CLERMONT, FL. Toxic chemicals were stored improperly near food at Ay Jalisco on East Highway 50 when state inspectors arrived on June 8, one of six high-severity violations documented during a visit that ended with the restaurant still serving customers.
The inspection turned up a list that included food cooked below required minimum temperatures, food in poor or adulterated condition, and food contact surfaces that had not been properly cleaned or sanitized. Inspectors also found that the restaurant lacked a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked menu items, and cited two separate violations for toxic substances, one for improper storage and labeling, and one for improper identification and use.
What Inspectors Found
The dual chemical violations stand out. Inspectors cited the restaurant separately for toxic chemicals stored or labeled improperly near food, and for toxic substances that were improperly identified, stored, or used. That is two distinct citation categories covering chemical hazards, found during the same visit.
Four intermediate violations accompanied the six high-severity findings. Inspectors noted improper sanitizing procedures, inadequate cooling and cold-holding equipment, single-use items being reused, and inadequate ventilation and lighting.
The restaurant was not emergency-closed.
What These Violations Mean
The chemical storage violations carry the most immediate risk. When cleaning products, pesticides, or other toxic substances are stored near or above food without proper labeling, a single mislabeled container or an accidental spill can introduce poison directly into a meal. Unlike bacterial contamination, chemical poisoning is not something a customer can cook away at home.
The undercooking violation is a separate but serious concern. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. A piece of chicken that looks done and is not can send a customer to the hospital. The absence of a consumer advisory compounds the problem: customers eating raw or undercooked items at Ay Jalisco had no posted notice that the food carried elevated risk, which matters most to elderly diners, pregnant women, and anyone with a compromised immune system.
The food contact surface violation ties directly to the sanitizer citation. Surfaces that are not properly cleaned become transfer points for bacteria between raw and ready-to-eat food. If the sanitizing solution is also at the wrong concentration, as the intermediate violation indicates, that cleaning step fails entirely. Bacteria survive and multiply on the next surface they touch.
Inadequate cold-holding equipment means the restaurant lacks the mechanical capacity to keep food out of the temperature danger zone, which runs between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit. That is not a procedural lapse that a staff reminder can fix. It is an equipment problem, and it creates conditions for bacterial growth on every shift until it is corrected.
The Longer Record
June 8 was not an outlier. State records show 36 inspections on file for Ay Jalisco, with 366 total violations documented across that history. The restaurant has never been emergency-closed.
The pattern in recent inspections is consistent and steep. Five days before the June 8 visit, on June 3, inspectors found 11 high-severity violations and 5 intermediate ones, the worst single-inspection tally in the recent record. The December 2025 visit produced 9 high-severity violations and 4 intermediate. April 2025 generated back-to-back inspections, with 10 high-severity violations on April 16 and 7 high-severity violations the following day.
Going further back, the numbers do not improve. December 2024 produced 6 high-severity violations. April 2024 produced 8. December 2023 logged 5 high-severity violations, and May 2023 logged 7. In every inspection on record going back three years, the facility has produced at least 5 high-severity violations.
That means in eight consecutive documented inspections before June 8, Ay Jalisco was cited for between 5 and 11 high-severity violations each time. The June 8 total of 6 sits at the lower end of that range. It is not a restaurant having a bad week.
Still Open
Florida's emergency closure authority is triggered when an inspector determines that continued operation poses an immediate threat to public health. The state's records show that Ay Jalisco has accumulated 366 violations across 36 inspections, including chemical storage hazards, undercooked food, and contaminated food contact surfaces on its most recent visit.
The restaurant remained open after the June 8 inspection.