"Venice bills itself the shark's tooth capital of the world; they've even got a festival," Reinhardt Badow told a reporter in March 2005, "but then they cover up all the shark's teeth." Badow was a veteran shark tooth hunter and chaired the science department at Bayshore High School in Bradenton. He was speaking just as the city's second beach restoration was about to start. The mayor at the time, Dean Calamaras, also hunted fossils. The Ledger reported that he put it more plainly: "There are fewer shark teeth because we put 200 feet of sand where there was none before."
Twenty-one years later, the same trade-off is back. By August 16, 2026, crews had pumped nearly 620,000 cubic yards of new sand onto Venice's shoreline. That's good news for the beach, the dunes, and everything behind them. For anyone with a sifter and a free Saturday morning, it moves the best documented hunting south. The spot is Caspersen Beach, the one nearby stretch the project skipped. This fall, the only way in is on foot or by bike.
What went down on 3.2 miles of shoreline
The Venice Shore Protection Project 2026 was a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers job, built by Weeks Marine, Inc. The construction contract was $27,495,000 and fully federally funded. It covered about 3.2 miles, from the Humphris Park South Jetty to South Brohard Park, including Venice Beach and Service Club Park. The new sand replaces what has eroded since the last nourishment in 2015. FOX 13 reported the beach is now 50 to 100 feet wider, depending on location, after the beating it took from Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024.
The sand came from an offshore borrow area about 11 nautical miles southwest of the project, off Englewood. Finding it held the project up by a year. WGCU reported that the Army Corps needed smooth, quartz-based white sand that matched what was already on the beach, and much of the easy-to-reach sand along Florida's coast is already used up.
The teeth come from somewhere else. Visit Sarasota describes the Venice coast as sitting on a fossil layer 18 to 35 feet deep. Storms and waves push those fossils into the shallows and then up onto the beach. In 2005, coastal consultant Cliff Truitt of Coastal Technologies in Sarasota described the teeth as buried under 15 to 20 feet of sand, and said each new project buries them deeper. Badow added that the earlier nourishment sand had some teeth in it, "but nothing particularly great."
No one has published a count of shark tooth finds on the 2026 sand yet. What exists is the 2005 record of how the earlier projects played out. By Badow's estimate then, the effort one visiting family put into finding two dozen teeth would have turned up four times as many 10 years earlier, before the first restoration in 1996.
October is still a construction month
The sand is done, but the project isn't. The city's September 30 update lays out what's left.
| Location | Status as of Sept. 30, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Outfall 4, Aldea Mar Condo | Outfall pipe work complete |
| Outfall 7, Golden Beach Condo | Outfall pipe work complete |
| Outfall 10, USCG Station | Outfall pipe work complete |
| Outfall 1, about 400 feet south of the Venice Beach Pavilion | Expected done by mid-October |
| Outfall 2, near Venice Sands Condo | Expected done by mid-October |
| Sand tilling and rock remediation, full project area | Expected done by late October |
| Beach access at Brohard Paw Park | Closed temporarily during nearby tilling, dates not yet known |
The Brohard Paw Park line matters most to dog owners. In August, WWSB reported that only the beach portion of the park was closed and the fenced dog park stayed open. Rock remediation started August 25 south of the Venice Fishing Pier, and the beach access at Paw Park stayed closed while it went on. The September update says that access will close again while tilling is nearby, with no dates yet.
The turtles added to the timeline. Mote Marine Laboratory moved more than 500 sea turtle nests out of the work zone. City engineer Steven Berens told WGCU that was far more than Mote had expected: "So it's been a big year for the sea turtles." As of September 30, the nests near the last sand pipes had hatched, so the contractor can now remove those pipes. Nesting season runs through October 31.
The beach the project skipped
Caspersen Beach Park sits at 4100 Harbor Drive South, just past South Brohard. It isn't part of the 2026 project. In the 2005 reporting, it was named as the area beach that had not been restored and that "promises better odds for shark tooth hunters." Army Corps project manager Jackie Keiser explained that "Caspersen evidently doesn't have the erosion problem that Venice Beach has."
What's different this year is getting there. Sarasota County says the Harbor Drive access washed out during the 2024 storms. Restrooms, vehicle parking, and the playground are closed until repairs are made. The park is open to walkers and cyclists only, with entry from South Brohard Park or from the Venetian Waterway Park Trail at the City of Venice Festival Grounds. Hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Visit Sarasota's August 3 recovery notice says parking is available at South Brohard Park, with no access to the playground, utilities, or restrooms at Caspersen.
That makes South Brohard the trailhead for the hunt this fall. It's also where the new sand ends and where the Paw Park beach access may close during tilling. A practical October plan:
- Park at South Brohard Park, or bike in on the Venetian Waterway Park Trail from the Festival Grounds.
- Check the city's beach renourishment update page the morning you go for closures near Brohard.
- Bring water and plan around no restrooms at Caspersen.
- Search the waterline. Visit Sarasota notes that hunters looking for quicker results work the foot-high drop-off ledge where waves break, or wade a few feet out and sift.
The rest of the coast, and the water past it
Visit Sarasota's April 2026 guide names the beach accesses around the Venice Jetty as the places collectors search, along with Venice Beach, Caspersen, Casey Key, and Manasota Key. That guide came out before construction started. Venice Beach now has fresh sand on top. Casey Key and Manasota Key are both outside this project.
The gear hasn't changed. Papa's Bait Shop on the 740-foot Venice Fishing Pier rents and sells the "Venice Snow Shovel," a screened sifting basket on a long handle. Ace Hardware stores carry sand flea rakes, and a kitchen strainer also works. The pier is also home to Sharky's on the Pier and Fins at Sharky's. Sharky's owner Justin Pachota told FOX 13 the extra sand could help rebuild the dunes and protect the barrier island.
Offshore, nothing has changed. Visit Sarasota notes that the really large teeth, including the megalodons everyone hopes for, are usually farther out and often require dive gear. It names three local outfitters that run fossil trips: Keys Huka Dive, Aquanuts Shark Tooth Hunting, and Black Gold Fossil Charters. None of them depends on what's on top of the beach.
Who runs which park starting tomorrow
A separate change takes effect October 1. A new interlocal agreement between the City of Venice and Sarasota County replaces the 2011 version. Sarasota County keeps running Brohard Park, Venice Beach, Marina Park and Boat Ramp, and Pinebrook Park. The Venice Community Center, Legacy Park, Higel Marine Park, Chauncy Howard Park, the west side of Venetian Waterway Park, Venice Myakka River Park, and Hecksher Park go back to full city management. For shark tooth hunters, the County still runs the Brohard parking lot and Caspersen, while the city now runs the west side of the Venetian Waterway Park trail corridor.
The agreement runs for an initial 10 years. The Venice Community Center at 326 Nokomis Ave. S. is now managed for the city by the Venice Institute for Performing Arts Management. Rental questions go to Georgia Peacock at 941-218-3779, ext. 111.
The festival is set for spring
The Venice Sharks Tooth Festival returns April 10–11, 2027, hosted by Venice MainStreet, and the 2027 vendor application is expected online in mid-December 2026. The official save-the-date doesn't name a venue yet. Florida Rambler lists Centennial Park at 200 West Venice Avenue, open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. That gives the new sand about six months of winter surf before the town's biggest shark tooth weekend. If you're planning your own fall calendar, our fall on Venice Island guide covers the six weeks before season begins.
Some of the most useful local knowledge isn't on a listing sheet, like which beach access is open this week or how far it is from South Brohard to Caspersen. If you're thinking about your next move in Venice or just want to talk through what's changing on the coast, Bonnie Schiavone is glad to help. Let's Connect.
