Lawsuits mounted against Cavo Lounge, which closed at Mercato

While a popular Mercato nightclub closed earlier this week, the venue continues to fight lawsuits filed against it in recent years.

Cavo Lounge announced on social media April 26 that it had closed for good, which was two days after health inspectors closed it for violations including live roaches.

Here’s what we found.

Taxes owed, slip-and-fall, assault suits

A search of Collier County court records show Cavo Lounge was being sued and a few suits remain open:

• Collier County Tax Collector sued Cavo and hundreds of others in June 2025 for back taxes owed. The suit said Cavo (named in suits as SLR Naples Corp.) owed $6,084.60.
• Ann Ficcaro of Pasco County sued in October 2025 for more than $50,000, alleging she “slipped and fell due to a pooled liquid substance from ceiling condensation and sustained significant injuries.” No specific injuries were listed but the suit alleges that Ficcaro “suffered bodily injury in and about her body and extremities, resulting in pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, permanent and significant scarring, mental anguish” and more. Cavo responded in court records that Ficcaro “conducted herself in a careless and negligent manner, including” that she failed to watch where she was walking. Such negligence, Cavo replied, “was a contributing and/or the sole legal cause of the injuries and damages.”
• Yuksel John Bal of Lee County sued in February 2025 seeking over $50,000, claiming to have slipped and fell at Cavo on July 2023 while exiting a restroom. Bal cited an injured right ankle from slipping in a puddle of liquid. In Cavo’s questions to the plaintiff, Bal acknowledged previously suing someone for damages and settling another claim. And Cavo replied in a court filing that Bal failed to “pay attention, failing to exercise reasonable care while walking, and otherwise failing to ambulate as a reasonably prudent person. Plaintiff’s right to recover is therefore defeated or diminished as a result of her own conduct.”
• Matthew Zeitler of New York and Carole Zeitler of Collier County filed suit in March 2023, each seeking more than $30,000. They said they were at Cavo with family members in October 2022 when an intoxicated customer began to insult and berate them. The customer showed a firearm then hit each plaintiff, causing injuries. The suits were settled in December 2024.

Neither Cavo Lounge attorneys nor the nightclub’s co-owners were unavailable for comment.

The nightclub announced the closure on Instagram.

“This morning, we woke up with the heaviest of hearts to share that last night was our final night. After eleven incredible years, CAVO has officially closed its doors for the last time,” the Instagram post read.

The post did not disclose why the restaurant and nightclub was closing.

What the April 24 inspection said

County health inspectors said they closed Cavo Lounge, 9108 Strada Place, Unit 14140, on April 24 after reviewing it.

The routine inspection turned up three violations, two of which were “high-priority,” the inspection report said. They were:

• High Priority ― Dishmachine chlorine sanitizer not at proper minimum strength. Discontinue use of dishmachine for sanitizing and set up manual sanitization until dishmachine is repaired and sanitizing properly.
• High Priority ― Roach activity present as evidenced by live roaches found. On top of dishwasher, observed 10 live roaches.

Cavo was cited during past health inspections, including in 2023 when violations included “15 small flying insects in large bar area around soda guns” and interior of ice machines “with a black/green mold-like substance.”

Cavo Lounged opened in 2014

Open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily, Cavo Lounge became a popular spot for Naples-area nightlife.

And in 2018, Cavo began hosting drag lunches that at the time were trending nationally at LGBT-friendly restaurants and bars.

A fatal shooting occurred outside Cavo in October 2022. In January 2025, a judge sentenced Alexander Michael Evans of Fort Myers to 35 years in the shooting.

Evans, 35, had pleaded no contest to second-degree murder with a firearm, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and battery on a person 65 old or older.

Prior to the shooting, authorities said, Evans and the victim were in a physical altercation and were escorted to the parking lot, where Evans pulled a gun from his waistband and shot the victim.

He then fled on foot and the victim died at the scene, said the State Attorney’s Office. Collier deputies arrested Evans in October 2022 after they identified him because he left his credit card on a table inside Cavo Lounge.

Dave Osborn is the regional features editor of the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Contact him at dosborn@usatodayco.com and follow him on Instagram @lacrossewriter.