Venice Gardens Lake
Sarasota County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Venice Gardens Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
Venice Gardens Lake in Sarasota County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 177 µg/L.
Venice Gardens Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Sarasota County, Florida. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 29 other monitored lakes in Sarasota County, Venice Gardens Lake ranks #29 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-07-31. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyBacteria tested: exceedances
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Based on E. coli testing, Venice Gardens Lake frequently exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 21.1% of 247 samples across 8 seasons.
This is a historical summary of past testing, not a current condition — bacteria levels change quickly, especially after rain. Always check Florida’s current beach and health-department advisories before swimming.
Whether Venice Gardens Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Venice Gardens Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Venice Gardens Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 1 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 177 µg/L. TSI 78.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 177µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 78 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Venice Gardens Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Venice Gardens Lake typically sits around 79°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 86°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 87°F) and coldest in Jan (about 64°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (64°F) to its warmest (87°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 282 field readings (2015–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Venice Gardens Lake water temperature breakdown →
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Venice Gardens Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Venice Gardens Lake in Sarasota County, Florida — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Venice Gardens Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Venice Gardens Lake
Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Florida’s top lakes →
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Fishing Venice Gardens Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable2 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+22.93 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Sarasota County
Frequently asked questions about Venice Gardens Lake
Where is Venice Gardens Lake?
- Venice Gardens Lake is a lake in Sarasota County, Florida. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Venice Gardens Lake?
- Venice Gardens Lake in Sarasota County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 177 µg/L.
Is Venice Gardens Lake safe to swim in?
- Based on E. coli testing, Venice Gardens Lake frequently exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 21.1% of 247 samples across 8 seasons. That is a historical summary of past bacteria testing, not a current reading and not a swimming clearance. Bacteria levels can spike quickly after heavy rain, so whether Venice Gardens Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for Florida's water agency and the county health department; check their current beach advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Venice Gardens Lake?
- Venice Gardens Lake typically sits around 79°F at the surface in October, from 282 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2015–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Explore Venice Gardens Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
173 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Submitting organization not recorded for these samples169 samples · 2020–2025
- Submitting organization not recorded for these samples4 samples · 2023–2024
Monitoring station identifiers (4)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.