BOYNTON BEACH, FL. Back in January 2026, state inspectors walked into 24/7 Food Market on Boynton Beach and found beef patties, empanadas, and burritos sitting in a hot holding case with internal temperatures ranging from 112 to 121 degrees Fahrenheit, well below the 135-degree minimum required to keep hot food safe. The inspector noted the foods were reheated to 165 degrees before the visit ended, but none of the 16 violations documented that day had been corrected before inspectors arrived.
The January 14 inspection was triggered because the convenience store was operating without a valid food permit. That finding alone is a serious matter. Under Florida law, a food establishment cannot legally sell prepared food to the public without first passing an initial inspection and obtaining a permit.
What Inspectors Found
Raw shell eggs were displayed on a shelf above bottled juice and beverages in an open air case in the retail area. The inspector noted the eggs were moved to the bottom shelf during the visit. Storing raw eggs above ready-to-drink beverages creates a direct path for contamination if a shell cracks or leaks.
In the backroom, all-purpose cleaner and toilet cleaner were stored on a shelf above the three-compartment sink, where food-contact equipment is washed. The inspector noted the chemicals were removed by the person in charge during the visit.
The person in charge could not demonstrate that food employees had been informed, in a verifiable manner, to report illness or symptoms linked to foodborne disease. The same person in charge was also unable to correctly answer questions about foodborne illness, symptoms, or the conditions under which an employee should be restricted or excluded from working with food.
There were no hand wash signs posted at either of the two handwashing sinks, one in the food service area and one in the backroom adjacent to the three-compartment sink. The backroom sink also had no paper towels available. The store had no written procedures for handling accidental vomiting or diarrheal incidents, and no chemical sanitizer test kit on the premises.
A gap under the backdoor in the backroom left an opening for insects and rodents.
The Repeat Violations
Two of the 16 violations were marked as repeats, meaning inspectors had cited the same problems at a prior visit.
The store again had no metal stem probe thermometer available on the premises. Without a thermometer, employees have no way to verify that hot food is being held at a safe temperature, which makes the 112-degree hot holding failure easier to understand as a systemic problem rather than a one-time lapse.
The second repeat violation involved hemp products. The store was again selling hemp extract intended for human consumption without an age restriction sign posted adjacent to the display. Kratom products, also sold at the store, had the same problem. Both signs were posted by the person in charge during the inspection.
What These Violations Mean
The hot holding failure is the most immediate public health concern. Bacteria multiply rapidly in food held between 70 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Beef patties and empanadas sitting at 112 to 121 degrees for an unknown period of time before the inspector arrived represent a real risk of bacterial growth, including pathogens like Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus. Customers who bought hot food from that case before the inspection would have had no way of knowing the temperatures were out of range.
The raw egg placement compounds that risk. Shell eggs can carry Salmonella on their surfaces. Storing them above bottled beverages in an open case means any leakage or cracked shell could contaminate drinks that customers consume without cooking.
The person in charge's inability to answer basic questions about foodborne illness is a structural problem. Florida's food safety rules require that someone with authority at the establishment understand when a sick employee must be kept away from food. At 24/7 Food Market, the person running the store that day could not demonstrate that knowledge, and there was no written vomiting and diarrheal incident procedure to fall back on.
Operating without a valid permit means the store had not been inspected and cleared before opening for food sales. There was no baseline on record confirming the facility met minimum standards before customers started buying prepared food there.
The Longer Record
The January 2026 inspection was only the second FDACS inspection on record at this location. The first, conducted in December 2023, found nine violations and resulted in a Met Inspection Requirements outcome.
The jump from nine violations in December 2023 to 16 violations in January 2026, including two repeats, suggests the store did not sustain whatever corrections were made after the first inspection. The missing thermometer, in particular, was a problem in the earlier record and remained unresolved more than two years later.
The store met sanitation standards at the conclusion of the January 2026 inspection, meaning several violations were corrected on site during the visit. But not every problem documented that day can be fixed in the moment. The person in charge's gaps in food safety knowledge, the missing food protection manager certification, and the gap under the backdoor were all still unresolved when the inspector left.