Mercola Market, located on Pine Island Rd. near the intersection with Santa Barbara Blvd., is closing in Cape Coral after five years. Its last day is June 30, 2026. Image was captured Monday June 29, 2026.
Ricardo Rolón / Fort Myers News
USA TODAY Network, Reuters
Dr. Joseph Mercola moved to Florida with aspirations to fill a gap in a formerly niche, underserved market – holistic medicine.
His goal was to expand natural health access and encourage people to take more control over their own health.
Cape Coral, a growing suburban city home to families and seasonal residents, was the ideal location to headquarter his business and launch himself as a prominent natural health leader and, eventually, an anti-vaccination figurehead.
The city of Cape Coral, in need of commercial growth, was thrilled to have him – awarding him a $1,500 incentive for each new job his business created in 2019.
Mercola’s health supplement retail store and business headquarters, Mercola Market, became a Cape Coral landmark in 2021 at 125 SW 3rd Place, off Pine Island Road near Santa Barbara Boulevard.
The same year, the COVID-19 vaccine was being distributed to the public and encouraged nationwide by leading doctors and government officials. Mercola quickly moved to the front lines of the “anti-vax” movement, influencing thousands to stray away from the vaccine.
The pandemic has since subsided, but controversy over Mercola’s views and business persists, and the recent closure of Mercola Market, his retail store and cafe, signals a transition for his Florida-based business.
Mercola has been entangled in a variety of lawsuits since the COVID-era, including disputes with former employees and some of the world’s largest media companies. However, he remains popular among Cape Coral residents and millions of followers nationwide, sharing platforms with U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other alternative health influencers.
Mercola declined an interview with The News-Press & Naples Daily News, but agreed to answer questions over email. Some he answered, others he did not.
Dr. Mercola’s early years in natural health
Mercola, 72, was born in Chicago, and after graduating from Midwestern University with a doctorate in osteopathic medicine, he opened a private practice in Schaumburg, Ill., in 1985. He treated more than 20,000 patients at the practice until it closed in 2013, according to its website.
He launched his holistic health-centered internet business, Mercola.com, in 1997. The website provides natural health articles and recommendations, covering topics such as overlooked nutrients, brain health risks, pain management and disease prevention. The articles often recommend Mercola products available to purchase online. The company has between 200 and 500 employees, according to its LinkedIn page.
“At the time, traditional health information was often difficult for people to access, and I saw an opportunity to use technology to educate and empower individuals,” Mercola said in an email on July 12 about the early days of his website.
A subsidiary of the website, MercolaMarket.com, sells products ranging from vitamin supplements to dog food to protein powder.
Rehoming Mercola’s business in the heart of Cape Coral
Mercola has resided in Florida for about 15 years, he said, and he re-headquartered his Illinois-based business in Cape Coral after one of his companies bought a building there in 2016. In 2019, the Cape Coral city council provided a $1,500 incentive for each new job relocated to the city.
Mercola Market, a physical store for Mercola’s products, opened in summer 2021, but it closed on June 30, 2026, with Mercola telling the News-Press he is shifting the company’s direction to an expansive practitioner network.
“Rather than concentrate on a single local storefront, our focus now is on broadening access for customers everywhere,” he said in a June 29 email.
Cape Coral residents had split reactions to the retail store’s closing. On the News-Press’ Facebook post about the closing, some commenters expressed disappointment to see a local business shut down, while others said they didn’t even know what was in the three-story building.
“Great place and they always had cool events. Sad, 1/2 of the city didn’t even know they existed or what they offered there,” Tanikia Branch commented.
“This building was a vanity project and was a waste of time and money,” Michaíl Vlachos wrote.
Nationwide, Mercola’s digital outreach is vast. He appeared on an episode of The Dr. Oz Show in 2014 and has been covered countless times in mainstream news, including The Washington Post, Fox News, The New York Times, Forbes and ProPublica.
Mercola is a New York Times best-selling author of several books, including “Fat For Fuel” and “Effortless Healing,” which cover dieting for weight loss and wellness. His 2021 book, “The Truth About COVID-19,” is co-authored with Ronnie Cummins and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and criticizes coronavirus vaccines, social distancing mandates and lockdowns.
Mercola has collaborated closely with Kennedy, endorsing him during his 2023 presidential campaign. Mercola also has close ties with Erin Elizabeth, another alternative health advocate who blogs on her website, Health Nut News.
His social media presence is extensive, with 1.7 million Facebook followers, over 500,000 Instagram followers and over 400,000 X followers.
On social media, he promotes his medical articles and products. Recent posts promote watermelon to increase liver health, suggest that too much brain iron can worsen Alzheimer’s disease, and recommend Mercola Market supplements like krill oil and magnesium, which are also sold over-the-counter at pharmacies.
How much money does Cape Coral’s leading doctor have?
Mercola’s net worth is a mystery, with profits from his retail business, publications and social media likely surpassing millions of dollars.
In an affidavit filed in 2017, he estimated his net worth to exceed $100 million, according to court records.
Mercola resides in a waterfront home in Ormond Beach, Florida, estimated at $4-5 million on digital real estate marketing sites.
Through his nonprofit, Natural Health Research Foundation Inc., Mercola funnels money from his businesses to donate to natural health and anti-vaccination organizations. Since 2020, he has donated $3.2 million to the Organic Consumers Association, $1.5 million to the National Vaccine Information Center and $1.2 million to Consumers for Dental Choice, according to the nonprofit’s Form 990 records.
Controversy swarms Cape Coral doctor and his business
As Mercola used his platforms to catapult himself as an influential figure in alternative medicine, critics were quick to allege inaccuracies in his claims.
Accusations have included that Mercola’s statements about his products are sometimes unproven or based on refuted studies. In 2016, the Federal Trade Commission brought false advertising claims against Mercola for selling $1,200 to $4,000 tanning beds that he claimed would reduce cancer risk. Mercola settled without admitting any wrongdoing and paid $2.59 million in refunds to customers who bought the beds.
Mercola’s career boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he fueled the anti-vaccine movement with hundreds of articles. On Mercola.com, over 2,000 vaccine-related articles have been published.
In 2021, Mercola released an article condemning the COVID-19 vaccination, claiming the injections to be “medical fraud” that “alter your genetic coding, turning you into a viral protein factory that has no off-switch.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirm the coronavirus vaccine is safe and effective at preventing serious illness and recommend the vaccine for people aged 6 months or older. The vaccines are widely approved by national and global health organizations such as the World Health Organization and Mayo Clinic.
After Mercola’s article went viral on Facebook, the social media platform removed it under its vaccine misinformation policies, but the article remains active on Mercola’s website.
In the same year, the FDA issued a warning letter to Mercola for selling vitamin supplements he promoted as alternative ways to prevent, treat, diagnose or cure COVID-19 on his websites and X account.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate, a nonprofit aiming to end the spread of misinformation, labeled Mercola as one of the “Disinformation Dozen,” a group of anti-vaxxers responsible for 65% of anti-vaccine content on Facebook and X.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Erin Elizabeth are also listed as part of the “Disinformation Dozen.”
The New York Times covered Mercola’s career and online influence in an article called “The Most Influential Spreader of Coronavirus Misinformation Online.” Mercola sued the newspaper for defamation, and the case remains active in the appellate court.
Mercola has a dense history of legal disputes, including lawsuits against U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, Google and other leading news organizations, including The Washington Post and the Associated Press.
Mercola’s feuds with former employees
Steven Rye, former CEO of the company behind the Mercola brand, NHP Innovations LLC, sued Mercola in 2024 for breach of contract, breach of the business relationship, defamation and civil conspiracy. According to court records, Rye claimed he was wrongfully fired without severance pay and was owed $5 million.
In the complaint, Rye claimed Mercola began seeing a psychic named “Kai Clay,” who channels an otherworldly entity named “Bahlon.” The psychic, whose real name is identified in the lawsuit as Christopher Johnson, regularly met with Mercola online to discuss his businesses and give him advice.
In the hours-long meetings, Johnson allegedly advised Mercola to use his brand to oppose the Catholic Church and promised Mercola that he would become a billionaire. According to the lawsuit, Mercola later told employees that if they continued to follow Christianity, they would be terminated.
Johnson convinced Mercola to terminate Rye and replace him with Laura Berry, an affiliate of Johnson’s, the lawsuit said. Other executive members, including Mercola’s sister, Janet Selvig, were also fired, the complaint said.
A filing by Mercola and Berry’s attorneys stated that Rye was an “at-will employee” who could be fired at any time under the management agreement he signed with Mercola. The filing did not mention Mercola’s relationship with Johnson or address accusations of religious discrimination.
The dispute was privately settled on July 25, 2025. Rye declined a request to comment on the lawsuit, and Mercola did not answer questions about the dispute in his email correspondence with The News-Press & Naples Daily News.
In June 2024, Dr. Karen Becker resigned from her position as a veterinary consultant for Mercola after 15 years with the company. In a video posted to her Instagram, she explained that she was approached with a nondisclosure agreement to continue her position at Mercola and declined due to her professional, ethical and spiritual differences with the company’s leadership. Becker reinforced Rye’s claims about Mercola’s relationship with Johnson and Johnson’s influence on the business.
Becker and Johnson didn’t reply to requests for comment. Berry, who is no longer CEO of Mercola, according to state records, could not be reached.
Dr. Mercola’s future with Cape Coral: What’s the next step?
Mercola said he chose Cape Coral as a headquarters for his business because of his close connection to Florida.
“As the company grew from its earliest days into a global company, Cape Coral became an important part of our operations,” he said.
With the closing of Mercola Market, the business is attempting to broaden its reach nationwide through a practitioner network and personalized healthcare.
“We are investing in the future of healthcare through initiatives that support practitioners, personalized health approaches, diagnostics and technology-enabled solutions designed to help individuals better understand and manage their health,” Mercola said.
With Mercola at the helm of these initiatives, Dr. Ahvie Herskowitz will act as the Chief Medical Officer and Kelsey Boone will lead practitioner efforts, he said.
Dr. Ahive Herskowitz is the founder of Anatara Medicine, a holistic treatment center in San Francisco. Kelsey Boone, based in Hickory, North Carolina, is a former medical salesperson with Johnson & Johnson and wellness companies, according to her LinkedIn page.
Mercola didn’t answer inquiries about where Cape Coral stands in the future of his business. Florida’s business registry lists several Mercola businesses, including Mercola.com, NHP Innovations and Innovations Health Properties operating out of Cape Coral. His nonprofit, the Natural Health Research Foundation, is also listed at the Cape Coral location, and his health coach app is operating out of St. Petersburg.
Reach reporter Vanessa Norris by emailing vnorris@news-press.com
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: The next step for Cape Coral’s anti-vax doctor, RFK’s pal: What’s new with Dr. Mercola?
Reporting by Vanessa Norris, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect
This story was originally published September 17, 2026 at 5:35 PM.