The county has entered into a contract with Camp Venice LLC to purchase property adjacent to Snook Haven Park.
Sarasota County has agreed to buy Camp Venice, an RV park off River Road, for $14 million. The county intends to turn the area into a campground connected to adjacent Snook Haven Park, which it also owns and where an $8.75 million improvement project is underway. County staff projects that when up and running, the campground will require 10 staff to operate and will generate upwards of $1 million a year.
Located at 4085 E. Venice Ave. near the Myakka River, the 20.83-acre property is owned by Camp Venice LLC, an entity with a Boca Raton address. It has functioned as a campground for the past 40 years and has around 135 campsites for RV and tent camping, according to the county.
Camp Venice LLC purchased the property in September 2020 for $3.22 million, according to Sarasota County property records. The county and property owners obtained two appraisal reports from independent firms that support the $14 million purchase price, according to a memo to county commissioners from Sarasota County Director of Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Nicole Rissler.
“This is a property that Sarasota County has been trying to acquire for the last six or seven years, even with the former owner,” Rissler told Sarasota County commissioners at a May 6 meeting, where the group unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the county to execute the contract for sale and purchase of the Camp Venice property.
Sarasota County plans to use the land to provide outdoor recreation opportunities such as RV and tent camping, water access, as well as watershed and habitat protection for native wildlife and vegetation. The property includes about 6 acres of predominantly mesic hammock and riverine habitat along the river, with oaks, southern red cedar, cabbage palm, wax myrtle, beauty berry and wild coffee on the site.
Responding to a question from Commissioner Teresa Mast about the length of negotiations, Rissler said the landowner and the county had been in discussions for about six months, with “very strong negotiations” around the purchase price and contract for the past three months.
The county must complete its due diligence by Aug. 24.
In addition to authorizing the acquisition, commissioners approved a resolution amending the FY 2025 budget to appropriate funding for the Camp Venice land acquisition and startup project, totaling $16.04 million. The funding of nearly $2.05 million beyond the purchase price covers closing costs and initial improvements, according to a memo Rissler provided to commissioners, which says those may include safety, security, accessibility and utility upgrades.
Closing will occur either 30 days after the seller notifies the county that all park model/modular homes and associated accessories have been removed from the property or on Feb. 28, 2026, whichever is earlier, according to the contract, which says the seller can extend the closing date until March 31, 2026, if more time is needed to remove modular homes.
“There are 13 park models that are still remaining on the site,” Rissler said, noting the county’s understanding is all leases are annual and expire Dec. 31. “They’re individually owned, and they sit on the land through those annual leases with the current property owners.”
To cover future costs, commissioners also passed a resolution amending the Sarasota County FY 2025-2029 Capital Improvement Program to include the Camp Venice project.
“As we plan for the unified operation of Snook Haven Park, the E. Venice Avenue parcels, and adjacent county parks, the acquisition of this property includes operating budget impacts beginning in FY2026 and increasing in out years,” Rissler wrote in a memo to commissioners. “The project includes the request of ten positions beginning in FY 2026 supporting both the land management of the park parcels, and the operation of the campground and related concession and revenue-generating contracts.”
Funding for the 10 staff positions is estimated to come from the Special Recreation Fund (68%), Environmentally Sensitive Land Fund (21%) and General Fund (11%).
The project calls for six positions in FY 2026, eight positions in FY 2027 and 10 positions in FY 2028. Two full-time positions and seasonal/temporary positions would “only be filled in FY 2028 if the revenue from the campground and park operations supports funding the positions,” Rissler wrote.
When it is fully operational, the campground is expected to generate more than $1.2 million in annual revenue, according to Rissler, who says this is a conservative projection.
