselves but we want to get involved to make decisions on what we believe is in the best interest of the future of our city,” she added. “I just wanted to commend Miss Farrell for her service and mention that.”
Pachota referenced the time both spent in Tallahassee in March for the Florida League of Cities Legislative Action Days.
“One thing I can always say from the heart is that she was a very genuine person,” Pachota said. “It was great to see her at Legislative Action Days in Tallahassee, speaking to legislators and trying to advocate for those who she thought needed her service.
“With that, Godspeed for your service and if you’re listening, Miss Farrell, I appreciated you for that.”
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: No special election for Venice council member to complete Seat 1 term