FLORIDA. A Tampa sushi restaurant logged 13 high-severity violations in a single inspection last week, the highest count of any facility reviewed statewide between August 5 and August 11, 2026, and nine of the ten worst-scoring restaurants in the state that week were cited for failures inspectors consider the most direct routes to a foodborne illness outbreak.
The Week's Worst
Shogun Sushi on North Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa drew 13 high-severity citations in a single visit, a total that included findings inspectors treat as direct transmission risks: no written employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, and improper handwashing technique all cited at the same location. Food from unapproved or unknown sources was also documented, along with food described as in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated.
Two additional violations at Shogun Sushi struck at the restaurant's core product. Inspectors cited inadequate shell stock identification and records, meaning shellfish on hand could not be traced to a certified harvester, and food contact surfaces were found not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Spicy Girl on International Drive in Orlando was cited for 12 high-severity violations, including no person in charge present or performing duties. Inspectors also documented no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, inadequate shell stock records, unsanitized food contact surfaces, and an improper use of time as a public health control.
Popi's Place IV on US 301 North in Ellenton also reached 12 high-severity violations. Among the most serious: parasite destruction procedures not followed and food not cooked to required minimum temperature, two violations that, when documented together, indicate a kitchen where both raw and heat-treated food may be reaching customers at unsafe conditions. No person in charge, no health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, and inadequate shell stock records rounded out the high-severity list.
China Buffet on East Fowler Avenue in Tampa was cited for 12 high-severity violations as well, including food from unapproved or unknown sources and inadequate shell stock identification records. Inspectors also noted no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing by food employees, improper handwashing technique, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Samira's Cafe in the Bartram Oaks Walk complex in Saint Johns matched that count with 12 high-severity violations, including food not cooked to required minimum temperature and food from unapproved or unknown sources. No person in charge, no health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shell stock records, and unsanitized food contact surfaces were also cited.
Sloppy Joe's on Gulf Boulevard in Treasure Island recorded 11 high-severity violations and the highest intermediate count of any facility on this week's list, at eight. Inspectors cited food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and time as a public health control not properly used. No person in charge, no health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate shell stock records, and unsanitized food contact surfaces were also documented.
Tropical Cafeteria on East 9th Street in Hialeah drew six high-severity violations, fewer in number but striking in combination. Inspectors found parasite destruction procedures not followed and food not cooked to required minimum temperature at the same location where toxic chemicals were found improperly stored or labeled. Inadequate handwashing by food employees, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods completed the high-severity findings.
Crafty Crab Restaurant on Northeast 8th Street in Homestead was cited for four high-severity violations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and no allergen awareness demonstrated. Inadequate shell stock records and improper handwashing technique were also cited.
Jax Snappers on Northeast Jacksonville Road in Ocala drew a single intermediate violation for improperly reusing single-use items. Thai Spice Kitchen on Bowden Road in Jacksonville recorded no violations at all.
What These Violations Mean
The most consistent pattern across this week's worst inspections is the cluster of illness-policy failures: no written employee health policy, employees not reporting symptoms, and inadequate handwashing all cited together at Shogun Sushi, Spicy Girl, Popi's Place IV, China Buffet, Samira's Cafe, and Sloppy Joe's. These three violations are not independent problems. When a facility has no written policy, employees have no documented instruction on when to stay home. When no one is reporting symptoms, sick workers are in the kitchen. When handwashing is also inadequate, those workers have a direct physical pathway to food.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Shogun Sushi, Spicy Girl, China Buffet, and Samira's Cafe, is a traceability problem as much as a safety problem. When a person gets sick after eating at one of these restaurants, investigators need to trace the food back to a certified supplier. Food that entered the kitchen outside licensed distribution channels cannot be traced. If a contaminated batch caused an outbreak, there is no record to pull.
Parasite destruction failures at Tropical Cafeteria and Popi's Place IV carry a specific risk that most diners do not think about. Fish served raw or undercooked, including species common in both a cafeteria and a seafood-focused menu, must be frozen to specific temperatures for specific durations to kill parasites including Anisakis, which can embed in the stomach lining and cause severe pain requiring surgical removal. When inspectors cite this violation, it means that process was not documented or not occurring.
The allergen awareness violation at Crafty Crab Restaurant in Homestead stands alone on this week's list. Food allergies send roughly 30,000 Americans to the emergency room each year, and reactions can be fatal. At a seafood restaurant where shellfish are a primary ingredient, the failure to demonstrate allergen awareness is a citation with immediate and serious implications for any customer with a crustacean or shellfish allergy.
The Longer Record
The data provided for this week does not include prior inspection counts for most facilities on the list, which limits direct historical comparison. What the violation profiles themselves reveal, however, is a set of facilities where multiple foundational systems failed on the same day. At Shogun Sushi, six of the 13 high-severity violations relate directly to employee health and hand hygiene, meaning the kitchen's most basic contamination controls were not functioning in any documented form during the inspection.
At Sloppy Joe's in Treasure Island, the combination of 11 high-severity and 8 intermediate violations, the heaviest combined load of any facility this week, points to a broad operational breakdown rather than a single isolated failure. Food condition, cooking temperatures, time controls, shellfish records, and management presence were all cited on the same visit.
Tropical Cafeteria in Hialeah presents a different profile. Six high-severity violations is lower than most facilities on this list, but the specific combination, parasite destruction, minimum cooking temperatures, improperly stored toxic chemicals, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, represents failures at multiple distinct points in the food safety system, from sourcing through preparation through customer communication.
Samira's Cafe in Saint Johns, the only facility on this week's list located in St. Johns County, matched the violation counts of the Tampa and Orlando locations despite operating in a suburban setting outside the state's largest metro areas. Food from unapproved sources and food not cooked to minimum temperature were among the eight high-severity findings there, and no person in charge was present during the inspection.
The Detail That Stays
Of everything inspectors documented across these ten facilities during the week of August 5, the finding at Tropical Cafeteria in Hialeah that toxic chemicals were improperly stored or labeled in the same kitchen where food was not being cooked to minimum temperature and parasite destruction procedures were not being followed is the one that does not resolve cleanly. Each of those violations, on its own, is serious. Together, they describe a kitchen where the food may be undercooked, the fish may carry live parasites, and the chemicals that could contaminate either were not properly secured or identified.
No follow-up inspection results were included in this week's data for that location.
