Casperson Beach

Caspersen Beach is located south of the Venice Airport on Harbor Drive. The southern two thirds of beachfront has been left in its natural state. A dune restoration system with walkovers has been implemented to preserve the shoreline. The beach address is 4100 Harbor Drive, Venice, Florida.

Caspersen is recognized as one of the most enjoyable shelling beaches in this area. This is an exceptionally good area to find prehistoric sharks' teeth. You can see freshwater and saltwater marshes, mangrove areas, and tidal flats. Visitors can enjoy a 20 minute walk through Caspersen's nature trail which has been developed through a coastal hammock.

Originally deeded to Sarasota County by the Caspersen family in 1968 through a special warranty deed that stipulated the land would revert back to the family in 20 years. In 1972, a bond referendum was held and passed for the purpose of acquiring Caspersen Beach and South Lido Park. In 1986, the Board of County Commissioners included the Caspersen Mainland site (64 acres) in a $20 million bond referendum which the voters approved. A Land and Water Conservation Fund grant combined with proceeds from the bond referendum provided the funding to acquire the site at the price established by the court.