Why Own a Nightclub in Downtown Cape Coral?

Owning a nightclub in downtown Cape Coral presents an incredible business opportunity in one of Florida’s most dynamic and fastest-growing regions. With a booming population, a thriving nightlife scene, special after-hours licensing and a promising economic future, Cape Coral offers the perfect marketplace for a successful nightclub venture.

 

A Growing and Diverse Marketplace

Cape Coral is part of the thriving Southwest Florida region, which includes nearby Fort Myers, Naples, and other rapidly-expanding communities. The City of Cape Coral itself has seen remarkable growth, with a current population of well over 220,000 and projections indicating it will reach 400,000 in the coming two decades. Currently within a 5-mile radius of downtown Cape Coral, there are over 160,000 residents, and within a 10-mile radius, that number jumps to 400,000 including parts of Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach, and Sanibel Island demonstrating a strong local customer base for nightlife and entertainment venues.

 

If you are not familiar with our area, you may have never even heard of Cape Coral. That's because Fort Myers has the airport, the interstate, the beach, the arena, and most of the big business development like Tesla and Amazon. Cape Coral is like the "bedroom community suburb" of Fort Myers, but actually has more current population and future population projected growth than Fort Myers. And downtown Cape Coral is geographically situated in the center of the two with the city limits of Fort Myers only about 1.5 miles away from Dixie across the river. We draw customers from both cities, and beyond.

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Southwest Florida as a whole is experiencing substantial expansion, with a regional population exceeding 1.5 million and expected to grow by 7.4% between 2024 and 2029. Cape Coral’s strategic location makes it a central hub for entertainment, attracting both residents and tourists who seek vibrant nightlife options. The economic outlook is also favorable, with median household incomes surpassing $73,000 within five miles of downtown, ensuring strong consumer spending potential.

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Recognition as a Top Destination

Cape Coral and Fort Myers consistently rank among the best places to live and invest in Florida. Forbes named Cape Coral the third-best place to live in Florida in 2024, and U.S. News & World Report has also recognized the area in its annual “Best Places to Live” rankings. Additionally, Cape Coral was ranked the second-best city to retire in Florida, emphasizing its desirability for both young professionals and retirees - both key demographics for a thriving nightlife scene.

The combined Fort Myers/Cape Coral market has also received national attention for its rapid growth. In fact, it was the fastest-growing city among 150 major U.S. cities, with a 6.73% population increase between 2021 and 2022. This surge in residents and visitors directly benefits entertainment and hospitality businesses. Hurricane Ian in late 2022 did impact growth in 2023 and 2024, but it is simply reverting to the average high growth from before the pandemic, and the area is expected to fully recover and continue its rapid growth for many many years. When national housing markets are favorable, Cape Coral ranks near the top of the list of "fastest growing cities" in the United States (with Las Vegas and Austin). 

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A Tourism and Nightlife Hotspot

Tourism is a key driver of Southwest Florida’s economy, with millions of visitors flocking to the region each year. While Hurricane Ian temporarily impacted visitor numbers, the area has rebounded strongly, with Fort Myers experiencing a 36.7% increase in visitation from April to June 2024 - and that's with huge portions of Fort Myers Beach, Captiva, and Sanibel Island still rebuilding from the hurricane. In fact, Fort Myers Beach has only rebuilt 60% of its hotel rooms, so there is still a long way to go there.​

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Statewide, Florida’s tourism industry set records in 2024, welcoming 34.6 million visitors in the third quarter alone, reinforcing the region’s resilience and appeal.

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This influx of tourists, along with a growing local population, ensures consistent demand for entertainment venues. Cape Coral’s nightlife scene is still developing, presenting a prime opportunity for a well-branded and innovative nightclub to dominate the market. With limited high-end nightlife options currently available, a refreshed nightclub in downtown Cape Coral would have a strong competitive advantage.

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Infrastructure and Economic Growth​

Beyond population and tourism growth, Cape Coral is investing in infrastructure and business development to support its expanding economy. The city has one of the lowest crime rates in Florida (sometimes THE lowest), making it an attractive and safe destination for nightlife and entertainment. Meanwhile, Fort Myers and the surrounding region are also benefiting from billions of dollars in public and private investments, further enhancing the local economy and consumer spending power.

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And in downtown Cape Coral there are three large new commercial developments at various stages of completion. Each one of these three complexes will contain 100's of apartments, plus new restaurants, bars, retail, offices, and parking garages. One of these just opened, the second one is under construction, and the land is being cleared for the third one right now. All three of these are within walking distance of Dixie Roadhouse. Downtown Cape Coral is booming.     

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Additionally, Cape Coral overall offers 400 miles of canals (more than any other city in the world), Gulf access from 1,000's of homes and businesses, beautiful waterfront residential and commercial properties without Gulf access, and a rapidly expanding retail and hospitality sector. The increasing number of restaurants, bars, and shopping centers reflects the area’s strong economic momentum and consumer demand.

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Support for Nightlife

The Community Redevelopment Association (CRA), the South Cape Hospitality and Entertainment Association (SCHEA), and The City of Cape Coral all play a crucial role in fostering a vibrant business environment in downtown Cape Coral. The CRA focuses on revitalizing the downtown area, supporting infrastructure improvements, and providing incentives for new businesses. This helps create an attractive and thriving district for nightlife, dining, and entertainment. Meanwhile, SCHEA serves as an advocacy group for hospitality and entertainment businesses, offering networking opportunities, marketing support, and event coordination to drive customer traffic. And the City of Cape Coral's Parks and Recreations Department creates many events every year, with most of them affecting the Downtown Cape Coral (CRA) area. All three organizations work together to ensure that local businesses thrive by promoting economic development and enhancing the overall experience of downtown Cape Coral.

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More about SCHEA

The South Cape Hospitality & Entertainment Association (SCHEA) organizes a variety of events throughout the year to promote the South Cape entertainment district in Cape Coral. SCHEA conducts about 12 annual events, such as the 19th Annual South Cape BEST Martini Competition Pub Crawl held on January 25, 2025 - which sold over 700 tickets. Almost all of these events require the patrons to visit Dixie Roadhouse to get their drink and appetizer sample while they make their way around all of the downtown venues. And when the event is over, many of those participants end up back at Dixie Roadhouse. 

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For a full list of SCHEA's 2025 events, see:

https://southcapeentertainment.com/upcoming-events/

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While the exact number of events may vary each year, SCHEA consistently provides multiple opportunities for community engagement and business promotion in the South Cape area.

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More about City Events

The City of Cape Coral's Special Events Division organizes a variety of citywide events throughout the year, aiming to provide diverse, family-friendly entertainment for the community. While the exact number of events may vary annually, the division consistently hosts several signature events, including:

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Tour De Cape: An annual event featuring a 5K run and bike tours of varying distances, catering to fitness enthusiasts.

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Cape Bike Night: A gathering for motorcycle enthusiasts, offering live music, food, and live entertainment. This one directly affects Dixie Roadhouse as it is held right at our front door and in the surrounding streets and parking lots. 

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Sounds of Jazz & Blues: A music festival showcasing performances by jazz and blues artists.

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Red, White & Boom: An Independence Day celebration featuring fireworks, live national entertainment, and family activities. Held at the Cape Coral Bridge about 1/2 mile from Dixie. It is the biggest city-wide event of the year. 

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Holiday Boat-A-Long: A festive boat parade accompanied by holiday-themed activities and entertainment. This is also held about 1/2 mile from Dixie in the opposite direction.

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New Year's Eve:  The city produces a huge New Year's Eve party right outside Dixie's front doors complete with live national entertainment, a ball drop, and fireworks. This event draws thousands of people right to our location.  

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In addition to these major events, the city also hosts various other activities such as concerts in the park, cultural festivals, and holiday celebrations. While a lot of these events do not involve Dixie Roadhouse directly, we do get extra traffic from the vendors, entertainers, and out-of-town visitors from ALL of these events. 

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For more information on city events, you can visit the city's official Special Events page.

https://www.capecoral.gov/

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More about the CRA

The Cape Coral Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) primarily focuses on revitalization efforts within the South Cape area, including infrastructure improvements and economic development initiatives. While the CRA itself does not directly produce events, it plays a supportive role by sponsoring and facilitating various community events organized by other entities. For instance, in November 2024, the CRA awarded grants to support six new events and festivals in the South Cape CRA area - our area.

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Additionally, the CRA provides a Special Event Sponsorship Application & Guidelines to assist organizations in planning and executing events that contribute to the vibrancy of the community.

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3AM Licensing

Downtown Cape Coral (The CRA District) allows nightclubs and bars with a 4COP liquor license in the district to stay open until 3AM. All other districts in the surrounding marketplace must close at 2AM. This gives us a HUGE competitive advantage when larger parties in the area (like bachelorette parties, groups of tourists, and other groups) are deciding where they want to go to bar hop - Downtown Cape Coral is always at the top of their list.

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The ordinance that provides this special area after-hours licensing also mandates a 5-person police presence in the district on all nights that the 3AM licensing is in effect - Fridays, Saturdays, and 7 special holidays during the year. It also provides for monthly meetings between the license holders and the police to discuss any current issues and solutions and an annual inspection of each property's security cameras, procedures, and policies. This keeps us owners very close to our police department at all times, with refreshers every month for everyone involved.

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We really believe that the 3AM licensing with additional police presence and communication has been a major contributor to ensuring the vibrancy and safety of Downtown Cape Coral, and will continue to ensure the success of the entire CRA district for many years in the future.       ​

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Conclusion

With a rising population, continuous recognition as a top place to live and invest, a thriving tourism industry, beautiful weather, event and infrastructure support, 3AM licensing, a secure neighborhood, major new commercial developments underway, and a growing economy - downtown Cape Coral presents an unbeatable opportunity for owning a nightclub. The demand for nightlife and entertainment continues to rise, and with a strategic approach a nightclub in this market can enjoy immediate success and long-term profitability. For entrepreneurs looking to capitalize on an exciting and expanding nightlife scene, Downtown Cape Coral is the place to be.