OAKLAND PARK, FL. Back in January 2026, a state inspector walking through the back room of 101 Liquor And Wine Center Corp. on a routine check found a "black like mold substance inside ice machine by internal lid and shut." The inspector stopped the machine on the spot, and staff washed, rinsed and sanitized it during the visit.
That was one of eight violations documented at the Oakland Park liquor and wine store during a January 6 inspection by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The store, classified as a Minor Outlet with Significant Food Service and Packaged Ice, met sanitation requirements overall, but the inspection flagged problems that ranged from contaminated equipment to a staff member who could not correctly answer basic questions about foodborne illness.
What Inspectors Found
The ice machine was not the only equipment concern. The handwashing sink in the back room, positioned next to the ware wash sink, had "build up of black debris," according to the inspector's notes. Staff cleaned and sanitized it during the visit. A handwashing sign was also missing from that same sink, and the inspector provided one on the spot.
The store had no sanitizer available for cleaning equipment at the time of the inspection. That violation was not corrected during the visit. The inspector also found no sanitizer test kit on hand, though one was provided by the inspector before leaving.
The person in charge could not correctly answer questions about foodborne diseases and their symptoms. The inspector provided an employee health policy during the visit.
No microbiological lab test results were available for review. The establishment was given 30 days from the inspection date to produce them.
Two Violations the Inspector Had Seen Before
Two of the eight violations were marked repeat findings, meaning inspectors had cited the same problems at a prior visit.
The store still had no certified food protection manager, a credential that requires passing a recognized food safety exam. That same deficiency appeared in the store's February 2023 inspection. More than three years later, in January 2026, the certification still was not on file.
The black debris buildup in the handwash sink was also a repeat citation. That violation was corrected during the January visit, but the fact that it had been noted before suggests it was not a one-time lapse.
What These Violations Mean
The mold found inside the ice machine is a direct contact risk for anyone who bought packaged ice or received ice in a drink from that store. Ice machines with mold growth on interior surfaces can transfer that contamination to the ice itself. The inspector's decision to stop the machine and require immediate cleaning was the correct response, but mold of the kind described, described as a "black like mold substance," does not accumulate overnight. It builds up over time with inadequate cleaning.
The absence of any sanitizer for equipment is a foundational gap. A store that sells packaged food and operates food service equipment cannot effectively decontaminate surfaces between uses without it. Combined with the lack of a sanitizer test kit, there was no way to verify that any sanitizing solution in use was at a concentration strong enough to actually kill pathogens.
The person in charge failing basic questions about foodborne illness is significant in a different way. It means the individual responsible for supervising food handling operations that day could not demonstrate awareness of which illnesses employees are required to report, or what symptoms should keep a worker out of food service. That knowledge gap sits at the top of the food safety chain at this location.
The missing microbiological lab results matter because FDACS requires them as a verification step for certain food products. Without them, there is no independent confirmation that finished products meet safety standards. The store had 30 days to produce those records.
The Longer Record
The January 2026 inspection was the fourth on record for this location. The store's earliest documented inspection, in February 2023, turned up nine violations, a tally nearly identical to the eight found three years later. A focused follow-up inspection two weeks after that February 2023 visit showed zero violations, and a second focused inspection in March 2026 also showed zero violations.
The pattern here is a store that clears focused inspections but accumulates violations when a full sanitation inspection is conducted. The repeat citations for the missing food protection manager certification and the handwash sink buildup suggest that some corrections made during inspections do not hold between them.
The certification gap is the most durable problem in this record. It appeared in 2023 and again in January 2026, and it was not resolved during the January visit. As of the March 2026 focused inspection, the record shows zero violations, but focused inspections do not always cover the full scope of a standard sanitation review.
The store met overall sanitation requirements in January, but the lack of sanitizer for equipment remained unresolved when the inspector left.