Sarasota County Democratic Party Salutes Former Venice City Council Member Joan Farrell

Sarasota County Democratic Party

14 April 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sarasota County Democratic Party Salutes Former Venice City Council Member Joan Farrell

Farrell Resigned in Protest After Defeat of Citizen-Led Request for Completion of Important Drainage and Traffic Study Ahead of Controversial Supermarket Project Approval

Venice City Council Member Joan Farrell’s April 11 resignation came two days after the Council defeated an effort by local residents to delay the Pat Neal project pending completion of a review by the Southwest Florida Water Management District of the project’s potential to cause flooding of nearby homes. As reported in the Sarasota Herald Tribune, Farrell explained: “I have made a decision to resign out of frustration because the City Council is failing to perform its basic duties and is ignoring critical neighborhood concerns.”

In announcing her resignation, Farrell cited the flooding threat created by the original decision to rezone a wetlands area for the proposed shopping center and the inadequacy of traffic controls around the Northeast Venice project. The Council voted 4-2 to reject Farrell’s motion to deny the site plan. The Council then approved the plan without stipulations put forward by Council member Ron Smith in an effort to mitigate both problems. Farrell called for Venice residents to vet thoroughly the candidates for City Council in the next election in 2026

Lamenting the loss of Council Member Farrell, who was supported by the SCDP in her position on the issues, Sarasota County Democratic Party Chair David Dean noted Farrell’s passion for protecting the environment. “Joan was able to unseat a two-term incumbent in the November 2023 election after making the focus of her campaign the council’s decision to allow developer Pat Neal to rezone 10 acres of wetlands for commercial use,” said Dean. Fellow Council Member Ron Smith added, “In her short time in office, Joan fought for and secured a homestead exemption for low-income seniors and championed programs to help local hurricane victims, particularly residents of manufactured homes. She took the clean campaign pledge and withstood vicious personal attacks from political action committees and the Sarasota County Republican Party. We will miss her fierce advocacy for the residents of Venice still suffering from hurricane losses and against the disregard of the City Council in response to their needs and concerns about future development.”

Farrell’s resignation created a vacancy in Seat 1. Discussion of the process to fill the vacancy is scheduled for the Council’s April 22 meeting.

Contact for additional information:

David Dean, Chair, Sarasota County Democratic Party

Email: headquarters@sarasotadems.org

Sarasota County Democratic Party

7358 S. Tamiami Tr

Sarasota, FL 34231

United States

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