Heartbreak at Camp Venice: Resident’s Homes Towed Away (May 2025)
Francesco Abbruzzino, The Uncensored Report, LLC
Camp Venice Speaks
On Sunday May 25, 2025, of the Memorial Day weekend, elderly residents watched as diesel trucks roared into their neighborhood in Camp Venice RV Resort in Venice Florida (next to Snook Haven) to tow away their homes. This video captures the first two homes being towed away. The first home through the gate belonged to a 93-year-old man Coleman and his 88-year-old wife Selma. They had been residents of Camp Venice for 19 years. The second home belonged to their next-door neighbors since 2019. All of the residents in the mobile home portion of the park face eviction due to the pending closing on the $14 million dollar sale of the land under their homes to Sarasota County. On May 6, 2025, the Sarasota Board of Commissioners (watch the other videos on this channel) approved the $14 million dollar taxpayer funded resolution to purchase the mixed-use RV / mobile home park from Camp Venice LLC which lists Robert Kurens as the AMBR/MGR. The owner of the park sent out an email to the Park Model owners which caused mass panic among the residents:
” To All Park Model Owners – Update – May 20, 2025, The park has not been sold. It is, however, under contract to be sold to the County. The contract terms provide the County with the right to terminate the contract under certain circumstances by August 24, 2025. If the County does not cancel the contract, the park will close at some point and you will be asked to remove your home from the park within 30 days. If at any time you wish to move your home to another park, please give us a 30 day notice and we will seek to accommodate you. Unless and until your home is removed from the park, you are required to pay rent. Camp Venice LLC ”
This ambiguous email compiled with non-existent (Sorry, I know nothing) support from camp management has left many residents terrified. Friday May 23, 2025, a man appeared in the neighborhood offering to buy everyone’s home for as little as $1,500.00. Many residents felt they had no other choice than to sell. After all, the residents had reached out earlier to local mobile home parks to try to relocate, and found out their mobile homes are too old to be accepted. Most interpreted the owner’s inscrutable email to mean that if they could not move their home, then they be charged with abandonment or demolition.
Sarasota County has a clause in the sales contract (# 12) which gives them the power to review the resident’s leases. Their failure so far to review the residents’ leases to provide the residents with Chapter 723 protection fuels this abuse of the elderly residents. Chapter 723 would offer relocation aid, and protection against 30-day evictions.
All the mobile homeowners were flooded and wind damaged in Hurricane Ian. Some homes were damaged beyond repair, but the ones who stayed had repairs that topped as high as $40K. So, to be so defeated that they feel that they must accept low ball offers and watch while their homes are taken apart and towed away is nothing short of heartbreaking.