Snook Haven Reopens on the Myakka: What's Back, and What's Still Being Decided

For decades people went to Snook Haven to eat. You drove out East Venice Avenue to the end, ordered barbecue, found a table by the river and stayed for the banjos. When Sarasota County cuts the ribbon at 5000 E. Venice Ave. on Friday, Nov. 6, at 8:30 a.m., most of what reopens will be the park around that table. The new pier, pavilion, bandshell and walkways have been built from the ground up. The kitchen came last. In its Sept. 30 update, the county said it was still coordinating delivery of the concession equipment, with final inspections to follow.

The site has been closed since April 30, 2025, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. The ribbon cutting is open to the public and will be livestreamed on Facebook. Whether the reopened site still feels like Snook Haven depends on the kitchen and on who runs it, and neither has been settled yet.

What the county actually built

The old restaurant and old bandshell are gone. The county's Snook Haven project page shows both were fully demolished by the end of August 2025. What replaced them was designed by Sweet Sparkman Architects, built by Jon F Swift Construction, and paid for with impact fees, Surtax III, Surtax IV and Tourist Development Capital dollars. The Sarasota Record put the cost at $8.75 million.

Here is where each piece stood in the county's monthly updates going into reopening:

Look at the order windows in the last row. The new food building is a concession with roll-up covers over the windows where you order. The county's description calls the pavilion next to it "a welcoming and shaded area for guests to relax and enjoy meals."

The kitchen is the last piece, and the operator is unnamed

In its Sept. 30 update, the county reported that all exterior site work was finished. It also said it was still coordinating the delivery and installation of kitchen equipment for the concession building, and that final inspections could be completed only once that equipment was in place. The county's Nov. 6 notice invites the public to a ribbon cutting. It does not announce a first day of food service or kayak rentals.

Who will run the food is still an open question. YourSun reported that the original concession solicitation was canceled on April 7 after Venice Pier Group came in as the only bidder, and that the county said a land purchase next door could change the scope of the concession. The Sarasota Record later reported that three operators had applied, including Venice Pier Group, which ran the concession for years.

This summer, the Sarasota County Commission unanimously approved an updated concession contract and told staff to finish negotiations. YourSun reported that the new agreement differs from the old one in two ways. The concessionaire must make a capital investment, spending its own money on improving the facilities, and must take on more facilities maintenance. The county's Oct. 6 project page still lists construction progress without naming an operator, and no business has been named for the kayak outfitter either.

So anyone heading out for a riverside lunch soon after Nov. 6 should check the county's page or the Facebook livestream first. The ramp, the pier and the river will be ready before anything is on the grill.

Why the operator matters more here than at most parks

At most county parks, the snack bar is the least interesting thing there. At Snook Haven, the food and the music have been the reason people drove out since long before the county owned the land. YourSun's history of the site traces it in layers:

1. 1931: The river landing appears in the film Prestige, starring Ann Harding.
2. 1948: Frank Coville opens the business as Snook Haven, selling bait, food and drinks.
3. Around 1987: The Gulf Coast Banjo Society starts playing old-time music there.
4. 1988: Sandra Cotton buys the property.
5. 2006: Sarasota County buys it.
6. 2013: The county reopens it as a leased concession.

The 2013 lease is what most current regulars remember. YourSun identified Venice Pier Group as the longtime operator up to the last restaurant day on April 30, 2025. The company is run by the Pachota family, who also run Sharky's on the Pier. When the restaurant closed, YourSun's send-off coverage remembered it for barbecue, banjo players, live music and the riverfront setting, and quoted former manager Ralph Whigham:

"People come from all over the place just to come here and have lunch, listen to music and have a great beer."

The county has rebuilt the stage for that kind of afternoon. It describes the new bandshell as a central feature designed for a wide range of events and performances, and its crews moved two protected palm trees to the west side of the stage during construction. No music schedule for the new bandshell has been published yet. Whoever wins the concession will decide much of what a Saturday at Snook Haven feels like, and they will be paying into the facilities in a way the last operator's contract did not require.

The rebuild is phase one of something larger

The ribbon cutting covers the old fish camp footprint, but the county's plans reach well beyond it. The county bought the original 2.5-acre fish camp in 2006 and has added parcels since, growing the property to more than 40 acres, the Sarasota Record reported. In late July, parks director Shawn Yeager wrote to commissioners that the improvements would serve regional tourism and give access to "thousands of new housing units and increased commercial development within two miles of the park."

County staff have proposed a 10-year concept plan for what they now call Snook Haven Regional Park. YourSun laid it out in three phases:

• Short term, 2026 to 2028: opening Oak Grove at the campground, improving trail access, restoring the River House, adding sewer service and removing wastewater ponds, clearing invasive species, and renovating structures in Sleeping Turtles Preserve South for offices, volunteer housing and storage.
• Mid term, 2029 to 2031: a one-way drive to a future events center in the preserve, more parking and trails, elevating the River House, and an outdoor classroom and event venue.
• Long term, 2032 to 2036: studying a multi-use trail along the south side of East Venice Avenue into the park, plus more structure renovations.

The plan also sketches a regional vision. New and existing trails would connect Sleeping Turtles Preserve South, Deer Prairie Creek Preserve and Jelks Preserve, and a multi-use trail would run along both sides of a widened River Road as part of the Florida Gulf Coast Trail. The former Camp Venice property, now called Snook Haven Campground, is expected to open in 2027. The plan was scheduled to go to the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Oversight Committee on Aug. 6 and the Parks Advisory and Recreation Council on Sept. 3, then to the County Commission. It is still a staff proposal, not an adopted schedule.

That bigger picture explains the shape of the rebuild. The county has put a fishing pier, an outfitter cabin, accessible walks to the boat ramp and kayak launch, and a performance space at the center of a park meant to anchor thousands of acres of preserve. The concession is one tenant in that plan. Under the old arrangement, the restaurant was the whole destination.

Planning around Nov. 6

• The ceremony: Friday, Nov. 6, at 8:30 a.m., 5000 E. Venice Ave., open to the public and livestreamed on Facebook.
• The water: The boat ramp, canoe and kayak launch, and parking stayed open through construction, and the new walkways connect to both.
• Food and rentals: Check the county's project page for a start date before planning lunch or a paddle around the concession or outfitter.
• The date going around: An Oct. 15 reopening date was reported this summer. The county's current notice and the Herald-Tribune's Oct. 13 report both say Nov. 6.

If you have friends coming to Venice this winter and Snook Haven is on your list for them, I'm happy to share what I hear about the concession and the bandshell calendar as each is announced. Reach out to Jeanne Egan anytime. Let's Connect.