Four Polk County food vendors fell short of standards from June 3 to 16, according to state inspection reports.
Of 36 total inspections logged during the period, 32 met standards and 14 of those managed an elusive perfect initial inspection – meaning zero violations in an inspection that was not a follow-up mandated by previous violations.
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation stresses that inspection reports are not necessarily indicative of normal, long-term conditions at restaurants.
And not all violations are the type that would alarm the common diner.
For instance, among the four food vendors that fell short of standards in the two-week period, there were 11 total violations. Of those, six were clerical in nature – lacking proof of certification or employee training, or failing to affix a food truck license number properly. Issues with certification, training or licensing are often listed as intermediate or high-priority violations.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
For that reason, The Ledger details the violations for the restaurants that failed to meet standards, so readers can decide for themselves. To view inspection reports for any food vendor in Polk County, go to our searchable database at https://data.theledger.com/restaurant-inspections/polk.
May 20 to June 2:1 Polk County restaurant falls short of standards in recent inspections. See why
The only pest violation – a dead fly
Only one restaurant received a pest-related violation during the period. It was for a single dead fly on a front window.
The restaurant, The Egg Station at 1625 Shepherd Road, Lakeland, also had the most number of violations — seven in total — but met standards in the end. The single insect was a high-priority violation. Another high-priority violation was for operating on a license that expired Feb. 1. Among two intermediate violations, the inspector noted no hand-drying towels or device and no water of at least 85 degrees at the handwash sink. And the restaurant received three basic violations: a broken toilet seat; a case of blueberries stored on the floor of the walk-in freezer; and a back door propped open.
May 13-19:2 more Polk County food vendors fall short of standards. Four are perfect. See the reports
Restaurants that fell short, and why
- , 35647 U.S. 27 N., Haines City: On June 14, the food truck had three violations. One was for the person in charge lacking proof of food-manager certification (intermediate). Another intermediate violation was for not providing a chemical test kit when using sanitizer at the three-compartment sink. Finally, one basic violation was for not having its license number permanently affixed properly. A warning was issued and a follow-up required.
- Papita Y Salsa, 1100 U.S. 17-92 N., Haines City: On June 14, the food truck had three violations, including two basic and one intermediate. The intermediate violation was for the person in charge lacking proof of certification. Among the basic violations, one was for failing to affix the license number on the side of the vehicle. The other was for single-service items that weren’t stored inverted or protected from contamination. The operator turned the containers on the cookline face down.
- Mamas Soul Food Lakeland, 518 Memorial Blvd., Lakeland: On June 11, the restaurant had four violations, two of them high-priority. Among those, one was for raw eggs stored over ready-to-eat cheesecake in a reach-in cooler (the operator moved the eggs to the bottom). The other was for chicken being held at greater than 41 degrees – in this case 90 degrees (the operator moved the chicken to a freezer). The other two violations were intermediate: one for meatloaf and vegetables that were held in the walk-in cooler for more than 24 hours without a proper date mark; the other for lacking proof of required state-approved food-safety training for employees. A warning was issued and a follow-up required.
- Taqueria Y Neveria Acambaro LLC, 5777 E. Johnson Ave., Haines City: On June 10, the food truck had a single violation: The food manager’s certification was expired (intermediate). A follow-up inspection was required.
May 6-12:2 Polk County restaurants fall short of standards in recent reports. See why
Perfection
Fourteen food vendors found that perfect initial inspection from June 3 to 16. Among them, 11 were food trucks.
- Dixon's BBQ, mobile vendor, 1105 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Bartow
- Antojitos Mexicanos San Pedro, mobile vendor, 3391 Rifle Range Road, Winter Haven
- Upper Crust Pizza, 362 3rd St. N.W., Winter Haven
- The Taco Boss/Bean Yourself/Gorillas Burgers, mobile vendor, 9350 U.S. 192, Clermont
- El Caldero Dominicano, mobile vendor, 333 S. First St., Lake Wales
- Fun Fast Food, mobile vendor, 35647 U.S. 27 N., Haines City
- Fabio's Catering, mobile vendor, 2255 U.S. 17-92 N., Haines City
- El Establo De La Arepa, mobile vendor, 2255 U.S. 17-92 N., Haines City
- De Aqui LLC, mobile vendor, 2255 U.S. 17-92 N., Haines City
- The Daily Special, mobile vendor, 9350 U.S. 192, Clermont
- Slim Chickens, 1229 Finley Ave., Davenport
- Chipotle Mexican Grill, 410 E. Van Fleet Drive, Bartow
- Vibes Eats LLC, mobile vendor, 44294 U.S. 27, Davenport
- Flavors Of Heaven, mobile vendor, 44009 U.S. 27, Davenport
April 22 to May 5:5 Polk County restaurants fall short of inspection standards. See why
Keep in mind as you read
Remember that in some cases, violations are noted are technical issues not directly linked to hygiene or cleanliness. Remember, too, that broken refrigerators, chipped tiles or fast work may add up to unintended mistakes.
Regardless, if you notice abuses of state standards, report them and DBPR will send inspectors. Call 850-487-1395.
The terminology
What does all that terminology in state restaurant inspections mean?
Basic violations are those considered against best practices.
A warning is issued after an inspector documents violations that must be corrected by a certain date or within a specified number of days from receipt of the inspection report.
An administrative complaint is a form of legal action taken by the division. Insufficient compliance after a warning, a pattern of repeat violations or existence of serious conditions that warrant immediate action may result in the division initiating an administrative complaint against the establishment. Says the division website: “Correcting the violations is important, but penalties may still result from violations corrected after the warning time was over.”
An emergency order — when a restaurant is closed by the inspector — is based on an immediate threat to the public. Here, the Division of Hotels and Restaurants director has determined that the establishment must stop doing business and any division license is suspended to protect health, safety or welfare of the public.
A 24-hour call-back inspection will be performed after an emergency closure or suspension of license and the establishment may reopen only after inspection shows that all high-priority violations that caused the suspension are corrected.
