Bonita Bill’s to close Jan. 5 prior to pending $5.5M sale

Author: David Dorsey, Gulfshore Business
Published: Updated:

Bonita Bill’s, a bar and restaurant fronting Matanzas Bay on San Carlos Island since 1991, is closing its doors for good Jan. 5.

The properties at 700, 702, 716 and 718 Fisherman’s Wharf in Fort Myers Beach are slated to be sold for $5.5 million, public records show, with the ownership slated to change hands this coming week. HM Restaurant Group, owners of the adjacent Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Grille and Dixie Fish Co. restaurants, has been named as the buyer. Joe Harrity, director of marketing and operations for HM Restaurant Group, declined to comment until after any purchase is completed.

The money will be divided among the heirs of the late “Bonita” Bill Semmer, who died two years ago at 76, court records show. Semmer made the first purchase of the four properties for $220,000 in 1991. He bought the second bay front lot for $260,000 in 1995, property records show. The parking area across from the restaurant he purchased for $200,000 in 2000.

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