Pros and Cons of Living in Venice Florida

So you’re moving to Venice, Florida. That sounds great as the city hugging the coast of Florida, between Cape Coral and Tampa Bay is amazingly scenic and is packed with unlimited outdoor entertainment options.

Despite being one of the best cities in the US to retire, living in Venice has got its flipsides, and knowing them in advance will help you in taking the final call. We’ve got 10 pros and cons of living in Venice, Florida. Read them to know everything about living in Venice.

Read Our Florida Moving Guide before moving to Florida

Here are the major pros and cons of living in Venice, Florida

Pros of Living in Venice	Cons of Living in Venice
Beaches in close proximity	Bugs are everywhere
There are more than 40 parks	Public transport does not exist here
Unlimited fishing spots	Heavy traffic everywhere
Kayaks everywhere	Summers are too hot
Never-ending outdoor recreation possibilities	Water quality is not up to the mark
Fresh local seafood	It is massively overcrowded
Abundant restaurants	Venice is too expensive
Plenty of golfing opportunities	There are no hiking spots
Amazing flora and fauna	Notorious for bad driving
It’s a warmer year around	Most residents are seniors
Low crime rate

Let’s see the pros and cons of moving to Venice, Florida in detail.

The Pros of Living in Venice, Florida

Beaches in close proximity

It is impossible to speak about Florida forgetting the abundant beaches around. And the same is with Venice. There are 14 prominent beaches from Caspersen in the south to Nokomis in the North. While the city has about 14 miles of beaches, the most famous is Venice Beach. Interestingly Venice beaches are known for shark teeth as you can find hundreds of them on sand, some even as big as your hand. Do not worry to swim in the shark-infested waters as there are no sharks near the beaches but the teeth are deposited hundreds of miles away and are carried to the coast by heavy currents.

There are more than 40 parks

It may sound unbelievable but Venice has more than 40 parks, some of which are large. Despite being a suburban paradise, the parks make the city appear green. There is no shortage of space to run, trail, kayak, or breathe fresh air. No matter where in Venice you are staying, you are not far away from a park. 

Unlimited fishing spots

If you are passionate about fishing, Venice is the best place to call your home. There are endless opportunities for both inshore and nearshore fishing. Snook, redfish, snapper, kingfish, snapper, and grouper are available in plenty.

Here’s a list of some of the best fishing spots in Venice, Florida.

• Maxine Barritt Park
• Venice Fishing Pier
• Best Catch Fishing Charters
• Sleeping Turtles Preserve South
• Off the Grid Fishing Charters
• Englewood Bait House
• Native Charter Company
• Another Keeper Charters
• Jiggs Landing Outpost
• Playin’ Hookey Fishing Charters

Kayaks everywhere

If you are a kayaker, Venice is for you. In Venice, you don’t need to limit your passion to the Gulf of Mexico but can explore Roberts Bay and Dona Bay. There are many rivers and waterways in the city to kayak around the year. Venice has many kayak launches and Caspersen Canoe, Kayak Launch, and Higel Marine Park are the most prominent among them.

Never-ending outdoor recreation possibilities

There’s no shortage of entertainment in Venice, especially outdoor recreation. Be it biking, horseback riding, swimming, or kayaking, there is no end to outdoor recreation possibilities in Venice. Considering the size of the city and its population, there are fewer people taking advantage of the outdoor spaces.  

Fresh local seafood

If you have a taste bud for seafood, you need to seriously consider moving to Venice. The many local fish markets in Venice offer every type of fish in Florida waters, such as grouper, snapper, and swordfish. And when cooking is not your USP, there are hundreds of quality restaurants with delicious seafood menus.

 Abundant restaurants

Do not assume that the culinary delights in Venice are limited to seafood. Whether you’re in the mood for burgers or you want a fancy steak, the diverse restaurants in Venice have you covered. You’ll find Indian, Italian, Mexican, Thai, Turkish, and South American restaurants in Venice serving exotic cuisines. 

Here’s a list of some of the best restaurants in Venice:

• First Watch
• Pop’s Sunset Grill
• Dockside Waterfront Grill
• Crow’s Nest Restaurant & Marina
• Fins at Sharky’s 
• Cassariano Italian Eatery
• Chaz 51 SteakHouse
• Sharky’s On the Pier
• La Botte
• The Living Room Venice
• Darrell’s Restaurant
• Paya Thai Curry

Plenty of golfing opportunities

Florida is the world’s golfing capital with over 1,200 golf courses spread across the state and 17 of those are in Venice. Since Venice is one of the favorite choices of retirees, golfing is a part of Venetian culture. And if you are willing to travel a little, about 79 other golf courses are there waiting for you. Venice and surrounding areas also host multiple golf events where legends like Tiger Woods, Brooks Koepka, and Ricky Fowler participate.

Amazing flora and fauna

One of the major pluses of living in Venice is its fabulous and diverse flora and fauna. If you’re a nature lover, this exotic coastal city with water and with rivers and lakes flowing throughout will keep you thrilled. Wildlife is abundant here. Alligators, turtles, bald eagles, great herons, cardinals, and raccoons are plenty here. 

It’s warm year round

If you are not fond of winter and snow, plan to move to Venice, Florida as it is a no-snow show here. It is sunny throughout the year and winters are warmer. This means you don’t need winter wear and can comfortably roam around in shorts and t-shirts. The climate is favorable for growing crops such as oranges and grapes on your kitchen farm. If that sounds cool for you, pack your bags.  

Low crime rate

If safety is a major factor in deciding your new home, you can be happy about choosing Venice as the city has one of the lowest crime rates in the US. Venice has an overall crime rate of 13 per 1,000 residents, which makes it safer than 48% of the US cities. Your chance of being a crime victim is 1 in 999 in Venice, which means you are always safe here.

Till now, we were discussing the positives of living in Venice. But as said earlier, moving to Venice has got its pros and cons. Let’s see the negatives of living in Venice. 

Tips – Moving to another state you should have a look at this moving-to-state checklist

The Cons of Living in Venice, Florida

Bugs are everywhere

If you’re serious about living in Venice, Florida, you need to live along with a variety of species of bugs including mosquitoes and German cockroaches. These creatures are not just nuisance but even dangerous. Mosquitoes in Florida carry West Nile Virus while cockroaches at home can even ruin your living. While in Venice, you shouldn’t linger around bodies of freshwater and must always use repellents. Even food at home should always be kept covered.

Public transport does not exist here

Venice has a very poor transport system and public transport does not even exist here. Moving to Venice, you need to own a car to commute to anywhere. There is no bus service in Venice of its own and the city depends upon Sarasota County for public transport purposes. The Sarasota County Area Transit (SCAT) operates just 17 routes in an area of 700 miles and that’s too little. 

Heavy traffic everywhere

Venice is a beautiful coastal city and the residents need to pay a big price for this reason. Venice allures thousands of people causing heavy traffic on roads. As there is no reliable public transport, every visitor drives here and the roads are heavily choked year round. Despite the smaller population, you’ll find long lines of cars on roads and most people prefer working from home to avoid spending long hours in traffic. 

Summers are too hot

When you say it doesn’t snow in Florida and winters are warmer, do not assume that it would be a nice climate year round. Summers are often unbearable in Venice, hot and humid. Summer temperatures in Venice regularly reach over 100ºF, and humidity is almost always above 65%. With temperatures like this, heatstroke is a common occurrence in Venice. Heat strokes are common in Venice. 

Water quality is not up to the mark

Venice city authorities claim that water is safe here but the truth is different. The quality of tap water in Venice is below the national average. Different activist groups blame the outdated laws for the poor water quality. They cite the presence of three contaminants in water – Halo acetic acids, radium, and trihalomethane.

It is massively overcrowded

Overcrowding is a major drawback while we analyze the pros and cons of living in Venice. The 16.7-square mile-city is home to about 260,000 people. This may seem to be normal but the issue is a large influx of tourists. About 20 million tourists flock to Venice every year and as a result, the roads are always crowded. As per some experts, the population of Venice will match that of New York in density in a few years. But the amenities are not that large to meet up the demand. As a result, the city is highly expensive. 

Venice is too expensive

Venice is a great place to live. But can you afford it? A 2-bedroom home would cost about $500,000 here. And if you have about 5-members in the home, be ready to spend up to $675,000. And it is not just property rates that are high in Venice, but even food, fuel, electricity, and health are also costly. 

There are no hiking spots

One of the major drawbacks of living in Venice is the absence of hiking spots. Not just Venice, but entire Florida is flat and if you are a hiking enthusiast, you need to drive outside the state to do hiking.

Notorious for bad driving

Driving is a nightmare in Venice for two reasons. A) The roads are highly choked around the year. B) The city is notorious for rash driving. As Venice is a retiree’s paradise, hundreds of senior citizens move to Venice in their golden years and it is not rare to see septuagenarians and octogenarians behind driving wheels. Many among them have weak eyes and ears and make poor drivers. You need to be extra cautious not just while driving but even while crossing roads.  

 Most residents are seniors

Venice is a retiree’s city. People move to Venice in their golden years as the city has a pristine climate, unlimited parks, and good quality roads. But if you’re young, you’ll find seniors all around and this can dampen the party. You may find it tough to meet up with youngsters here and share your thoughts. 

Tip: While you move home, the safety of your household belongings will be the priority. A trustworthy moving company at your side can make you relaxed during the process. Here are the top-rated movers in Florida.   

Venice Facts

• Area: 17.78 square miles
• Population: 25,463        
• Density: 1,578.71/sq mi
• County: Sarasota     
• State: Florida  
• Nickname: Shark’s Tooth Capital of the World

Here are a few interesting facts about Venice, Florida

• It was originally the home of Calusa Native Americans.
• For the abundant availability of shark teeth on beaches, the city is called ‘Shark’s Tooth Capital of the World’. 
• Originally, Venice was named Horse and Chaise and it was renamed in 1888.
• Frank Higel, the ‘Father of Venice’ named the city Venice as it had a striking resemblance to the Italian city. 
• 8% of Venice is water.
• Venice is one of the happiest seaside towns in the US.
• Venice is the home of the only professional School for Clowns in the world

Frequently Asked Questions