Scenes around Sarasota, Florida during Hurricane Ian
A collection of short videos from the Sarasota, Florida area as Hurricane Ian makes landfall to the south.
Thomas Bender, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Officials at the Venice Theatre, the nation’s second-largest community theatre, had high hopes of receiving support from the Sarasota County Commission for a $6 million federal grant to help the theatre recover from the destruction of its main theatre during Hurricane Ian.
Eventually, videos and still images of the gaping hole left by the storm, which tore through a loft and back wall, were featured prominently in local and national news reports about the storm’s destruction.
But the theater, which begins its 75th season this month, was one of many projects left unfunded when the commission voted in May on how to spend part of the $201.5 million Resilient SRQ Infrastructure Program. The program was created with money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to help communities recover from Ian and prepare for future storms. There were more than 40 applications requesting far more than the $45 million allocated for infrastructure projects.
The theater is now asking its supporters to raise the $16 million it needs to complete the reconstruction project before it runs out of money.
Changed plans to comply with federal guidelines
The theater had originally planned to use the federal funds to build the Jervey Theater until it realized it had to stop work on the project and solicit new bids under federal guidelines. With guidance from county staff, it changed its plan and used the money to convert the adjacent Raymond Center building into an educational wing instead. The building was converted into a temporary venue just three months after the hurricane so performances could continue.
“We were advised to make this change to the application because we knew we couldn’t stop our work,” said Executive Director Kristofer Geddie. “The Raymond Center was still a result of Hurricane Ian and we hadn’t started the project yet. We wanted to close the construction loan for the Raymond Center on the day of the hurricane.”
The Venice Theater was one of many applicants not mentioned by commissioners during the infrastructure discussion in May. However, in an interview, Commissioner Neil Rainford, whose district includes Venice and parts of Nokomis and North Port, said the amendment to the application caused problems for commissioners.
“The money requested for the theater was not for the damaged areas,” Rainford said. “It was for renovation of one of their other buildings. When we made these difficult decisions, there were more requests than were available, and we were trying to allocate the money to facilities that were actually damaged.”
The commission approved money for 12 projects, including funds to rebuild water control structures and bridges in North Port, a bridge on Manasota Key, stormwater improvements in Englewood and improvements to the Carlton Water Treatment Plant. The only nonprofits that received support from commissioners were $4 million for the North Port Boys and Girls Club and $3 million for a Salvation Army social service agency.
“They unanimously decided that most of the projects of most nonprofits were not worthwhile or worthy,” Geddie said. “I applaud them for giving money to the Boys and Girls Club and the Salvation Army because they were destroyed and needed the money. But basically the entire city of Venice was overlooked. It just seemed odd since the Venice Theater and our destruction were part of the poster image for the damage in Sarasota County.”
A public call for large donations
After raising about $9 million, including $5 million in insurance payouts, the organization needs another $16 million for the $25 million project to restore the theater, named after major donor William Jervey.
But without a generous cash injection to help the theater secure a construction loan, the company could run out of money long before work is completed.
“We’re going to do what we’ve done for the last 75 years: we’re adapting and we’re changing direction,” said Camille Cline, the company’s director of advancement. “We were on a great upward trajectory for years before COVID hit and then the hurricane hit. But if the last 75 years are any indication, we’re going to keep going.”
The commission’s denial of the grant came in addition to a loss of $70,500 in state funds after Governor Ron DeSantis blocked all funds for arts programs when approving the 2024-25 budget.
Geddie said the Venice Theatre has reached about 40% of its $25 million goal and has spent nearly $6 million on repairs to the Jervey Theatre. Major donations included a $1 million donation from Donna and Jim Boldt, announced in April.
The theater said it needs more money to erect steel beams, install the roof and finish the interior of the main theater. There is still a large hole in the back of the theater.
The Venice Theatre’s fundraiser comes as it opens its 75th season with the musical revue “My Way,” which will play hits related to Frank Sinatra. The performance will take place at the Raymond Center, a former law office that once briefly served as Venice’s public library. It was converted into a temporary theater because “we knew we couldn’t use the Jersey until the new theater was rebuilt, and we didn’t want to close,” Geddie said.
Theater is looking for new financing options
Geddie said the theater is still working on securing other financing after its commercial lender determined it could not fund the next installment of its construction loan. “We were looking at a loan between $5 million and $9 million, depending on what we needed at that time. I’m sure we’ll be able to get some type of construction loan.”
Work continues on the back of the theater, and the Venice Theater has about $3 million on hand. “We paid our construction bills as they came in. But right now we don’t have enough to finish the Jervey, so we’re splitting that.”
Magnum Construction has set a guaranteed maximum price for construction at $18 million, “but we need about $16 million to finish everything as is. We can and will save a lot of costs,” he said.
Stay optimistic during a major fundraising campaign
Cline said she and her predecessor, Eric Watters, have cultivated relationships with individual donors and community foundations “and we’ve received some nice donations. But I think our donors, our very committed donors, have participated to the best of their ability without knowing the full extent of the need until recently.”
Cline said she was optimistic that more people would come forward if they realized what the theater needs.
“This is not a silent phase,” she said, noting that there is a $15 million naming opportunity for the entire main building, which houses the Jervey Theater and the smaller Pinkerton Theater, which suffered only minor damage during the storm.
“We have dedicated community members who understand that the Venice Theatre is a jewel in our county and our area and provides such great value not only from an economic and employment perspective, but also as a gateway to the arts for South Sarasota County and arts education,” she said. “The list of what we offer is so long.”
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