VENICE, Fla. (WWSB) – The replacement of the aging and battered Garden Elementary School in Venice reached a big milestone Tuesday with a groundbreaking ceremony.
The Sarasota County School District plans to replace the campus with a modern, state-of-the-art facility.
After Hurricane Ian in 2022, the Florida Department of Education determined the school qualified for demolition due to significant damage because of its age and storm damage.
The replacement school will be a two-story, 130,000-square-foot facility featuring modern classrooms, a bigger parking lot, updated play areas and secure fencing.
One of the most notable features of the new campus will be the 2,840-foot car loop, designed to hold up to 142 cars in a single stack formation, which will help improve traffic flow during student drop-off and pick-up times.
The project also includes a new 8-foot-high concrete fence between the school and residential properties to ensure privacy and safety.
Construction will take place in phases to minimize disruption to the active campus. Phase I will begin this summer. The project is expected to be completed by July 2027.
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