FLORIDA. A Wendy's at 3617 W Silver Springs Blvd in Ocala drew four high-severity violations in a single inspection during a 90-day stretch ending in April, including citations for failing to follow parasite destruction procedures, inadequate shellfish traceability records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
That combination is unusual for a fast-food chain. Parasite destruction failures and shellfish identification problems are violations more commonly associated with seafood restaurants or sushi bars, not burger chains.
The Ocala location also received an intermediate citation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal, a violation that inspectors link to the risk of fecal contamination throughout a facility.
The Worst Locations
High-Severity Violations by Location (Last 90 Days)
The Wendy's at 3075 45th St in West Palm Beach drew three high-severity violations, including a citation for employees not reporting illness symptoms. Inspectors also flagged inadequate shellfish identification records and no consumer advisory, along with an intermediate citation for improper sewage disposal.
The Wendy's at 753 Park Ave in Orange Park received three high-severity violations and three intermediate citations. Inspectors cited employees for not reporting illness symptoms and for improper handwashing technique, and noted that multi-use utensils were not properly cleaned and that cold-holding equipment was inadequate.
The Wendy's at 3000 Garden St in Titusville was cited for three high-severity violations: employees not reporting illness symptoms, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
A Chemical and Process Problem in Ocala and Jacksonville
A second Ocala location, the Wendy's at 8470 SW Hwy 200, drew three high-severity violations with no intermediate citations. Inspectors found toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and required procedures for specialized processes not followed.
The Wendy's at 8625 Baymeadows Rd in Jacksonville received three high-severity violations, including both improperly stored toxic chemicals and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, plus a citation for employees not reporting illness symptoms. Two intermediate violations followed: improper sewage disposal and inadequate ventilation and lighting.
The Statewide Pattern
Across 489 Florida locations, Wendy's recorded 11,312 inspections in the state database. The chain's average sits at 3.69 violations per inspection, with a pass rate of 90.59 percent. Two locations were emergency-closed this year.
The illness-reporting violation appears at four of the six worst-performing locations. Inspectors treat that citation seriously: workers who do not report symptoms are identified as the leading cause of multi-victim foodborne illness outbreaks.
The consumer advisory violation, flagging the absence of required notices for customers about raw or undercooked foods, appears at five of the ten worst locations. That notice is specifically designed to warn elderly customers, pregnant women, and people with compromised immune systems.
The Wendy's at 12496 State Road 54 in Odessa drew two high-severity violations, including improper handwashing technique and no consumer advisory.
The Wendy's at 1011 Bichara Blvd in Lady Lake was cited for employees not reporting illness symptoms and for food contact surfaces not properly cleaned.
The Wendy's at 99700 Overseas Hwy in Key Largo received two high-severity violations: no consumer advisory and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used.
The Ocala Silver Springs location's parasite destruction citation remains the most specific unresolved question in the record. Inspectors documented that required procedures were not followed, but the data does not identify which product triggered the violation or whether corrective action was completed on site.