SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — Venice Beach has reopened following repairs and remediation from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, officials announced Friday.
As of Nov. 1, restrooms, concessions and the parking lot are now all available at the Sarasota County public beach. Lifeguards are also back on duty.
Additionally, all city parks are now reopened to the public, including Centennial West Blalock and Heritage.
The Florida Department of Health in Sarasota is conducting regular water quality testing. Officials warned families to use caution as there may still be large debris piles near the beaches and parks.
Both hurricanes hit the area hard, causing several beaches to close. But the county has been slowly welcoming visitors back, with multiple reopenings over the past two weeks.
Meanwhile, in Manatee County, officials reopened Anna Maria Island after it was devastated by Hurricane Helene's storm surge. It was the first public beach in the area to reopen since the storms.
"It made all the hard days worth it"
In 2024, Tampa Bay 28 Anchor Lauren St. Germain brought viewers the story of a young mom here in Florida who was diagnosed with stage four metastatic breast cancer. Now, Lauren is following through and giving an update on her experimental cell vaccine therapy.
