Since the 2024 hurricane season closed off public access to Humphris Park at the South Jetty, people seeking a glimpse of the Venice Inlet opt to visit North Jetty Park, but many people opt to visit Venice Beach too.
The park and the South Jetty were long considered a prime spot for surfing, fishing, and watching the sunset.
Jetty Jack’s Refreshment Deck — the popular gathering spot that started life as Anita’s Sandcastle — offered quality food and beverages for people who wanted to just sit and watch boats and the occasional manatee navigate the Venice Inlet.
The Venice City Council briefly pondered reopening access to the parking lot area near the South Jetty but backed off after learning at the Feb. 24 meeting that such repairs could cost more than $4 million.
In addition to that, it would have taken at least two years to acquire permits to rebuild the parking lot and any work would be torn up once the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began its own long-term plan to modernize both jetty structures that were built when the Venice Inlet was created in 1937.
Where have people been going since Humphris Park closed?
Justin Bloomquist, who operates the North Jetty Grille and the Pilot House food concession at the Venice Beach Pavilion along with his brother Brian, have seen more of an uptick in business at Venice Beach than at the North Jetty.
“We do have some people that come over from the South Jetty and they certainly miss the South Jetty for sure,” Bloomquist said. “We really got a bump at the Venice Beach location as opposed to the North Jetty one.”
He quickly added that the Pilot House is closer to the South Jetty than the North Jetty.
By car, the Pilot House is 1.3 miles from Humphris Park, while the North Jetty is 5.6 miles away by car.
The North Jetty suffered significant damage during the 2024 hurricane season. The North Jetty Fish Camp, built in 1946 using an old trolley car from Ybor City, was demolished.
Sarasota County public works employees and contractors worked to reopen North Jetty Beach in March 2025.
Even a year later, much of what Bloomquist refers to as “prime real estate” parking along the northern bulkhead of the Venice Inlet remains closed.
Bloomquist said he was grateful that Sarasota County could reopen the beach six months after the devastation but also noted that parking is still at a premium at the popular south Casey Key park.
Who owns Humphris Park and the Venice Inlet?
The city owns and carries the responsibility for maintaining the parking area.
Sarasota County owns and carries the responsibility for maintaining North Jetty Park.
The federal government controls both jetties and the bulkheads that protect Humphris Park and North Jetty Park.
“The damage that we currently have at the Jetty is far greater than we have ever experienced,” Venice Public Works Director Ricky Simpson said during a presentation on the project along with City Engineer Jon Kramer.
Vice Mayor Jim Boldt, who also examined the South Jetty and the bulkhead that stabilizes Humphris Park by boat, said the damage was 100 times worse than what he first thought.
“Basically, in my estimation, it’s out of our hands,” Boldt said.
City of Venice supports U.S. Rep. Steube’s effort to secure funding
The Army Corps has accepted responsibility for repairing the jetties and the north and south bulkheads that make up the entire Venice Inlet.
There is no timeline for when the Corps will repair the Venice Inlet and no concrete budget, though a $100 million figure has been floated.
U.S. Rep. Greg Steube wrote a letter last November to Army Corps Assistant Secretary Adam Telle requesting $100 million for the project.
Kramer told council members that the Corps is preparing a major maintenance report on repairing the bulkheads for the Venice Inlet, with an anticipated cost of $10 million to replace the south bulkhead.
The West Coast Inland Navigation District is working with Steube on a $15 million appropriation to replace the south bulkhead, with an expectation that a major maintenance report will be finished by November.
In a unanimous vote, the city council gave Mayor Nick Pachota authority to write letters, emails and other forms of communication to support that funding effort.
How bad was the hurricane damage?
When the Venice Inlet was built in 1937, the twin 650-foot-long structures were constructed with 19 sheet pile cylinders and wood sheet pile bulkheads protected by creosote.
Over the years, steel, concrete, and riprap were added to the bulkheads and the 10-foot-wide walking path was added to the top of each jetty.
Those paths became ideal fishing spots.
Because hurricanes typically travel north, the South Jetty has suffered from more storm impact than the North Jetty.
That includes major damage from Hurricane Ian in 2022, Hurricane Idalia in 2023, Tropical Storm Debby in 2024 and then it was severely damaged by hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024.
Those two hurricanes demolished both Jetty Jack’s in Humphris Park and the North Jetty Fish Camp/Trolley, which dated back to 1946, at North Jetty Beach Park.
The more modern concession stand, North Jetty Grille, survived the storms.
What must be done to repair the Venice Inlet?
Even before the catastrophic damage that occurred from the 2024 hurricane season, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its local partner, the West Coast Inland Navigation District, had started conducting a study that will lead to reconstruction of both jetties.
Kramer noted that the new bulkhead would likely be steel or composite sheet pilings.
The overall project, which may carry a price tag upwards of $100 million, will likely be accomplished in phases, with reconstruction of the South Jetty bulkhead the top priority.
A better sense of the cost should be available after the major maintenance report is finished in November.
Once the jetty is fixed, the city of Venice can improve Humphris Park.
It’s likely that the city would install concrete pads for food trucks and a portable restroom facility that can be moved out of harm’s way for future storms.
Earle Kimel primarily covers south Sarasota County as well as land development and environmental issues for the Herald-Tribune. Follow him on Facebook, and X. He can be reached by email at earle.kimel@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Storm damage leaves beloved Venice jetty park future uncertain
Reporting by Earle Kimel, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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