Buying a bar in Southwest Florida

• A liquor license (or the right license for what the bar serves) in good standing, with no open cases against it.
• Pour cost (what the liquor in a drink costs, as a share of its price) and inventory checked at least weekly, with a point-of-sale system that ties every drink to a bartender.
• A bar manager who handles staff, schedules and ordering, so the business doesn't depend on the owner being there every night.
• Real weeknight business, not only Friday and Saturday.
• A lease that outlasts your loan, and zoning that allows the hours you need.
• Good relations with the neighbors and local police: few noise complaints and few late-night calls.
• No history of selling to minors.
• Food, events or entertainment that bring in more than one crowd.

• The license itself. Look it up on DBPR's site and confirm its type, county and any pending cases.
• Who holds it. The license may belong to a different company than the bar, or be pledged to a lender. Make sure it's part of the sale and free of liens.
• Purchases against sales. Compare what the bar buys from distributors with the sales it reports. A big gap can mean theft, free drinks or unreported cash.
• The seller's taxes. Buying more than half of a business or its assets can make you liable for the seller's unpaid state taxes (section 213.758). Get a certificate of compliance from the Department of Revenue first.
• Liability. Florida's dram shop law generally protects a bar from liability for what a customer of legal drinking age does after drinking (section 768.125). The exceptions: willfully serving someone under 21, or knowingly serving someone habitually addicted to alcohol. Get insurance quotes early.
• Staff training. Under Florida's Responsible Vendor Act, a bar that qualifies generally keeps its license if a trained employee sells to someone under 21 without the owner's knowledge (sections 561.705 and 561.706). Ask whether this bar qualifies.

• How long have your bar manager and lead bartenders been with you?
• How do you keep track of pour cost and inventory, and how often do you count?
• Is the liquor license in the name of the company I'd be buying, and has it ever had a violation?
• Which nights carry the week, and what have you tried on the slow ones?
• How do you get along with the neighbors and the local police?
• What do you pay for liquor liability insurance, and has the bar ever had a claim?
• How much time is left on the lease, and what hours are you allowed to stay open?

This region covers Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Sarasota and Manatee counties on the Gulf coast and Hendry, Glades and DeSoto inland: Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, Bonita Springs, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, Sarasota, Venice, Bradenton, LaBelle, Clewiston, Moore Haven and Arcadia. The coastal economy runs on people who choose to live or spend the winter here: retirees, seasonal residents, and the construction, real estate, health care, financial and home services that follow them. Tourism, golf and boating add to it.

Inland, the economy is agricultural: sugarcane around Clewiston, citrus, cattle and vegetables, with Immokalee in Collier County a center for farm work. The building trades, pool, landscaping and pest control companies, property managers, medical and dental practices, and marine businesses tend to do well along the coast.

This is one of Florida's most seasonal markets. From roughly January through April, restaurants, shops and service companies run at full speed. Summers are slower, so look at monthly revenue, not only the yearly total. The coast has taken two major hurricanes in recent years: Ian came ashore at Cayo Costa in Lee County in September 2022, and Milton at Siesta Key in Sarasota County in October 2024. Rebuilding brought a wave of work for contractors that won't last forever, so ask how much recent revenue came from storm repairs. Insurance costs and flood zones weigh on every property.

Housing costs near the coast make hiring hard, especially around Naples. New communities east of Interstate 75 in Lee, Collier, Charlotte and Manatee keep service companies busy.