2007 archive of links to stories from other sources Note: all links were live and valid at the time of original posting; any dead links are the result of moved content on the linked-to web sites
Prior archive of stories from other web sites: 2007 2006 2005 2004
2007: A year so big that it took 12 months to kill it "Venice city officials were working on a secret deal to develop the airport and adjacent public golf course when the public got wind of it" -- gee, wonder how that happened? Oh yeah, it was Venice Florida! dot com that first told you about the Marriott at the airport -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 12/31/07
Gondo still wanking over 2007 election Gondo looks back at 2007 and craps all over itself in their Worst of the Year List; print edition included a pic of Ernie Zavodnyik, Sue Lang, and Ed Martin being sworn into office directly under headline "Bye-bye 2007 - we won't miss you;" TO CANCEL YOUR GONDO SUBSCRIPTION, CALL 941-207-1300 -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 12/30/07
Englewood Water District to county: Fix yer toilets Englewood Water District's bad boy list includes a broken toilet at an unoccupied single-family house owned by Sarasota County Parks and Recreation... wait... huh? Why does the county own a single-family home? How many of these do they own? -- Eric Ernst, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 12/30/07
The legacy of Katherine Harris: Voter blacklist from 2000, 2004 elections tossed by federal judge "Plaintiffs do not allege that these errors are the result of any ill-intent on behalf of the state;" -- yeah, right, cuz that would never happen, not in Florida -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 12/27/07
This is the sound of a bubble bursting Southwestern Florida: it was here that housing prices multiplied first and most exuberantly, and here that the deterioration has unfolded most rapidly; this region offers what may be a foretaste of the economic pain awaiting other parts of the country -- NY Times, 12/23/07
OK, we've outlawed short term rentals... now what? We get sued, of course, and not just any old 'ho hum, there's another subpoena on the landing' sued, we're gonna get sued like a blind rabbi with Parkinson's after a botched bris gets sued -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 12/21/07
Dear CQG cretin: Merry Christmas, you pustulant toad We're still not sure if it was Jim Clinch, Ed Taylor, or someone else who called in to the Gondo last week with a vitriolic diatribe aimed at the Gods and all of creation, but it was funny as hell -- letters, Venice Gondolier Sun, 12/21/07
eBay headed for the big flush Scammers on the outside, cannibals on the inside, and the CEO has gone AWOL to skip through the daisies somewhere with Mitt Romney -- Wired, 12/18/07
Jim Todora explains the proposed property tax laws On January 29, Florida voters will be asked if they approve of four changes to the property tax laws -- here's the view from the county's property appraiser -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 12/16/07
Fire department's bake sale: pay an extra $180 or you bake Gondo story | Herald-Trib story Not content with current budgetary restraints, the fire department wants an extra $180 a year from each taxpayer -- yeah, that's gonna go over well -- both stories 12/12/07
2007: Tomato Pasta Park revisioned now It's been four years since the $10 million bond passed -- plenty of time to forget what was actually on the ballot -- Venice Gondolier, 12/09/07
2004: Tomato Pasta Park revisioned then It's been one year since the $10 million bond passed -- plenty of time to forget what was actually on the ballot -- Venice Gondolier, 11/24/04
My first day at school I lost my mittens, the older kids took my lunch money and stuffed me in a locker, and I couldn't find a bathroom so I held it in all day -- Ed Martin's blog, 12/04/07
Running AOL on your computer? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha Using AOL and its Instant Messenger service (AIM) is a cold way to get a viral infection, somewhat akin to having unprotected sex with a syphilitic corpse (not that there's anything wrong with that) -- Wired, 12/06/07
Florida's state fund crisis has a familiar smell Coleman Stipanovich, the executive director of the Florida State Board of Administration, made the decision to resign while driving to yesterdays board meeting; In an interview, he declined to discuss the funds investment decisions on the record: Im not going to go there, were in the move-on stage -- NY Times, 12/05/07
Miller gets his four stories, becomes media darling Note to Miller: The PR person in your organization who greenlighted the idea of having you pose in front of one of your towers should be shot -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 12/01/07
State-run investment fund is in a bit of a panic Facing a run by panicked local government investors, Florida officials on Thursday suspended withdrawals from a state-run, short-term investment fund that has shrunk to $15 billion from $26 billion over the past two weeks -- Reuters, 11/30/07
Ya wanna make a city economically viable? Make it family friendly If you talk with recruiters and developers in the nation's fastest growing regions, you find that the critical ability to lure skilled workers, long term, lies not with bright lights and nightclubs, but with ample economic opportunities, affordable housing and family friendly communities not too distant from work -- Wall Street Journal, 11/27/07
VHA's Prost promises to rebuild He'll be gone after January, so he has no way of keeping that promise, but that should be no cause for alarm, right? -- letters, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 11/26/07
Honey, I shot the kid Bad day at the police shooting range -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 11/25/07
A MUST READ ARTICLE IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR CHILDREN'S FUTURE: Al Gore: The Rolling Stone interview "It's a mistake to think of the climate crisis as one in a list of issues that will define our future: It is THE issue!" -- Rolling Stone, via Progressives for Gore, 11/15/07
43 Is Black's memo an indication that he is willing to turn on a dime or an admission that the city has some serious problems that have been ignored for quite some time? -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 11/25/07
Bush to honor Gore at White House blink... blink... you can't believe you read that headline... we can't believe we published it... blink... blink... -- New York Times, 11/16/07
DEP investigating Osprey Wal-Mart developer Rodriguez Henry Rodriguez, who built the Wal-Mart in Osprey, is suddenly shy a few mangrove plants on his home property -- that's called an oooops -- Pelican Press, 11/22/07
Short-term rental clusterflap about to get ugly Venice residents wanted this fight, city hall flip-flopped like an IHOP during breakfast rush, now it's full throttle towards an inevitable brick wall -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 11/23/07
Pudding, Jell-O, and EST: Tom Slaughter gets "it" -- eh, maybe Herald-Trib rediscovers EST and starts quoting Werner Erhard in a loving tribute to Jell-O and city planner Tom Slaughter; H-T ignores the possibility that Slaughter may likely lose "it" big time in upcoming short-term rental debacle -- Eric Ernst, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 11/23/07
The Return of the Living Wal-Mart The Planning Commission thought they had buried Mike Miller's hastily drawn plans for a Super Wal-Mart on Laurel Road; Miller and his attorneys have crawled out of the grave and are slowly lurching towards city council: "Braaains... braaaaaaaains." -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 11/21/07
World leaders head to Bali next month to update Kyoto Protocol "With this final report, the scientists have done their job and explained that global warming is happening and we need to do something about it; We have to stop hiding behind China, and China has to stop hiding behind us." -- Wired, 11/20/07
William Gibson: The present day world is badly written futuristic sci-fi "If one had gone to talk to a publisher in 1977 with a scenario for a science-fiction novel that was in effect the scenario for the year 2007, nobody would buy anything like it" -- Rolling Stone, from 11/15/07 issue
Civility can kill you According to a series of studies at Frankfurt University by Dr. Dieter Zapf, fake smiles can have serious effects on your health -- Adelaide Advertiser, 03/17/06
The "R" word Recession? No recession? Ask the workers -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 11/17/07
How I spent my summer The new Hizzoner looks back at the campaign trail -- Ed Martin's blog, 11/17/07
Mardirossian sues the world Aris Mardirossian, the investor behind the now-dead Marriott project at the airport, claims that he invented instant international text messaging, is suing Microsoft, Yahoo!, the government of China, and 128 other internet and phone service providers -- good luck with that -- Maryland IP Law, 11/05/07
Gondo muffs VHA story First, this is a land grab setup and the Gondo is puffing it; secondly, the Gondo incorrectly jabs Valerie Buchand for her correct interpretation of Residents Council requirements -- this is godawful journalism that never should have been published -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 11/16/07
We're not running out of water -- we're out The mathematical reality of too many people using finite resources has caught up with us, but you probably won't believe it until your kitchen tap goes dry -- that would be a mistake -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 11/14/07
Good thing Hammett's not bitter... much You won't have Fred Hammett to kick around any more -- somewhere in the cosmos, Dick Nixon is applauding -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 11/14/07
Dear Bob Vedder: STFU "Bob Vedder just won't quit defending all the wrongs that have been overseen by this council, who in fact have represented special interests and not the people of Venice" -- letters, Venice Gondolier Sun
HUD 'em up and move 'em out "The land is a secondary concern at this point" -- yeah, uh-huh, right -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 11/13/07
Hooray for Precinct 150 -- wait, what? Precinct 150 had the largest voter turnout in a vote that ousted three council members; the great irony not mentioned in the article is that Precinct 150 is located in Waterford, Mike Miller's gated community, where Miller campaigned heavily for the incumbents -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 11/13/07
Going green can get you some green So our present ecology-grinding economy has come to a grinding halt -- could there be a way to tool up the economy while saving the planet? Al Gore and some capital investors in Silicon Valley think so -- Wired, 11/13/07
CQG: When male bonding goes bad CQG's Boone, Harner ducking phone calls; CQG prez Fishman quotes Tony Soprano: "We're just members of this community like anyone else" -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 11/11/07
The "R" word - Recession While some economists say no, most of the statistics suggest we are in a recession; all agree the Gulf Coast is suffering more than most of Florida -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune,11/10/07
Election results were anti-business? How do you figure? "Citizens essentially stated they like their community the way it is, yet they want to make it even better and will put up the money to do it; for most businesses, that type of climate is ideal" -- Eric Ernst, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 11/09/07
Gondo's thinly veiled teeth gnashing over election Gondo publisher Bob Vedder's soul is being eaten alive by his hatred of the idea that Sue Lang is now on city council and he's doing a very lousy job at hiding it -- editorial, Venice Gondolier Sun, 11/09/07
Chamber of Commerce's John Ryan ain't happy either Another bad job at hiding emotions, as though Ed Martin has to offer an olive branch to a community that overwhelmingly voted him in; as for Ryan's smug shoulder-shrugging comments -- isn't it about time for Jim Clinch to weigh in? -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 11/09/07
Wal-Mart, Miller told to FOAD Mike Miller needs the Wal-Mart to provide the base funding for his Renaissance project; planning commission yawns, offers to send flowers to the funeral -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 11/09/07
Landslide victory! Gondo story | Herald-Trib story CQG's long run of owning city council is over; incumbent officials struggling to remove boots from their asses - both stories, 11/07/07
Super majority, sales tax referendums pass Mixed signals on those two referendums: Sales tax is geared towards funding growth while Super Majority is aimed at controlling it -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 11/07/07
Final numbers in city race Challengers beat incumbents by 2-1 margin; strangely, Zavodnyik pulled in the most votes (5,140), followed by Lang (5,042), with Martin in third place (5,013) -- Supervisor of Elections, 11/07/07
Martin, Lang, Zavodnyik win! Coup d'tat with pie charts Three coins in a fountain? Try three heads in a basket -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 11/06/07
HOLY CRAP: Here we gooooooo... Today's the day, and brand new Diebold voting machines are ready... What could possibly go wornggggg? -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 11/06/07
Last ditch PR attempt backfires: Half-finished unmanned fire station dedicated The new symbol of growth in North Venice won't be open until December, but by dedicating it now, Hammett and company ensure that their names are on the plaque -- nice albatross there, Fred, you look good wearing it -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 11/06/07
County Commissioner Thaxton on green energy Thaxton lauds Crist and Buchanan over their environmental stances -- sounds good so far, but is Florida's carbon footprint shrinking yet? -- letters, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 11/05/07
Voting is way, way up An angry constituency is an ugly thing to behold -- if you are running for re-election, that is -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 11/04/07
Gondo tries to justify split endorsements Paper blames it on community schizophrenia -- Good luck with that lame explanation because there isn't anyone else in Venice who's gonna follow that logic -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 11/04/07
Republicans wanna party like it's 1988 Republicans trying to turn local race into Bush Sr. versus Dukakis, Democrats see it as Carter versus Ford, and hey, has anyone looked at the calendar? -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 11/03/07
Gondo has already endorsed Woods, Willson; and now for mayor, ... WTF? Some days I wake up, look out, and smile with the knowledge that there's some seriously schizophrenic people in this town -- the worst ones work for newspaper editorial departments at the Gondo and Herald-Trib -- editorial, Venice Gondolier Sun
Mike Miller's astroturfed protest Really, Mike, did you actually think we'd be fooled by this crap? -- letters, Venice Gondolier Sun, 11/02/07
Ed Taylor's drug problem grows Marriott on the beach's point man, Ed Taylor, on growth: "Uncontrolled growth has not been a problem within Venice's city limits;" Hey, did you bring enough of those mushrooms for the rest of the class, Ed? In other news, foreclosure rates triple over last three month period (that last part is not a joke, wish it were) -- letters, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 11/01/07
No surprise number 2: Gondo picks Willson over Zavodnyik The paper banned some ads for Zavodnyik, so the endorsement of Willson is no surprise; now we all hold our breaths waiting to see the comedy goodness of supporting Hammett's idiocy over the paper's own policy columnist, Martin -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 10/31/07
Venice Housing Authority primed for land grab For years, the city and investors have tried to figure out a way to grab the valuable land owned by the HUD housing project -- now the prize is within tantalizing reach, but then there's those pesky elections and that could ruin the dream -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 10/28/07
Herald-Trib endorses Lang, Zavodnyik, and... WTF? See if you can even begin to follow this logic: H-T gives strong, no punches pulled endorsements for Lang and Zavodnyik, then weakly nudges Hammett over Martin on a coin toss -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 10/28/07
Lang versus Woods: This will only end in bloodshed These two really don't like each other with a loathing that comes from the depths of tortured souls; Both dodge the question "What's a Budway?" while Venice Florida! dot com has discovered the answer: 12 fluid ounces -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 10/27/07
Mike Miller's money pit in Bradenton: The Palms One building done, one building stalled, one resident, and 57 empty units -- anybody want to buy a condo in Bradenton? Now all of the shenanigans surrounding the proposed Wal-Mart in Venice is starting to make sense - EVERYONE PANIC! -- Bradenton Herald, 09/23/07
Martin, Hammett disagree on growth Hammett thinks it is just a fungus growing in between his toes, Martin tells Hizzoner that maybe a qualified physician ought to take a look -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 10/25/07
The Prophet of Climate Change: James Lovelock One of the most eminent scientists of our time says that global warming is irreversible and that more than 6 billion people will perish by the end of the century -- Jeff Goodell in Rolling Stone, 10/17/07
Woods lied In a mad grab to keep his seat on council, Jim Woods trotted out some false information about his challenger, Sue Lang -- Herald-Trib's Eric Ernst calls him out -- Eric Ernst, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 10/21/07
Vote YES for Super Majority Land use has never been a more important issue, the Super Majority rule will ensure that appropriate use will be the major factor in future decisions -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 10/21/07
Panic hits the Gondo -- Weirdest. Editorial. Ever. Gondo has a very public nervous breakdown due to identity crisis: should it stand by it's good ol' boy friends despite their asinine behavior or should it take a stand for its readers? Gondo's response is to delay its endorsements and beg incumbents to do something, anything -- editorial, Venice Gondolier Sun, 10/21/07
Grove Terrace landgrab magnifique: a fait accompli? Gondo story | Herald-Trib story HUD housing complex has spent itself into near bankruptcy on consultants; consultants are now advocating dumping the residents and selling to developers -- gee, what a surprise -- both stories 10/19/07
Grove Terrace is down the tubes For years, the HUD complex has funneled much needed funds to consultants and attorneys -- now they're about to be told by a consultant that they are bankrupt from spending too much money on consultants -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 10/17/07
Miller disrupts Planning Commission hearing with staged protest circus Gondo story | Herald-Trib story Is the local economy so bad that the only hope for our children is a door greeter job at Wal-Mart? Mike Miller wants you to think so -- both, 10/17/07
Wal-Mart is the leading cause of Medicaid payments in Georgia and other states Those low, low prices have a high, high back-end price tag for taxpayers as state governments end up footing the bill for the employer's low, low wages and lack of benefits -- that's what you would refer to as "corporate welfare" -- USA Today, from April of 2005
Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart, scrub jays, Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart 8 different letters linked to in above headline; In other news, Ed Martin's wife, Peggy, is boxing up his home office and shipping it all to city hall: "At last, I can have that room back" -- letters, Herald-Trib, Gondo, Ed Martin's blog, 10/14/07
Dear Fred -- Maybe try this? It's three weeks until the election and Hammett is all but guaranteed to lose his job as mayor; maybe the CQG should take notes from this Hialeah city council campaign -- what the hell, it might work -- UPI, 10/13/07
Zavodnyik disses Wal-Mart CQG candidates still silent on Wal-Mart headed for Laurel Road, despite the fact that it's been floating silently in the background for a couple of years -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 10/12/07
Challengers kicking ass AND taking names in council race Martin, Zavodnyik come out swinging; appointed mayor guy mumbles about his experience at rubberstamping tall buildings when he was on the Planning Commission -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 10/10/07
A Super Wal-Mart in North Venice? Just as council manage to bury Tra Ponti and airport development until after the elections, a new monster rears its ugly head -- letters, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 10/10/07
Money and local politics Fundraising by challengers upsets CQG prez C.J. Fishman: "This shouldn't be about money;" Careful, C.J., lest the Gods of Irony smite thee -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 10/09/07
Boone, VGA to city: we want our kickback BLAST FROM THE PAST, 2004: Venice Golf Association and their attorney, Dan Boone, feel cheated by not being able to cheat the city; Herb Levine surrenders -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 06/26/04
Martin takes on Willson over so-called "villages" The city's comp plan changes call for "villages" -- closely packed clusters of tall condominium buildings; Willson states that landowners in areas like Golden Beach have the right to build them already, Ed Martin says au contraire -- Ed Martin, 10/05/07
Sharky's caught building without a permit Hey, it's OK -- we only hired Native Americans, so it's perfectly legal; Jesus Federico Longfeather, Pedro Ramon Eaglewing, and Conchita Rosalinda Lonewolf unavailable for comment -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 10/05/07
The anti-CQG PAC goes online It takes money to win an election -- Herb Levine's Concerned Taxpayers PAC plans to give the CQG a run for theirs -- Concerned Taxpayers PAC
More comp plan fun: It takes a village to raze a town Ed Martin has been less than thrilled about the city's comp plan for a couple of years now, particularly about the city's "villages" of compacted tall buildings -- turns out that the state agrees with him -- Ed Martin, 10/02/07
Tallahassee on city's comp plan: They love us, they love us not Gondo story | Herald-Trib story Gondo and Herald-Trib are miles apart in their coverage of the state's objections to the comp plan: Gondo claims the state loves us, Herald-Trib actually talks to the state and gets a somewhat different tale -- both, 10/03/07
Council gets a bloody beatdown in the woodshed over Tra Ponti, airport hotel Gondo editorial | Herald-Trib letter "The cynic in us has to ask whether the same decision [to have a workshop on Tra Ponti] would have been made if we weren't a month away from an election" --editorial, Venice Gondolier-Sun, 10/03/07
Little known 9/11 facts from Dan Hopsicker A probable assassination attempt on Bush took place in Sarasota in the early morning hours of 9/11; in other news, Rudi Dekkers, the trainer of 9/11 terrorists, is now a motivational speaker -- no, really, that's not a joke -- Dan Hopsicker, 09/27/07
Is Florida Over? For Americans on the move, Florida has become a less-appealing destination; moving company Atlas Van Lines brought 6,700 families into Florida last year and took 8,000 out, the first time it has moved more out than in -- Wall Street Journal, 09/29/07
Vote No on penny sales tax It's difficult to determine how much Venice would subsidize growth with its tax revenue because more than 79 percent of the money earmarked for roads is for undesignated "improvements" and "contingencies." -- Pelican Press, 09/29/07
Article rigged? CQG politicos stealthed as average retirees in U.S. News top ten article Planning commissioner Janis Fawn and CQG bigwig Jack Meyerhoff are quoted, cited as average retirees; Say, how many 15-story buildings on the Intracoastal is "not a lot?" -- U.S. News and World Report, 09/20/07
City council and Tra Ponti: Situation normal, AFU "We haven't done our jobs:" The Venice City Council admitted as much when it voted unanimously Tuesday to postpone action on developer Mike Miller's proposed condo-hotel, Tra Ponti on the Waterfront -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 09/27/07
Tra Ponti falls down, goes boom; will return after elections as Tra Natiche Gondo article | Herald-Trib article | Ed Martin's blog With elections looming, council stops dead in the middle of the road, suddenly sees oncoming traffic: "Oh, yeah -- the voters -- forgot about them, didn't we?" -- all three stories 09/26/07
GONZO IS BACK!!! The patron saint of Venice Florida! dot com is back where He belongs -- on the cover of Rolling Stone -- Rolling Stone, 10/04/07 issue
Tra Ponti workshop never happened "One question each incumbent is likely to hear during the campaign if Tra Ponti is approved Tuesday: Did the council, following two years of delay, rush to vote on Tra Ponti before an election in which opposing candidates have criticized aspects of the project, especially the height?" -- Larry Evans, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 09/23/07
Yo council: I got your transition right here, pal City council wants a visual transition from nine stories on the island to six to five -- not a problem, right? -- letters, Venice Gondolier Sun, 09/23/07
What hath council wrought in this nebulous CMU thing? Everybody wanted that CMU ordinance and now we have it -- according to Greg Shanika, we gave everyone in the CMU district 80 feet in height and we basically have to fight a developer to go lower -- thank you Jeff Boone, C.J. Fishman, and, of course, city council -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 09/21/07
City to Herald-Trib: Tra Ponti jumps to seven stories In a letter that was previewed by council members prior to its publication, city's Propaganda Minister informs us for the first time that the plans for Tra Ponti are now seven and six stories -- no, it's not a typo on the Trib's part, here's the original letter -- letters, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 09/21/07
Gondo goes NIMBY on Tra Ponti and Clinch editorial | letter | letter | letter | letter Gondo takes an awkward stance on the latest proposed monster land development project as Tra Ponti will be directly across the street from the Gondo's office building -- the Gods of Irony smile down from the sky, Herb Levine is ROTFL, Jim Clinch can't change his underwear fast enough -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 09/21/07
Airport development doublespeak It's six weeks before the elections, so we get this quote from Hammett: "For all practical purposes, development of the airport is off the table" COMBINED WITH THIS IN THE SAME ARTICLE: "Hammett would not rule out the chance of developing something on the airport property;" In other news, Marriott consultants give green light to airport land surveyor team -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 09/20/07
Clinch lynched Say Jim, how's that foot taste? -- letters, Venice Gondolier Sun, 09/19/07
CQG gets a web site Just stare at the screen... your eyelids are getting heavier and heavier... tall is good... we can do anything... when you wake up, you won't remember any of this... -- Zombo.com
Fractured history from CQG bigwig and Bogey's/Crow's Nest owner Steve Harner Aside from the fact that Harner can't spell John Nolen's name correctly, Harner forgets that the BLE went belly up one year before The Great Depression from trying to implement Nolen's plan; Harner wants history to repeat itself -- relax, Steve, it looks like you're going to get your way -- letters, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 09/18/07
The Full Ponti -- Six stories next to Miller's towers' nine stories Editorial | Letter So it'll be six stories next to five stories next to nine stories, all right up to the sidewalk on Venice Avenue in downtown Venice -- say goodbye to the sky and hello to stucco and red brick tile -- both, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 09/17/07
COMEDY GOLD FROM THE CHAMBER POT: Dear citizens of Venice: Die in a fire, you bunch of f@#king idiots If you thought Jim Clinch's article in the Gondo was comedy gold, wait'll you read his farewell message as outgoing chamber president -- don't forget to wipe, flush, and wash your hands before returning to work (PDF file - scroll to pages 2 & 3) -- VeniceChamber.com, September 2007 issue
The mountain comes to Miller Gondo story | Herald-Trib story A mountain of buildings is headed for the west side of downtown's Intracoastal Waterway as developer Mike Miller gets approval from council to move ahead with The Manhattan Project -- both stories 09/12/07
Shannon Staub -- conspirator? Attorneys for Tammi House argue that County Commissioner Staub conspired with county employees to look for a way, legal or not, to shut down the rehab halfway house -- Pelican Press, 09/12/07
The bigging of Venice Battle lines are drawn in city council election matchups -- Hey mister, wanna buy a town? -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 09/12/07
Sheriff shows his a$$ After a litany of over-budget luxury-style spending ills hits the news, Balkwill shows his a$$ by threatening to close down the south county jail, has it handed back to him by elected officials -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 09/11/07
Blowing the top off of mountaintop mining The Appalachian mountains are being blown up in a steady destructive process that is killing the headwaters that eventually turn into rivers -- of course, this couldn't possibly affect us here in Florida, right? -- Wired, 09/10/07
We gotta build something Market analysis on the need for more hotel rooms is conflicting, but developers are hot to build in the wake of a flooded housing market -- what could possibly go wrong? -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 09/09/07
THE SLATE: Martin, Zavodnyik, Lang WWF comes to Venice politics -- asses will be kicked, names will be taken -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 09/09/07
If there's one thing this county needs, it's a good 7 sales tax Local governments, and those who depend on them for roads, bridges, schools, beaches, clean water and more, have just eight weeks to convince us that there's one tax that's really worth voting for -- Pelican Press, 09/07/07
BillWillson.com goes live Incumbent defends his seat in cyberspace (even buys a banner ad on Venice Florida! dot com) -- this ain't gonna be a normal race -- BillWillson.com
Keepon the robot dances Video ||| Story Keepon is a cute Japanese robot used in research on autistic children. Wired asks Keepon and its scientist inventor to do a rock video with the band Spoon -- hilarity ensues -- Wired, 09/05/07
Martin to oust Emperor Fred There is unrest in the forest, There is trouble with the trees, For the maples want more sunlight And the oaks ignore their pleas -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 09/05/07
School board: VHS to stay where it is Gondo story | Herald-Trib story And we would believe you this time... why, exactly? -- both stories 09/05/07
Gondo: Elections are a good thing Just so long as the developers win and the status quo is maintained, that is -- editorial, Venice Gondolier Sun, 09/02/07
Roundabout ad nauseum An exhaustive look at circles -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 09/03/07
Showdown at the OK Corral Council candidates packing heat, promise to shoot each other on sight -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 08/31/07
On the Road turns 50 Kerouac's jangly attack on conformity is still a top seller, which ought to tell you something about under-the-surface unrest in America today -- Wired, 08/30/07
Albee is out, Gondo goes for fluffy bunnies Ignoring the elephant in the living room, Gondo goes for fluffy bunnies in a puff piece -- jolly good show, wouldn't want to write about anything too controversial there, would we old boy? -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 08/26/07
Budway joins council fray Former corrections supervisor wants Jim Woods' job, promises secure cells for city management team -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 08/23/07
Bad time for a big raise City manager gets a hefty pay raise, workers get a boot -- hey, this Ayn Rand "looters and moochers" economic model ain't so bad after all -- editorial, Sarasota Herald Tribune, 08/23/07
Here come the corporate retailers All that growth that local business owners have supposedly been in strong support has a down side and it's coming soon: corporate competition -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 08/22/07
Betcha Hammett doesn't get the joke The Herald-Trib's deft and hilarious use of irony aimed at the mayor for his dumbness is one of the best bits of back-handed political punditry in memory; To the Herald-Trib: we salute you and stand in awe -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 08/22/07
Business news you can use for all sorts of stuff -- use your imagination Charrette consultant (and descendant of Venice's founders) Steve Albee would like you to know that you are all dumbasses and you don't know what's good for you; Bonus hilarity -- the mayor is practically a member of MENSA (Adobe PDF file) -- The Business Chronicle, 08/17/07
Fire the blind gal and give me more money City council's homework assignment: compare and contrast the city manager's proposed budget with the viscosity of goose droppings -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 08/21/07
Martin for mayor? Can an ethical, arrogant smart guy beat an unethical, arrogant dumb guy for the seat at center square? Ed Martin aims to find out... maybe -- Ed Martin, 08/19/07
Lennox Bramble is a God among men New utilities director can tie his own shoes, zip up his own fly, and eat with a fork -- all of which is a marked improvement over his two predecessors; former mayor Dean Calamaras stumbles into view, says some nice things about former utils head John Lane, then trips on a banana skin -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 08/19/07
HOLY SHEEEE-IT!!!! Barefoot Bay meltdown caught on tape (video) All on one video clip: Barefoot Bay votes 6-2 to fire its community manager for not being able to undo the economic damage caused by George Hunt (the same guy that's suing this web site); two trustees resign on the spot; suddenly appointed interim chair Wilma Weglein promptly rips into Hunt: "This started with George Hunt... [we] let George get away with murder and we are in the mess we are today because of George Hunt" -- BarefootBay.us web site
No kickback in Wasserman project earns a nay vote from Hizzoner "When I look at height exemption (requests) I'm always thinking, what will the city get in return? I don't think the extra 10 feet gets us enough." Council approves hotel anyway -- sorry, Fred, no free Bahamas vacation for you -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 08/15/07
The Golf War All hell broke loose when the City Council entertained proposals from companies interested in land development at the airport. which sparked an outcry among golfers; now there's something new on the radar screen -- 24 vulnerable homes in the Gulf Shores neighborhood -- Larry Evans, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 08/12/07
Ernie talks Council candidate Ernie Zavodnyik's campaign platform is strangely lacking in baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet -- Ed Martin, 08/11/07
Marty talks Faced with political realities, city hall starts to back away from airport development with gratuitous and patronizing crap like 'community discussion' and 'will of the people' -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 08/13/07
AAB: No to shorter runways Gondo ||| Herald-Trib editorial AAB member Jim Leis plummets after being shot down by friendly fire, discovers parachute has been tampered with -- bad day, eh Jim? -- both 08/10/07
Another Whiskey Tango Foxtrot moment at the airport MEA and the city have previously stated that there's no way that runways could be shortened, so naturally the city has a great idea: shortening the runways -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 08/08/07
Ernie's back in the mix Zavodnyik hits the campaign trail running, Sue Lang and Ed Martin may not be far behind -- things oughtta get very interesting very fast -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 08/07/07
That nutty Herald-Trib just can't leave the airport alone So what if a few homes are in runway safety zones? C'mon give it a break -- who doesn't want a few stewardesses dropping in unexpectedly? -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 08/07/07
Airport charrettes: Who's leading whom? Airport consultants try to get all warm and fuzzy with Venice residents -- yeah, that'll work -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 08/05/07
Feces + rotary oscillator = airport charrette "Bowed but not broken, Black and the City Council are pressing forward on a more limited scale" -- well, we can fix that in November -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 08/03/07
Get your torches and pitchforks ready -- it's showtime! Airport charrette process starts tonight at 6 PM at the Venice Community Center -- Herb Levine's anti-arrest legal team is on emergency standby -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 08/03/07
Crack house in wealthy all-white neighborhood is a shocker Gondo story ||| Herald-Trib story Wealthy white folks forced to encounter their inner whiteness as they discover that they actually live in the real world -- the horror, the horror, the horror -- 07/31, 08/01/07
H20 $$$ ↑ Seen your water bill lately? Take your heart meds before opening the envelope -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 08/01/07
Patten/Hunt lawsuit hits the news... again... A few minor facts are wrong in this story (see this), but the significant thing is the headline -- lawsuit claims that Patten is not a journalist, and yet this newspaper article says otherwise -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 08/01/07
VHA FUBAR'd, HUD to the rescue VHA's mismanagement and hired consultants' bills have led to near-bankruptcy, but HUD will make it all better; in other news, scientists discover link between human anus and flying monkeys -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 07/31/07
The charrettes are coming It may not matter what the city wants as the FAA has the final say on safety -- Ed Martin, 07/27/07
Venice Housing Authority to get federal nose Is the non-profit incapable of running itself? A merger with Sarasota or Fort Myers projects will cure that -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 07/27/07
Driving in Florida will get a whole lot more exciting when the requirement to carry auto insurance expires on October 1 MSNBC ||| Fark -- posted 07/27/07
Venice is too short? Don't worry, the planning commission will fix that for ya -- Ed Martin, 07/25/07
China's (cough) green Olympics (cough) You can see the stadium gently rising out of the smog as morning breaks in Beijing -- oh wait, no you can't -- Wired, 07/26/07
Bella Citta not so bella Gondo story ||| Herald-Trib editorial Exactly how many albatrosses can a mayor wear before falling over from the weight? Looks like we're gonna find out -- 07/25, 07/26/07
The Battle of Bella Citta: The March of the Wooden Lawyers City hall prepares to foot the legal bill to defend a developer at the expense of citizens who don't want the fight -- haven't we been down this road before (and before and before)? -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 07/22/07
Good news: taxes won't go up quite so much Best quote comes from Hizzoner: "Venice invested in parks, a fire station, things that we needed, things that do not end up as an ongoing expense." Read that quote again. Slowly. -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 07/20/07
Bradenton cops get Farked... again Last year, the BPD was in the news for traffic stop shakedowns -- guess what they've been spending the money on? Hookers and crack, natch -- Fark, 07/19/07
Support local radio Story ||| Live audio stream Clear Channel sucks, indie radio doesn't, WSLR in Sarasota proves it -- Pelican Press, 07/19/07
Pretty vacant Hotel vacancies in Sarasota County point to an obvious need: more hotels (♫ we're so pretty, oh so pretty... vacant ♪) -- Ed Martin, 07/17/07
Diebold will return integrity to Sarasota County elections Voting machine maker with strong Republican ties (and a past about as dodgy as Enron's) will be the gatekeeper for future Sarasota elections; oh hell, why don't we just become a monarchy and be done with it? -- Pelican Press, 07/16/07
We're paying a quarter of a million dollars for... what, exactly? Venice resident Rita Kutie sounds off on city hall; code inspectors and bulldozers will arrive at Kutie's house for a surprise visit in 5... 4... 3... 2... -- letters, Venice Gondolier Sun, 07/15/07
OK, let's spell it out to city council: to make it easier, we'll use smaller words Larry Evans exhaustively retraces the steps of how city hall and the Herald-Trib came to their present standoff over airport development issues; here's an idea -- maybe offer free literacy courses? -- Larry Evans, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 07/15/07
North Port to be renamed to New South Flint 10% of existing houses are for sale and not getting offers; in other news, Michael Moore is set to start filming the long-awaited sequel to Roger & Me in southern Sarasota County -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 07/16/07
Global warming fashion What to wear to beachfront restaurants as the oceans rise? Check out these chic pumps, available soon in shops on the island -- Wired, 07/14/07
A city government based on meanness? It would have been cheaper for the taxpayers of Venice to fix an old lady's roof rather than bulldoze her house and make her homeless -- so naturally, we bulldozed her house; Arthur Dent unavailable for comment -- letters, Venice Gondolier Sun, 07/13/07
Airport FUBAR clusterflap banana banana "Having an election coming up could, a cynic might think, have had some impact on this most recent change of course in the citys planning behavior, which has been an object lesson in how not to operate a city" -- Ed Martin, 07/11/07
State of the climate Story ||| Editorial You discover that if you keep treating the climate the way you have been, your entire state will be underwater. Do you: A) Change your ways to try to avert disaster; B) Continue to party like its 1999; or C) Seek the help of an indestructible robotic android assassin from the future? Correct answer: C -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 07/12/07
Levine goes green VTL prez to push for growth -- green, sustainable growth; if you hear a loud 'thunk' while reading this article, please pick your jaw up before someone trips over it -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 07/10/07
Countdown to November Growth will be the main issue in November when three seats on the seven-member Venice City Council are on the ballot -- Larry Evans, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 07/01/07
Rafferty on Airport Master Plan: City will have to destroy golf course Mike Rafferty, a public engineer who lives in Venice, has been studying the city's plans very carefully and has come to what he says is an inescapable conclusion: the golf course has already been doomed by the city -- Ed Martin, posted 07/02/07
The good news: airport charrettes to be delayed The bad news: they'll probably be delayed until after November elections, allowing for plenty of false promises -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 07/04/07
MEA Group sold The company responsible for the ongoing development of the airport master plan is off the block and in the pocket; oh and look: MEA Group has an office in Germantown Maryland, the same place that Amalthea (the Marriott investors) come from -- what are the odds? -- Charlotte Sun, date not given, sometime in the last two weeks
The city is spending $275,000 more on airport charrettes and it's all Sue Lang's fault After spending some $300,000 so far on the airport development and master plan process, citizen outcry has caused city hall to up the ante to over half a million -- this to convince the public that the airport is going broke; this, in turn, causes more citizen outcry -- in a marriage, this is called a cycle of abuse -- letters, Venice Gondolier Sun, 07/01/07
Keep the airport pristine Venice resident Pat Zingler appeals to council: "Stop the madness" -- letters, Venice Gondolier Sun, 07/01/07
Long range plan "flawed" For this rather unique situation, "flawed" is not exactly the most accurately descriptive word that starts with "F," but it'll do for a start -- Ed Martin, 06/29/07
Bella Citta development plan in north end of Venice is headed for city/county mediation Residents of neighboring Sorrento Ranch feel Bella Citta is incompatible with its surroundings; not in article, but it really happened: city's argument is that Sorrento Ranch, which was there first, is incompatible with the growth that has since surrounded it -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 06/30/07
Bella Citta development causing rift County wants city to back down, city wants county to move to another county -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 06/27/07
VGA gator goes national One-eyed gator gets book and film offer after terrifying ordeal of attack by golfer: "...then he went to get the golf ball back, I figured he was going to hit me with it again... so I bit him." -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 06/27/07 BONUS LINKS: CNN || FARK
Will the circle be unspoken? Venice wants to talk with the county about a planned roundabout that caught city council by surprise, county commission responds with profuse apology -- ha, just kidding -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 06/26/07
Venice respite
M.T. Penz' video collage focuses on the beauty of Venice -- YouTube, 06/07/07
Huffman Aviation's owner tied to convicted drug smuggler in recent aviation venture Wally Hilliard staked Rudi Dekkers in Huffman Aviation here in Venice -- that's the flight school that trained Mohamed Atta; Dan Hopsicker reports that Hilliard recently partnered with a convicted drug smuggler in yet another aviation business -- Mad Cow News, 06/25/07
What hath Tallahasee wrought? Shiny new tax cut legislation and the Super Exemption are rife with potential unintended consequences -- here comes the science... -- Pelican Press, 06/24/07
Who needs The Sopranos? Here come the drums Here come the drums The world is at war and our President has just been murdered by Britain's psychopathic Prime Minister; Europe and Canada are on the edge and breaking viewership records as U.K.'s #1 TV show heads towards its season finale this coming Saturday -- if you can't find it on YouTube (it's there somewhere), you can always wait a few weeks -- The [London] Stage, 06/24/07
Wasserman shoots and scores Revolving restaurant seals the deal -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 06/21/07
Miller, Wasserman to save city with high rise hotels Gondo story | Herald-Trib story "The number one problem in the Venice area is a lack of hotel rooms" -- Venice Florida! dot com to demand formal apology from Wasserman for being bumped to number two -- both stories, 06/20/07
Levine smells a rat Amidst rumors that charrettes will be stacked with out-of-towners in favor of development at the airport, Herb Levine has a suggestion -- check voter cards at the door -- letters, Venice Gondolier Sun, 06/209/07
County to Venice: I'll be your roundabout; Venice to county: GTFO Gondo story | Herald-Trib editorial County commission wants to build a roundabout less than a mile from city Councilman Rick Tacy's favorite pub -- what could possibly go wrong? -- 06/20/07 & 06/18/07
We B-II confoozed about the airport "Ahhhh, I C-II," said the blind man; Herald-Trib takes a look at the runway safety zone problems in the Airport Master Plan; for maps and a visual explanation, read this -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 06/19/07
Grassroots uprising over airport development stuns council Like a deer in the headlights, council never saw it coming; now they are being forced into responding to some of the questions that citizens have been asking; Venice Florida! dot com gets a nice mention; Rita Kutie's referenced letter can be found here -- Larry Evans, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 06/17/07
lolcats? This web joke has been around for a couple of years now, media suddenly discovers the newest thing since Rodney Dangerfield -- it's still pretty funny, though -- Fark, 06/16/07
Tallahassee tax cuts coming our way? How can we take a really bad situation and screw it up even worse? That's easy -- just pass a rushed law through with no study and little debate, we'll fix the unintended consequences later -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 06/15/07
Gondo's relevance now officially non-existent In the wake of momentous news about taxes, airport development, etc., Gondo issues its typical editorial about anything non-controversial it can think of, which leads to the obvious question: who gives a crap? -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 06/15/07
Council ducks, wants redux So let me get this straight... the city manager and council just suddenly discovered what citizens have been saying for months, so they back off the airport plan at the last minute? Kudos for the backdown, but how the hell did it get this far? -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 06/14/07
Airport talks crash at end of runway, three political careers feared dead Gondo story ||| Herald-Trib story "Looking for more public buy in," city delays making decisions, probably until just after November elections -- both stories, 06/13/07
Mike Miller is holding and holding and holding and holding -- condo glut has developers stopped dead in their tracks -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 06/13/07
City hall layoff roulette Blind gal gets the boot in a weird and cruel-sounding domino-effect story; planning department untouched despite lack of new construction -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 06/13/07
Venice council should... Oh the hell with it... does anyone really think that they are listening? -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 06/12/07
City hall's PR wiz: No, we're not up to anything funny -- why do you ask? Standard municipal fluff, but what's really interesting is the denial that Venice is considering a high density project next to South Venice... as nobody that we know of has ever heard that rumor... until now -- letters, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 06/12/07
Mohamed Atta... pancake entrepreneur? Dan Hopsicker comes up with yet more 9/11 weirdness that slipped by law enforcement -- Florida corporate records show that after Atta left Venice to fly into the WTC, he became an entrepreneur in Orlando with an IHOP address -- Dan Hopsicker, 06/12/07
Cops, city involved in undecipherable news story Former city personnel-wank-turned-reporter Rollie Reynolds covers the police contract negotiations -- hey, at least it fills in the gaps between the ads -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 06/08/07
City, county should learn to get along Also: war and hunger should end, skies should be blue, and fairies should paint sparkly colors on all of the trees -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 06/08/07
City, county in zoning squabble over Bella Cita development Less than three months ago, voters passed into law the Joint Planning amendment and Sarasota County is alleging that Venice is already in violation; in other news, grass is green -- Ed Martin, 06/02/07
$61 million airport facelift -- say what? Airport consultants MEA, among other things, cite support data that Venice Airport currently has 180,00 takeoffs and landings per year; that's 493 per day or 20 per hour every hour, which begs the question: is MEA even talking about our airport? -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 05/31/07
Threats, allusions, and innuendos: You can't handle the truth! City manager and council get defensive on airport development, admit to getting jiggy with the numbers, refuse to give out alternate info and ideas because the public isn't bright enough; on the upside, nobody on the city's payroll is asking for permission to carry a gun into city hall... yet -- Ed Martin, 05/23/07
Plan B: The Big Lie proposed First it was that the FAA was demanding development... that turned out to be false; now city hall is moving on to Plan B: Does Venice airport really need to grow? That's the multi-million dollar question that is fueling city hall's latest media blitz to support the airport buildup bust out -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 05/17/07
Plan B: The Big Lie exposed Ed Martin puts on hip waders, wallows through city hall's created mire -- InsideVenice, 05/17/07
Does the FAA really give a flying fart? When the federal agency is deliberately misquoted, they do get particularly interested -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 05/16/07
Venice High School static Gondo story ||| H-T story School board suddenly realizes that there's a few people out here who want VHS to stay where it is -- who knew the public's opinion even mattered? -- both stories 05/16/07
All in the families Vice Mayor Taylor's recusement, Boone family owns the airport development deals, and Venice Florida! dot com gets a nice mention -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 05/11/07
While you weren't looking... While everyone's eyes have been on the airport, council has been busy redrawing the Venice map with only one dissenting vote -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 05/11/07
Blinking Black memo: a surrender? Gondo story ||| Herald-Trib editorial While the city manager's memo stops short of stopping the process, you wouldn't know that from these two articles -- both 05/04/07
H-T's take on The Blinking Black memo Herald-Trib sees the city manager's latest memo as a surrender of sorts -- it's the 'of sorts' part that is troubling -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 05/03/07
Venice can't de-Milo Gondo story ||| Herald-Trib story Short term rentals hearing at the zoning board goes sideways; not in either story, but it really happened: here's one of the supporting cases that Steve Milo's attorney cited -- no, we're not pulling your leg -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 05/02/07
City hall gets flamed again Herald-Trib picks up on our city email stories and asks, 'Where's the love?' -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 05/01/07
Politics 101: Do not piss off the old farts Gondo story ||| Herald-Trib story City hall has gotten away with a lot of crap over the years, but now they are messing with the tee times of folks who are otherwise uninterested in municipal shenanigans -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 05/01/07
Mardirossian lawsuit against activist dismissed Aris Mardirossian, the money man behind the push here for the Marriott, doesn't like opposition and will sue if he doesn't like what he hears -- Why, yes, this is exactly what we need in Venice -- Washington Post, 01/18/07
North Port's growth strategy turned out to be a real winner -- NOT! City faces an economic implosion due to bad strategy; Scary thought for the day: this is pretty much the same strategy that Venice has followed, although to a lesser extent -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 05/01/07
FAA denies being the bad guy Sorry about the mess, but it originates in your city hall, not from our offices -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 04/29/07
Why does everyone hate me? Surrounded by enemies and people that won't talk to him anymore, Hizzoner looks for adoration from 8th graders, asks to be referred to as Uncle Freddie -- Venice Gondolier-Sun, 04/29/07
Stop this flight H-T tells city hall to stop flying and come back to Earth -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 04/27/07
Ditto Gondo and the public agree -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 04/27/07
♪♫ I love a charade charrette... ♫♪ Council, airport developers' love-fest marred by pestilent public input "If they pass this, there will be three new faces up there in December," said Herb Levine, president of the Venice Taxpayers League; Marriott reportedly already pouring concrete foundations -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 04/26/07
Charrette "The term charrette also, historically, applied to the cart or tumbril used to carry the condemned to the guillotine" -- Wikipedia
Jon Stewart on missing White House email scandal (with VIDEO) White House staffers used unofficial email accounts to hide from public view -- that worked out real well, didn't it? -- Raw Story, 04/17/07
Black gets spanked In what is the harshest criticism to date of City Manager Marty Black's PR skills, the H-T pulls out the BIG PADDLE over the public's right to know in the airport development issue -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 04/16/07
If it looks hokey, label it as "New Urbanism" -- nobody will know the difference If you were one of the hundreds of citizens who told city planners during the Envision Venice meetings you preferred a small-town feel and scale similar to the 35-foot limit in the downtown shopping area and hoped they would apply those standards to emerging areas of the city, say goodnight, Gracie. -- Ed Martin, 04/11/07
Reassurance factor There's plenty of hoops that any developer will have to jump through before they can start building on airport property, so close your eyes and relax... nothing could possibly go wrong -- Venice Gondolier-Sun, 04/11/07
Still unprepared for takeoff Airport development planning is "a backwards and mysterious process in Venice" -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 04/10/07
Venice water cop de-Nazified Turns out he's a good bloke after all and truly has no ill intentions towards France and Poland; in other news, Mayor Hammett sends this warning to Fish and Wildlife Commission: "We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be; we shall fight on beaches, landing grounds, in fields, in streets and on the hills. We shall never surrender." -- letters, Venice Gondolier-Sun, 04/06/07
Golf course lease extension renewal will won't happen Perhaps the most confusing article yet to be written about the airport development debacle: the concepts of lease renewals and extensions are used interchangeably in the article and the dates are all wrong on the FAA agreements; this article is trying to say something, but good luck trying to figure it out -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 04/06/07
Welcome to Arrakis Locals to be issued stillsuits as water bumps up in value -- and stop watering your damned lawn -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 04/05/07
Anthony Tundo, 1963 - 2007 Beleaguered former owner of Venice Island Pub (and husband to the CQG's head of fundraising) was facing drug charges when he died -- obits, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 04/03/07
The last confession of E. Howard Hunt He was the ultimate keeper of secrets, lurking in the shadows of American history: he toppled banana republics, planned the Bay of Pigs invasion, and led the Watergate break-in; now he would reveal what he'd always kept hidden: who killed JFK? -- Erik Hedegaard in Rolling Stone, 03/21/07
Height restrictions in downtown to go bye-bye? On April 3 at 1:30, the Planning Commission will meet to decide on the possibility of taller buildings in downtown Venice -- Ed Martin already has his speech ready -- Ed Martin, Inside Venice, posted on 04/02/07
The See-Through C.E.O. -- Transparency in the digital age The public expects it, companies and governments run from it, yet it has become a successful doctrine in a number of Fortune 500 companies; just what, exactly, is Transparency and would it be a good thing for Venice? -- Clive Thompson in Wired, March 2007 print edition
Airport buildup bustout "Other talk centers on the potential sale of the 27-hole public course by the Venice Golf Association, a private corporation whose secret list of shareholders could divide millions amongst themselves from a sale of their long-term lease with the city" -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 03/28/07
Buzzwording the city's budget Curiously, "cross-platform," "robust," and "ad-nauseum" are missing from the following list: "pre-emptive," "reactive," "worst-case budget scenario," "solid financial footing," "scope and magnitude of impacts," "long-term sustainability" -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 03/28/07
Pam said it, I believe it -- then again, maybe not Pam Johnson, the city press officer who is notorious for getting almost everything wrong, climbs out of her mouse hole to deny that the city's boater survey has anything to do with trying to get funds to build a marina -- yeah, that'll quell the fears -- letters, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 03/22/07
Murder by numbers in Iraq Step 1: Trick the surveillance drone Seven marines and a Navy medic committed the perfect murder of a disabled Iraqi cop with a simple hack; they would have gotten away with it if one of them hadn't developed a guilty conscience -- Wired, 03/22/07
Impact fees to ↑ The cost of building a single-family home in parts of Sarasota County could rise by more than $1,200 in five weeks; developers cry foul even though they'll double the fees and charge them to new homeowners -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 03/22/07
Apocalypse soon -- where to now, St. Martin? Gondo story || Herald-Trib story Council's strategic planning sessions includes airport development and the slowdown of new housing -- the horror, the horror, the horror! -- both stories 03/20/07
Boone 2, Lobeck 0 Current residents become roadkill in the rezoning battles over the Gerrymandered north section of Venice; Arthur Dent to lie down in front of bulldozers wearing pajamas and a bathrobe -- Venice Gondolier-Sun, 03/20/07
--yawn-- Hammett threatens to sue over control growth election results; Al Gore and Christine Jennings offer support, comfort food recipes Gondo story || Herald-Trib story It's a Florida tradition -- when an election doesn't go your way, accuse voters of being idiots and sue your opponent -- both stories 03/18/07
Game over City officials, Boones tight-lipped over deal to build hotel on Harbor Drive on VGA's back nine -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 03/16/07
Yahoo betrayed my husband Wang Xiaoning Ling is serving a ten-year sentence in China for subversion -- specifically for making pro-democracy statements in an online Yahoo group; Yahoo cheerily gave up his identity to Chinese authorities in exchange for entry into the Chinese market -- Wired, 03/16/07
County to raise impact fees (maybe?) The battle is on (again) to make new homes pay for the bulk of their own infrastructure requirements -- developers cry foul -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 03/15/07
LANDSLIDE! Control growth amendment passes with 71% voter approval Gondo article ||| Herald-Trib article Voters tell Venice and North Port city councils to FOAD -- both stories, 03/14/07
Miller picks a winner Best. Idea. Ever. For a marina, anyway. Kind of throws a monkey wrench into Marty Black's puppeteered convolutions to shove that airport marina down everyone's throat, but... -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 03/12/07
Turtles may save the airport Slowest stealth plan ever slows down airport development -- step... draaaaag... step... draaaaag... -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 03/09/07
Hang the ba$%@&ds Hubbard Construction offers free shrimp to shopkeepers in exchange for driving their shops out of business; Chamber of Commerce shows up in bull with tits costume -- hilarity ensues -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 03/08/07
Holder: Black's doomsday tax scenario unlikely "I do believe that an idea that's this far outside the box will go to the Senate and get completely changed around" -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 03/04/07
Marty Black's 'We're losing $5.7 million and it's all Patten's fault' memo -- full text Police officers publish Black's infamous e-mail to their online forum; cops note that Black specifically cites emergency services as a likely source of cuts with the warning "LOOKS LIKE THE WRITING IS ON THE WALL" -- hilarity does not ensue -- LEOAffairs.com, 02/28/07
Sharek quits Within hours of posting our story on other city employees' involvement in the romp in the swamp incident, Venice Utilities Director Chris Sharek resigns --Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 02/27/07
Muddin' was utility manager's mistake "Yee-haw -- to have more fun you'd have to be nekkid; too bad that dang state wildlife officer wrote him a big ol' ticket" -- Tom Lyons, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 07/27/07
Sharky's blank lease to have holes plugged The mysterious "blank lease" fiasco that former city manager George Hunt negotiated may not have to be litigated after all as Sharky's and the city now have agreed to agree on an agreement -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 02/24/07
Utilities Director Sharek on the way out City manager announces a "demotion," swears it has nothing to do with Sharek's illegal romp in the swamp; Herald-Trib takes false credit for uncovering Myakka State Park incident when, in fact, the paper learned of the incident from Venice Florida! dot com -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 02/24/07
Developers devolve Public ain't buying, builders ain't building; in other news, there's a charity fundraising dinner tonight to support land use attorney Jeff Boone's Lexus -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 02/22/07
Coming soon to a neighborhood near you: The National Guard Bush slips a hidden martial law rider into a budget bill that gets passed by congress -- hilarity does not and will not ensue -- editorial, NY Times (registration required), 02/19/07
Short term rentals on the web: homeowners versus residents in the new economic war While short term rentals have been a mainstay background economy in Venice for as long as the town has been in existence, the increased visibility caused by web advertising has sparked an economic and social civil war between affluent Golden Beach residents and the numerous owners of snowbird homes throughout the city; enter speculator Steve Milo, an unlikely hero -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 02/17/07
Herald-Trib pimp-slaps city manager over free municipal beer at Bogey's H-T reads Venice Florida! dot com's coverage of Bogey's beer cards, kind of forgets to mention how they found out about the story; in other news, Bogey's owner Mike Harner now has a brand new, wall-sized HD liquid screen TV in his living room, city employees not invited to watch anything on it -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 02/17/06
Herald-Trib pimp-slaps Hizzoner for talking out of his... It's like Calamaras never left! Mayor Fred Hammett spouts promises to HUD, forgets to clue anyone on council as to what commitments he's making; hilarity ensues (hey Fred -- maybe we could bunk them all at Bogey's) -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 02/13/07
Dent promises new voting machines by November While congress and the courts are still trying to figure out how 18,000 votes disappeared, Dent is scrambling to find Republican stealth programmers to hack the next generation paper trail machines -- Pelican Press, 02/06/07
Let's get small Gondo pimp-slaps Mike Miller over the newest version of his Manhattan Project -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 02/03/07
Run, Al, run A stiff vice president campaigns on his administration's legacy of unprecedented prosperity; looks terrible on TV; bows out, following a disputed vote count; two terms later, he re-enters the fray. promising to change the course of a disastrous war founded on lies. We're referring, of course, to the 1968 campaign of Richard Milhous Nixon. History has a chance to repeat itself for Albert Arnold Gore. -- Rolling Stone, 02/01/07
Kathy Dent and the Okie-Dokie Doctrine Sarasota election standards set a shining example: If over 50% of the vote is recorded properly, it's okie-dokie -- Mad Cow News, 01/31/07
Windows Vista's gotta-have-it killer business app Wow. Just wow. Never mind all the hype about smoother network integration and Digital Rights Management, would ya look at the cool backgrounds in Solitaire? -- Wired, 02/30/07
Fred Hammett: 'I have a dream' As Black History Month approaches, mayor announces his vision for Venice -- run all the blacks out of town; HUD officials respond with raised eyebrows and a 'not so fast' statement to the press -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 01/28/07
Hopsicker drops the 'F' bomb on Kathy Dent In his latest installment, Hopsicker notes that the Herald-Tribune suddenly and strangely veered away from early reports of votes not being recorded properly in the Jennings/Buchanan race -- despite Elections Supervisor Kathy Dent's election day admission that voting machines weren't recording votes properly!!! -- Mad Cow Morning News, 01/24/07
County to vote on increased impact fees -- Where is Lewis Black when we need him? After years of builders and growth advocates arguing that growth pays for itself, builders and their lawyers will argue against increasing impact fees, stating that new growth shouldn't have to pay for itself -- it is at this point that you want to stick hot pokers in your eyes and scream -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 01/23/07
Black flies solo to push airport development With no tacitlpublic direction from council, Venice's city manager is in the wheeling and dealing airport development biz; Herald-Trib asks a simple question: WTF is going on? -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 01/23/07
And if the airport were to close? Local oral surgeon John Yurasko paints a doomsday scenario: what if the airport were to close and a calamitous natural disaster happened? -- letters, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 01/23/07
Rollie and Mikey, sittin' in a tree, kay eye ess ess eye enn gee Continuing in his Orgy 'O Love series, Gondo cub reporter Rollie Reynolds gets between the sheets with local developer Mike Miller to discuss rising towers, stiff competition and whatever else pops up -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 01/22/07
County to force North Port city commissioners to dress in drag As part of the joint planning agreement, NP city commissioners have to dress in drag and sell themselves on U.S. 41 to developers and construction workers; commissioners are aghast, state they only do that in private -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 01/17/07
Miller's Manhattan Project is back, now with less more Miller's third try knocks out most offices and stores that were in original plans for revamping business district on Venice island, opts instead for more rich old-fart pudgeballs in faux tropical shirts from New York and Illinois; attorney Jeff Boone chimes in with usual unintelligible PR crap -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 01/16/07
North Port losing in annexation war with county Sarasota County threatens to give North Port to Charlotte County, Charlotte County says they're already full of crazy city officials -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 01/16/07
Feds drop the ball; council, Patten cry foul Venice Florida! dot com's Patten urges council to get angry... and they do... what's wrong with this picture? -- Venice Gondolier Sun, 01/11/07
Sarasota has no head City Manager McNees quits or is fired or something; out in Palm Bay, George Hunt is busily polishing his resume -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 01/12/07
Official Mac users forum names utils director Sharek as First Floridiot of the Year "The guy in charge of enforcing environmental laws in Venice FLA takes his redneck relatives off into the swamp through a hole in the fence despite the fact that its protected park land hes ripping up, so the park eats his car" -- The Podcast Network, 01/10/07
House seat hangs by a byte With 18,000 votes missing, the putative loser of a tight Florida congressional race is demanding to see the source code for the electronic voting machines that squeaked her opponent into office; a key House committee is joining her call, even as the winner moves to Capitol Hill -- Wired, 01/11/07
Shane sends the wife out Not content with only showing his own ass, Shane Saputo sends the wife out to paste the press and city hall -- good call, Shane -- letters, Venice Gondolier Sun, 01/10/07
Utilities Director Sharek can't clean the mud off "A strong environmental ethic should motivate anyone paid by the public to protect the environment..." -- except in Venice, of course, where those people hired specifically to protect the environment have traditionally been the worst offenders -- editorial, Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 01/09/07
Black lets Sharek slide on Myakka State Park incident City's top environmental official caught damaging the environment for fun, city manager states "it is not an action that relates to his employment with the city;" when asked if he knew he was breaking the law, Sharek responds, "I suppose" -- Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 01/05/06
