Dear VI Property Owner:

Every week our Community Policing Officer, James Fuchs, sends me a report detailing reported criminal activity in VI over the prior week.  We had been doing really well for several months until I received the following report of two vehicle burglaries in the 2000 block of Michigan Ave. between 10 pm and11:30 am on April 21:

One victim reported a firearm was stolen out of an unlocked vehicle.
The second victim reported cash was stolen from an unlocked vehicle.

This is the second firearm reported stolen from a car in VI in the last 2 years. I implore VI residents to remove valuables from your cars and lock car doors when parked in the driveway. These thefts are crimes of opportunity, mostly committed by youths coming into our neighborhood to see what they can find.  I have yet to hear of a “smash and grab” from a locked vehicle in VI so let’s not make it so easy for them!!!

As I’ve noted in prior Presidents’ Letters, there are 532 homes located in Venetian Isles on relatively small pieces of real estate.  Literally, we are living almost on “top of each other” with on average 15 feet between houses. In addition to assuring some uniformity and maintaining / increasing property values, the goal of the Deed Restrictions (“DRs”) is to ensure that homeowners don’t negatively impact their neighbors by blocking views, failing to maintain their yards, not cleaning/repairing their seawall, etc.

The Deed Restriction Committee (“DRC”), made up of residents of VI, recently completed a waterside review of all the homes in VI.   The team identified a total of 75 DR violations, mostly for items such as a dirty roof, dead or weed infested lawns which are relatively easy to fix.  To be certain, they also noted more serious violations such as general disrepair of homes, docks and seawalls.  Upon receipt of a DR violation letter most property owners respond something to the effect that “I know my seawall needs repair but I can’t get on the contractor’s schedule for a couple more months,” or “I didn’t realize my roof was dirty but I’ll get working on a solution.”  Generally, that is all the DRC members need to hear and the issues are addressed by homeowners in a reasonable time frame. 

There are only a small number of properties in VI that are in  “perpetual disrepair” or blatant disregard for the DRs. I frequently hear from property owners who are frustrated that their neighbors’ houses are in a state of neglect, sometimes for years.  The VIHA has two options for dealing with property owners who refuse to comply with the DRs despite repeated notices: 

• We can take legal action against the property owner.  While this is typically a protracted and costly process, we have taken this approach in the past and will continue to do so in the future, where it makes sense. The VIHA currently has 3 lawsuits that are pending; or,

• We can request assistance from the City’s Code Enforcement Department, which will then take over attempting to correct the situation.  Currently, Code Enforcement is currently engaged with one property in VI.

Unfortunately, both of these approaches take time to reach a resolution. The DRs do NOT give the VIHA the ability to fine or levy judgements upon non-compliant property owners.  Please know that the VIHA is aware of the houses that are in disrepair and is working towards a solution.   

The members of the VIHA and all the committees are doing their best to maintain the safety and  high-quality of life in VI that we’ve all come to appreciate.  Let’s see if we can remember that all 532 properties of VI are in this together and show a little kindness and appreciation of our neighbors. 

Anne Barrins, who was heading the Hospitality Committee is turning over her duties to Sue Cooper as Anne and her husband, Ken Slaby, are moving to North Carolina.  We want to thank Anne for her contributions to VI.  If you are interested in volunteering on the Hospitality Committee, or any of the other committees that make VI A special place to live, please contact me.

Stay well and let’s enjoy the good fortune we have of living in VI!!!


Rich Scanlon
VIHA President
[email protected]

Dear VI Property Owner:
Spring has “sprung” in Venetian Isles and the neighborhood looks spectacular. I hope everyone is able to take advantage of the fabulous place we are able to call home!!! As beautiful as VI is, it is never too early to begin preparing for the upcoming hurricane season by trimming bushes and trees because we know what is coming.
Over the holidays, there were two golf cart parades through VI in addition to the annual Seawall Luminary Lighting on December 24th . The Board would like to thank Janice Drinkwine who has coordinated the candle sale efforts of the past several years and is relocating from VI. We also would like to thank Amy Bridgmon for volunteering to step into Janice’s role.
At the VIHA Annual Meeting on January 18, the officers and directors of the VIHA were
elected, as was posted to the website. Subsequent to the annual meeting, Sue Cooper from Kentucky Ave. volunteered for one of the remaining open positions on the Board. It is great to have Sue join us and also to have Randy Havey back on the Board after a couple year hiatus. Please contact any of the Board members, who are listed at http://www.ourvi.org/board-members.html with any comments or questions about the neighborhood. The Annual Meeting also provided the opportunity to update attendees on:

• The Deed Restrictions (“DRs”) that were balloted and approved in 2023;
  
• The DRs that have been under consideration by the Deed Restriction Review Committee and are expected to be balloted in 2024.
  

The percentage of property owners needed to approve changes to the DRs remains at 66.67% since the proposed DR revision to lower the threshold did not pass in 2023. In an effort to get more property owners to vote the Board is researching ways to facilitate electronic voting. Stay tuned!
As a reminder, any changes that you are planning to make to the exterior of your property need to be approved by the Architectural Review Committee (“ARC”). ARC approved 97 projects in 2023 and is on pace to approve 160 projects in 2024 which would be far in excess of the totals for any of the past 5 years. ARC’s average review time is 10 days but can be longer than that when insufficient information is provided with the initial request. If you are uncertain whether a project is subject to ARC approval feel free to review the checklist on our website at
http://www.ourvi.org/architectural-review.html or reach out to one of the Committee members listed on the same webpage.
I continue to receive complaints of dog walkers not picking up after their dogs and leaving bags of dog waste discarded on the street, on residents’ lawns and utility boxes. Please be considerate and dispose of your dog waste in trash bins. We all know that our homes in VI are located close together and that sound travels across the water and the canals. DR 41 requires homeowners to control their pets, including minimizing barking, so as not to infringe upon their neighbors.  Regardless of the DR, this is just part of being a good neighbor. Please try and control your dog’s barking, especially during this time of year when windows and doors are wide open to take advantage of the pleasant temperatures.
The Beautification Committee is working with the city to coordinate new landscaping along Grand Canal. We sustained massive damage after Hurricane Idalia and subsequent storms. The Committee is now doing its best to get the plantings back on track.
We are looking for a volunteer to coordinate the neighborhood garage sale. If you are interested, let me know or send an email to [email protected].
Thanks to all the volunteers who help keep VI a truly special place to live. We are always looking for more volunteers. If you are interested in serving on a committee, please let me know or contact the committee chair.
The 2024 Venetian Isles Homeowners Directory will be distributed to all dues payers in late March. If you have not yet paid your 2024 Dues, please do so now to ensure you receive your copy of the directory. If you have any corrections or changes to your directory listing please send them to [email protected] by March 8th.
The VIHA Board would love to hear of any ideas to improve the quality of life in VI. Please let me know if you have any ideas via email at [email protected] or 727-560-3655.


Stay well and let’s enjoy the good fortune we have of living in VI!!!


Rich Scanlon
VIHA President