FLORIDA. A KFC at 3810 SW College Road in Ocala drew seven high-severity violations during a single inspection between January and April 2026, including food sourced from an unapproved or unknown supplier, no approved potable water supply, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and no demonstrated allergen awareness among staff. A person in charge was either absent or not performing duties at the time of the inspection.
That one location accounted for more high-severity violations than any other KFC in Florida during the 90-day period.
KFC Florida: High-Severity Violations by Location (Jan 25 – Apr 24, 2026)
What Inspectors Found
Across the 10 worst-performing KFC locations in Florida during this 90-day window, inspectors documented a combined 38 high-severity violations and 14 intermediate violations. The problems were not confined to one region or one type of failure.
The KFC/Taco Bell at 5367 Ehrlich Road in Tampa drew five high-severity citations, including food in poor condition or adulterated, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and toxic substances improperly identified or stored. Inspectors also cited improper sewage or wastewater disposal at that location.
The KFC at 13200 SW 8th Street in Miami logged five high-severity violations of its own: food from an unapproved or unknown source, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff.
The KFC Store Y300097 at 409 S SR19 in Palatka accumulated four high-severity and four intermediate violations, one of the heaviest combined totals in the group. Inadequate shell stock identification and records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and improperly stored toxic chemicals were among the high-severity findings. Inspectors also cited inadequate cooling and cold-holding equipment, improper use of wiping cloths, and inadequate toilet facilities.
Two Ocala locations appeared on the list. The KFC at 3615 W Silver Springs Boulevard drew four high-severity violations including parasite destruction failures, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and toxic chemical storage problems, plus four intermediate violations covering reused single-use items, inadequate ventilation, improper wiping cloth use, and equipment in poor repair.
The KFC at 155 East Merritt Island Causeway was cited for four high-severity violations: inadequate shell stock identification, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and no approved potable water supply.
The KFC at 956 Patricia Avenue in Dunedin drew citations for food in poor condition or adulterated, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
The KFC at 356 Main Street in Apopka was cited for improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, plus inadequate ventilation. The KFC Store Y300091 at 1232 Providence Boulevard in Deltona drew one high-severity violation for improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and one intermediate for ventilation. The KFC at 4200 NW 21st Street, Gate E-D, in Miami was cited for no consumer advisory and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
What These Violations Mean
The most common single violation across these 10 locations was the absence of a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Nine of the 10 locations were cited for it. This violation matters most for customers who have no way of knowing a risk exists: elderly diners, pregnant women, people with compromised immune systems, and young children face the highest danger from undercooked proteins, and without a posted advisory they cannot make an informed choice.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at both the Ocala SW College Road location and the Miami SW 8th Street location, carries a different kind of risk. When food bypasses USDA and FDA inspection channels, there is no traceability if a customer becomes ill. Investigators cannot identify the source, the distribution chain, or how many other people were exposed.
No approved potable water supply, documented at the Ocala SW College Road location and the Merritt Island location, is among the most acute violations on this list. Water used in food preparation that does not meet potable standards can carry E. coli, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, and Legionella. Every dish washed, every surface rinsed, and every food item prepared with that water becomes a potential exposure point.
Improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, the second most common violation in this group, showed up at six of the 10 locations, including Tampa, Miami SW 8th Street, Palatka, Ocala Silver Springs, Dunedin, and Apopka. Surfaces that are not properly sanitized between uses transfer bacteria directly to food. Cutting boards, prep tables, and fryer equipment that carry residue from one batch of food to the next are a primary vehicle for cross-contamination.
The Longer Record
Florida KFC locations have accumulated 5,371 inspections on record statewide across 238 locations. That volume of inspection history makes patterns visible in ways that a single visit cannot. The chain's statewide pass rate of 90.76 percent and average of 4.76 violations per inspection place individual locations with seven or eight violations in a single visit well outside the chain's own norm.
The Palatka location on S SR19 stands out for the breadth of its failure categories. Eight violations across high-severity and intermediate tiers, covering food contact surfaces, chemical storage, shellfish traceability, cooling equipment, wiping cloths, ventilation, and toilet facilities, suggest systemic gaps rather than an isolated lapse. Inadequate cooling equipment is not a one-day problem; it is an infrastructure failure that persists until the equipment is replaced or repaired.
The two Ocala locations appearing on the same 90-day list is notable. The SW College Road location drew the most high-severity violations of any KFC in Florida during this period. The W Silver Springs Boulevard location, just a few miles away, drew four high-severity and four intermediate violations of its own. Two locations in the same city, inspected in the same 90-day window, each accumulating serious citations across multiple categories.
The Tampa Ehrlich Road location's citation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal is the kind of violation that does not appear in isolation. Sewage problems create conditions for fecal contamination throughout a facility, affecting every surface, every food item, and every employee who works in the space. That violation appeared alongside parasite destruction failures and adulterated food at the same location, in the same inspection.
The Pattern Across the Chain
Toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled appeared at six of the 10 locations: Ocala SW College Road, Miami NW 21st Street, Tampa Ehrlich Road, Miami SW 8th Street, Palatka, Merritt Island, and Ocala Silver Springs. Chemical storage is a training and management issue. Its presence across locations in Ocala, Miami, Tampa, Palatka, and Merritt Island over the same 90-day window points to something that is not being corrected consistently at the franchise level.
No allergen awareness demonstrated by staff appeared at the Ocala SW College Road location and the Miami SW 8th Street location. Food allergies send 30,000 people to emergency rooms annually. A staff that cannot identify allergens in the food it serves cannot warn a customer before that customer orders.
The Ocala SW College Road location was the only one in this group where a person in charge was cited as absent or not performing duties. CDC data associates that condition with three times the rate of critical violations. Seven high-severity violations at a single location, during a single inspection, with no person in charge actively overseeing operations, is the most complete picture of management failure in this dataset.