Venice named a Trail Town; 1 of only 21 in Florida

Francesco Abbruzzino, The Uncensored Report, LLC

 

COV

 

The City of Venice, a Silver-level Bicycle Friendly Community, has been recently designated as a Trail Town by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Greenways & Trails Division.

 

What is a Trail Town?

• A community located in proximity to one or more recreational trails, a safe place for walkers and bikers to find the goods and services they need.
• A vibrant destination and friendly place that encourages trail users to visit and welcomes them with warm hospitality.
• It has wide sidewalks, clean streets, bike racks and benches at convenient locations.
• The trails meet the needs of both the recreational users and town’s residents for access to work, school, parks and shops.
• The trails connect people to nature, citizens to their communities and towns to neighboring towns.

In February, the Greenways & Trails Foundation held their annual Trails Summit at the Venice Community Center and officially presented the award to the City Manager, Vice Mayor and City staff.

Venice is one of only 21 towns in Florida with this designation, and the first trail town located along the Florida Gulf Coast Trail. The Gulf Coast Trail is an ambitious plan to create a 420-mile regional trail in Southwest Florida. Spanning seven coastal counties, the trail will create safe pathways for outdoor recreation, foster health and well-being, attract tourists and visitors, promote alternative modes of transportation, expand access to nature, stimulate economic opportunities, and connect communities like never before. Get more information on the Florida Gulf Coast Trail here: https://www.tpl.org/our-work/florida-gulf-coast-trail

Explore Venice in the City’s new Story Map, which can be found here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/eef189d6d4a6497bb12cc9b564a6381f

Built within GIS, the Story Map combines maps, 3D scenes, multimedia, and text to create interactive narratives. It tells the story of Venice while providing advocacy and education to the public, whether they cycle through our town or just want to visit the beaches.

The Explore Florida Trail Towns booklet is also out now. Pick up your free booklet at the Venice Area Chamber of Commerce at 597 S. Tamiami Trail. Start your collection of trail town stamps, and collect a stamp for each designated Florida Trail Town you visit. Submit photos of your completed booklet to earn prizes. More details regarding the Trail Town Program can be found here: https://floridadep.gov/parks/ogt/content/trail-town-program

For more information on these programs, contact City Bicycle Pedestrian Coordinator Darlene Culpepper at [email protected]