FLORIDA. A Burger King in Palm Harbor collected more high-severity violations than any other location in the state during a recent 90-day inspection window, with state records showing seven separate high-priority citations at the restaurant on US Highway 19 North.
Burger King #4010 at 32375 US Hwy 19 N drew citations for improper handwashing technique, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, toxic chemicals stored or labeled improperly, and failure to follow required procedures for specialized food processes, among others. That is seven high-severity violations from a single inspection, more than the statewide average for an entire year of visits at a given location.
The Palm Harbor location was not an isolated case.
The Violations
Across the ten worst-performing Florida locations in the period from May 20 through August 17, 2026, inspectors documented a combined 49 high-severity violations and 13 intermediate violations. The statewide average across all 429 Florida Burger King locations sits at 4.27 violations per inspection, with an overall pass rate of 87.41 percent.
Burger King #28769 at 16130 NW US Hwy 441 in Alachua drew five high-severity citations, including a citation for an employee not reporting symptoms of illness and inadequate shell stock identification records, a traceability violation that stands out for a fast-food burger chain. Inspectors also found improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals stored or labeled improperly.
The Burger King at 11834 E Colonial Dr in Orlando had food cited as being in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated, alongside two separate chemical violations: toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Inspectors also cited improper handwashing technique and the absence of a consumer advisory.
Burger King #7299 at 16025 S Dixie Hwy in Miami was cited for parasite destruction failures and inadequate shell stock records, along with improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, missing consumer advisory, and toxic chemical storage violations. The location also drew an intermediate citation for reusing single-use items.
Burger King 7257 at 1093 US 301 in Baldwin accumulated five high-severity violations including food in poor condition, parasite destruction failures, and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, plus an intermediate citation for multi-use utensils not properly cleaned.
Burger King #9162 at 1007 NW 21 Ct in Chiefland was the only location in the group where inspectors cited the person in charge as not present or not performing duties. That citation accompanied employee illness reporting failures, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, missing consumer advisory, and chemical storage violations, plus three intermediate citations including inadequate cooling and cold holding equipment.
The Burger King at 4704 Babcock St in Palm Bay was cited for food from an unapproved or unknown source, a violation that means food bypassed federal safety inspections entirely. Inspectors also found employee illness reporting failures and two separate chemical violations.
Burger King 27010 at 3063 Disciple Lane in New Port Richey drew four high-severity citations and four intermediate violations, the heaviest intermediate load of any location in the group. Among the intermediate findings: improper sewage or wastewater disposal, multi-use utensils not properly cleaned, and single-use items improperly reused.
Burger King #12 at 1910 NE 163 St in North Miami Beach was cited for improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. An intermediate citation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal accompanied those findings.
Burger King #5313 at 3770 Ulmerton Rd in Clearwater drew four high-severity violations, including employee illness reporting failures, food contact surface sanitization failures, and required procedures for specialized processes not followed.
What These Violations Mean
The single most repeated high-severity violation across these ten locations is the failure to properly clean and sanitize food contact surfaces, cited at seven of the ten worst-performing Burger Kings. Every surface where food is prepared, held, or assembled is a potential transfer point for bacteria including Salmonella and E. coli. When those surfaces are not properly cleaned between uses, contamination moves from one food item to the next without any visible sign that anything is wrong.
Toxic chemical violations, cited at nine of the ten locations, represent a different category of risk entirely. Cleaning compounds, sanitizers, and pesticides stored near or above food preparation areas can contaminate food directly. Mislabeled chemical containers create a secondary hazard: staff cannot know what they are handling or how dangerous it is.
The employee illness reporting failures at Alachua, Chiefland, Palm Bay, and Clearwater carry acute outbreak potential. Norovirus, one of the most common causes of foodborne illness in the United States, spreads person-to-person and through food handled by infected workers. A single symptomatic employee who is not sent home can expose every customer served during that shift.
The parasite destruction failures at Palm Harbor, Miami, and Baldwin are notable because they indicate that fish or other parasite-risk proteins are being handled without the required freezing or cooking protocols. Parasites including Anisakis in fish and Trichinella in pork survive underdestruction procedures and cause illness that can take days to diagnose. The absence of a consumer advisory, cited at nine of the ten locations, compounds that risk by leaving customers with no warning that undercooked items are on the menu.
The Longer Record
Florida's 429 Burger King locations have accumulated 7,196 inspections on record statewide, a figure that reflects decades of regulatory oversight across the chain. That volume of inspection history means the state has a detailed baseline for what normal looks like at a Burger King, and what chronic non-compliance looks like in comparison.
The Chiefland location's combination of a missing person in charge, employee illness reporting failures, and inadequate cold holding equipment in a single inspection suggests a management structure that was not functioning at the time inspectors arrived. CDC data cited in the inspection records notes that facilities without active managerial control accumulate critical violations at three times the rate of supervised facilities. The Chiefland location had both the highest intermediate violation count in the group and the only person-in-charge citation.
The New Port Richey location's four intermediate violations, including improper sewage disposal, point to infrastructure and operational failures that go beyond a single overlooked task. Sewage violations introduce fecal contamination risk throughout a facility, not just at the point of the defect.
The Palm Bay location's citation for food from an unapproved or unknown source is the hardest violation to explain away as an administrative oversight. Food that bypasses USDA or FDA inspection has no traceability. If a customer becomes ill, there is no supply chain record to follow. That citation stood alongside two separate chemical violations and an employee illness reporting failure at the same location.
The Pattern
Seven of the ten worst-performing locations were cited for the absence of a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. That violation does not require inspectors to find spoiled food or sick employees. It means the menu or posted notices failed to meet the minimum disclosure standard the state requires when a facility serves anything that could be undercooked.
Burger King's statewide pass rate of 87.41 percent means roughly one in eight inspections across the chain's Florida locations results in a failed outcome. No emergency closures were recorded for the chain in 2026. But the concentration of chemical violations, illness reporting failures, and surface sanitation failures across locations from Palm Harbor to Miami, from Alachua to Baldwin, shows a pattern that crosses regional lines.
The Palm Harbor location, with seven high-severity violations in a single inspection window, has no peer in this dataset. Its citation for improper use of time as a public health control, a violation that applies specifically when a facility is relying on time rather than temperature to keep food safe, adds a layer of complexity to an already dense violation record. That procedure requires precise documentation and strict adherence to time limits. Whether that documentation existed at the time of the inspection, the record does not say.
