SARASOTA, FL. Back in April 2026, state inspectors walked into Capo Pazzo on Reynolds Street and found food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, a violation that means the restaurant was serving customers ingredients that had bypassed federal safety inspections entirely.

That was one of seven high-severity violations documented during the April 15 inspection. The restaurant was not closed.

What Inspectors Found

1HIGHFood from unapproved or unknown sourceHigh severity
2HIGHEmployee not reporting illness symptomsHigh severity
3HIGHImproper hand and arm washing techniqueHigh severity
4HIGHFood in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulteratedHigh severity
5HIGHFood contact surfaces not properly cleaned/sanitizedHigh severity
6HIGHTime as a public health control not properly usedHigh severity
7HIGHNo consumer advisory for raw/undercooked foodsHigh severity
8INTInadequate ventilation and lightingIntermediate
9INTImproper waste disposal or recyclingIntermediate

Inspectors also cited employees for not reporting illness symptoms, a violation that sits at the center of how norovirus and other pathogens spread from kitchen workers to customers. A separate citation documented improper handwashing technique, meaning employees were making attempts to wash their hands but doing so in a way that left pathogens behind.

Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized. Inspectors also found food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated, and documented a failure to properly use time as a public health control, which means food was allowed to sit in the temperature danger zone without adequate tracking.

The restaurant was also cited for not posting a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. The two intermediate violations covered inadequate ventilation and lighting, and improper waste disposal.

What These Violations Mean

The food sourcing violation is one of the most consequential a restaurant can receive. When ingredients come from unapproved or unknown suppliers, there is no USDA or FDA inspection record attached to that food. If a customer gets sick, investigators have no chain of custody to trace. Listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli have all been linked to uninspected food sources in past outbreaks.

The illness reporting failure compounds that risk directly. Norovirus is the leading cause of multi-victim foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States, and it spreads most efficiently when infected food workers continue working without disclosing symptoms. The improper handwashing citation at Capo Pazzo means that even when workers went through the motion of washing their hands, the technique left pathogens in place.

The time control violation is a separate but serious pathway to illness. When a facility uses time rather than temperature to keep food safe, it is required to track exactly how long food has been in the danger zone between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Without that documentation, there is no way to know whether food served to customers had been sitting at unsafe temperatures for minutes or hours.

The missing consumer advisory affects the most vulnerable diners specifically. Elderly customers, pregnant women, young children, and anyone with a compromised immune system face elevated risk from raw or undercooked proteins. Without the required notice, those customers had no information on which to base their choices.

The Longer Record

The April 2026 inspection was not an outlier. State records show Capo Pazzo has been inspected 15 times in total, accumulating 122 violations across that history.

The pattern of high-severity violations at this address is consistent and recent. In August 2025, inspectors cited the restaurant for 6 high-severity and 3 intermediate violations. In November 2024, it was 6 high-severity and 1 intermediate. In July 2024, inspectors found 7 high-severity and 2 intermediate violations, a tally that matches April 2026 exactly.

Going back further, the December 2023 inspection produced 3 high-severity violations. The February 2023 inspection found 4 high-severity and 1 intermediate. The restaurant passed two consecutive inspections in September 2023 with zero violations at either visit, but that stretch did not hold.

Capo Pazzo: High-Severity Violations by Inspection

April 20267 high-severity, 2 intermediate violations. Restaurant remained open.
August 20256 high-severity, 3 intermediate violations.
November 20246 high-severity, 1 intermediate violation.
July 20247 high-severity, 2 intermediate violations.
December 20233 high-severity violations.
September 2023Two consecutive inspections with zero violations.
February 20234 high-severity, 1 intermediate violation.

In four of the last five inspections before April 2026, the restaurant was cited for at least six high-severity violations each time. The restaurant has never been emergency-closed across all 15 inspections on record.

Open for Business

Seven high-severity violations in a single inspection, including food from an unapproved source, employees not reporting illness, and unsanitized food contact surfaces, did not result in a closure order on April 15, 2026.

Capo Pazzo remained open.