Support Bonita Bill's Crew After Closure

Hello Community - My name is Katie Semmer-Reynolds, Billy & Shirley Semmer’s daughter. My dad, Bill Semmer, long-time San Carlos Island resident & owner of Semmer Electric, opened Bonita Bill’s Waterfront Bar in 1991. Bonita Bill’s has been a community keystone for over 30 years - so much more than just a bar and restaurant - but where so many memories were made. A lot of life and stories have happened here.

My dad passed away in early 2023 from skin cancer, just a few short months after Hurricane Ian. We were able, as a family, to get Bonita Bill’s back in operation by March and continue its legacy. But sadly, the day has come to end operations and close this chapter.

This fundraiser is to help support the most wonderful, hard-working, dedicated folks who have been instrumental in this final chapter. They stayed on in the face of the unknown when the property was put up for sale to keep Bonita Bill’s open as long as possible for the community to enjoy it to the very last day, Sunday, January 5th.

The funds raised will help the crew through their transition period to find new positions, hopefully locally. These folks are the best of the best and I hope we can show our love, support, and appreciation as a community for them in their time of need. I am privileged to have gotten to know and work alongside the most amazing people. They are a part of the heart and soul that beats for Bonita Bill’s and San Carlos Island.

All funds raised will be distributed to the current employees. (No Semmer family members are employees.)

Thank you for contributing and sharing.

We’ll be compiling a slideshow and maybe even a book of photos, stories, and memories to document the history Bonita Bill’s created and has been a part of, as well as the legacy it leaves. You can share on our social media pages or through our website. So many lives were touched by my parents and this little community watering hole - we hope to keep the memories alive through sharing your stories.