provided to The Santiva Chronicle
FORT MYERS, Fla. – HM Restaurant Group, the parent company of Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille, Dixie Fish Company and Bonita Fish Company, raised $3,347 toward improving the health of the Florida Everglades and Florida Bay through sales of the speciality Send it South cocktail, launched in April 2024. The funds, raised $1 at a time through each drink sold, was donated to Captains For Clean Water, a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring and protecting Florida waters for the use and enjoyment of all.
“We are excited to present this donation to Captains For Clean Water and support its mission of raising awareness and spearheading change that addresses local water quality issues,” said Joe Harrity, a partner with HM Restaurant Group. “Clean water and the health of Florida’s waterways are crucial to our unique environment. We are thrilled by the success of Send It South in a little over half a year and grateful to our customers who recognize the opportunity to make a difference one dollar at a time.”
Flavorful and refreshing, Send It South mixes mango and silver rums with blue Curaçao, pineapple and soda water. It’s available at Dixie Fish Company on Fort Myers Beach and Doc Ford’s four locations on Sanibel Island, Fort Myers Beach, and the St. Peter Pier and Jungle Terrace in St. Petersburg. The drink will also be available at Bonita Fish Company later this year.
As a locally owned company, HM Restaurant Group sponsors a number of projects benefiting local communities. Its successful Hospital Drinks initiative earmarks $1 from select specialty cocktails at Doc Ford’s to Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida and John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg. The program has raised over $133,000 since its inception.
A grassroots nonprofit, Captains For Clean Water was founded in 2016 by fishing guides concerned about the impact of Florida’s water management practices on estuaries’ unique plant and animal communities. The organization opposes the current-day procedure of discharging fresh water from Lake Okeechobee to the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers – a practice linked to blue-green algae and red tide plaguing South Florida’s waterways. Send It South refers to the group’s awareness campaign advocating a return to the natural southerly flow of critical freshwater through the Everglades and into Florida Bay, a process now impeded by dams, dikes and ditches built over a century ago. For more information, visit captainsforcleanwater.org.
Philanthropy and community outreach have been hallmarks of HM Restaurant Group and its establishments since Doc Ford’s founding on Sanibel in 2003. The company supports F.I.S.H. of SANCAP, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, Sanibel CARES and other nonprofit organizations. Doc Ford’s is the title sponsor of the “Ding” Darling & Doc Ford’s Tarpon Tournament which has raised nearly $1.3 million for Sanibel’s J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge since 2012. The 13th annual tournament takes place May 9, 2025.
Renowned for delivering a legendary guest experience, Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille and Dixie Fish Company are open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Award-winning Doc Ford’s offers food with a unique balance of flavors inspired by the Caribbean Rim. Beloved for its sauces, spices and signature Yucatan shrimp served daily, it’s highly regarded by locals and visitors alike as a spectacular seafood restaurant. Doc Ford’s is a perennial Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice winner. The St. Petersburg Pier restaurant was named the No. 1 restaurant for Best of the Best Restaurants for Everyday Eats in 2023.
Named a 2023 Yelp Top 100 Florida Restaurant and ranked Tripadvisor’s No. 1 of 73 Fort Myers Beach restaurants, Dixie Fish Company is revered for delicious fresh food in an ideal location complemented by a beach atmosphere, complete with live music and picturesque views overlooking scenic Matanzas Pass. An original Florida fishhouse, the restaurant’s origins date back to 1937 when it was primarily a fish market.
Earlier this year, HM Restaurant Group announced Bonita Fish Company, previously known as Bonita Bill’s. Expected to open in early to mid-2025, Bonita Fish Company will offer fresh, coastal-inspired menu, featuring local seafood, creative dishes, and a continuation of the warm hospitality for which the group is known.
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