FLORIDA. A Taco Bell on Biscayne Boulevard in Miami drew six high-severity violations in the most recent inspection period, the worst tally among the chain's 445 Florida locations reviewed between February 18 and May 18, 2026, and it wasn't close.
At Taco Bell #3669 at 3595 Biscayne Blvd., inspectors cited an employee for not reporting symptoms of illness, documented improper hand and arm washing technique, found food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized, and recorded toxic chemicals stored or labeled improperly near food. Two additional high-severity violations covered inadequate shell stock identification and a failure to demonstrate any allergen awareness. Three intermediate violations rounded out the inspection, including inadequate cooling and cold holding equipment.
That is nine total violations at a single location in a single inspection window.
The Violations Across Florida
The second Miami location, Taco Bell #042907 at 15295 S Dixie Hwy., accumulated four high-severity violations of its own. Inspectors there found an employee not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing by food employees, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. An intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal added to the record.
In Ocala, Taco Bell #042932 at 3501 W Silver Springs Blvd. drew five high-severity violations, including food not cooked to the required minimum temperature and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods. Inspectors also cited inadequate shell stock identification, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and improperly stored chemicals.
The Taco Bell #196 at 1215 S 6th St. in Macclenny produced five high-severity violations as well, with two separate chemical-related citations: toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Inspectors also found that required procedures for specialized food processes were not being followed, a violation that carries its own distinct risk category.
At the KFC/Taco Bell at 5367 Ehrlich Rd. in Tampa, inspectors cited food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated, alongside parasite destruction procedures not followed, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. An intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal was also recorded.
The Taco Bell #042889 at 5151 University Blvd. W in Jacksonville led the list for total violations, with five high-severity and four intermediate citations. Inspectors documented an employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper hand and arm washing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. The four intermediate violations included multi-use utensils not properly cleaned, inadequate cooling equipment, and single-use items being reused.
In Minneola, the Taco Bell at 320 US Hwy. 27 was cited for five high-severity violations, including both categories of chemical mishandling and a failure to demonstrate any allergen awareness. Improper sewage or wastewater disposal, single-use items being reused, and inadequate ventilation rounded out the intermediate tier.
The Taco Bell #32177 at 7970 Winter Garden Vineland Rd. in Windermere drew five high-severity citations, including parasite destruction procedures not followed, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, no consumer advisory, and two separate toxic substance violations.
In Ocoee, the Taco Bell at 8868 W Colonial Dr. was cited for food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, time as a public health control not properly used, no consumer advisory, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. The location also had an intermediate violation for inadequate or improperly maintained toilet facilities.
The Taco Bell at 2077 LPGA Blvd. in Daytona Beach drew the fewest violations of the ten worst performers, with two high-severity citations: parasite destruction procedures not followed and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
What These Violations Mean
The single most acute violation appearing at three separate locations, including both Miami stores and the Jacksonville location, is an employee not reporting symptoms of illness. This is not a paperwork problem. A food worker who comes in sick with norovirus or salmonella and handles food directly is the mechanism behind the majority of multi-victim restaurant outbreaks. At a high-volume fast food chain, that employee touches hundreds of food items during a single shift.
Improperly cleaned food contact surfaces appeared at eight of the ten worst-performing locations. Surfaces that are not properly sanitized transfer bacteria from one food item to the next, a process that compounds with every order. At a chain where prep surfaces handle raw proteins, shredded cheese, and ready-to-eat items in rapid succession, a contaminated surface is not an isolated event.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled appeared at nine of the ten locations. The risk is direct: a cleaning agent stored above or adjacent to food, or placed in an unlabeled container, can contaminate food through drips, splashes, or an employee reaching for the wrong bottle. At the Macclenny location, inspectors cited two separate chemical violations in the same inspection, covering both storage and identification failures.
The consumer advisory violation, flagged at seven locations, matters most for immunocompromised customers, pregnant women, the elderly, and children. Without a posted advisory, those customers have no way of knowing a menu item may be served undercooked. At the Tampa KFC/Taco Bell, that violation appeared alongside a separate citation for parasite destruction procedures not followed, meaning the risk was not hypothetical.
The Longer Record
Statewide, the chain's 445 Florida locations have accumulated 8,728 inspections on record, an average of nearly 20 inspections per location. That volume of historical data means the inspection record at each location is not a snapshot; it is a pattern.
The chain's statewide pass rate of 95.51 percent and average of 3.29 violations per inspection provide the baseline. The ten locations listed here are running well above that average, with the Biscayne Boulevard location in Miami and the Jacksonville University Boulevard location each exceeding nine total violations in a single inspection window.
The presence of the same violation categories across geographically distant locations points to a systemic gap rather than isolated management failures. Food contact surface sanitation appeared at eight locations from Miami to Jacksonville to Windermere. Chemical storage violations appeared at nine. Those are not coincidences of geography; they reflect a training and compliance pattern that repeats itself across the chain.
The Macclenny location's citation for required procedures for specialized processes not followed is the least common violation in this data set and carries a specific weight. Specialized food processes, including reduced-oxygen packaging and temperature-controlled holding, require written plans approved by the state. When those procedures are not followed, the safety controls built around them collapse entirely.
At the Biscayne Boulevard location in Miami, inspectors also cited inadequate shell stock identification, a violation that would be unusual at a Taco Bell, which does not serve oysters, clams, or mussels as standard menu items. The presence of that citation raises a question the inspection record alone cannot answer: what shellfish product triggered it, and where it came from.