HIALEAH, FL. Back in February 2026, state inspectors walked into a Chevron convenience store in Hialeah and found the establishment selling packaged ice to customers without any microbial laboratory test results on file to confirm the product was safe.
That was not the first time inspectors had flagged the same problem at this location.
What Inspectors Found
The February 24 inspection, conducted under the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, turned up six violations in total. The most serious finding, marked as a repeat, was the absence of recent ice lab testing results. The inspector noted: "Recent ice lab testing results for packaged ice not available. Establishment has 30 days to provide recent ice test results."
The store was also operating without a valid food permit. According to the inspection record, an application had been submitted and the establishment was given ten days to remit the appropriate fee, but no permit was in hand on the day inspectors arrived.
In the retail area, inspectors found multiple hand soaps and conditioners stored on shelves directly above disposable cups and plates. The chemicals were relocated to their proper sections during the inspection.
In the backroom, the hand wash sink next to the three-compartment sink was blocked by an empty container sitting next to the ice machine. That container was removed during the visit. A hand wash sign was also missing at that same sink and was provided by inspectors on the spot.
The store had no certified food protection manager certificate available at the time of inspection. That violation was not corrected on site.
A Pattern at This Address
The February 2026 inspection was not an isolated event. State records show FDACS has inspected this location at least twice before, going back to April 2024.
During an April 26, 2024 routine inspection, inspectors documented 11 violations. Two months later, on June 14, 2024, inspectors returned for a focused inspection flagged as operating without a valid food permit and found one violation.
The permit problem, in other words, was already on record nearly two years before February 2026. The store was cited for the same operating-without-a-permit issue in June 2024, and inspectors were back for the same reason in February 2026.
The missing ice lab results were flagged as a repeat violation in February 2026, meaning inspectors had documented that same deficiency before.
What These Violations Mean
The packaged ice finding is the one that most directly affects anyone who has shopped at this store. When a facility sells packaged ice without current microbial laboratory test results, there is no independent verification that the ice is free of harmful bacteria or other contaminants. The testing requirement exists precisely because ice is consumed directly, often without any further processing by the buyer. Without those results, neither the store nor its customers have documented evidence the product is safe.
The blocked hand wash sink compounds the concern. In a facility handling food and packaged consumables, accessible hand washing is a basic barrier against contamination. When a sink is obstructed, even briefly, employees have a practical reason to skip hand washing between tasks. The inspector found an empty container blocking the sink next to the ice machine, which is the exact piece of equipment at the center of the lab-testing violation.
The absence of a certified food protection manager matters for a different reason. Certification requirements exist because a trained manager is supposed to recognize and correct food safety problems before an inspector arrives. At this Chevron, the store lacked that oversight on the day of inspection, and the record shows violations that a trained manager is specifically trained to prevent.
Operating without a valid food permit means the establishment was not in compliance with Florida Statute 500.12 on the day inspectors arrived. A permit is the state's mechanism for confirming a facility meets baseline standards before it sells food to the public.
The Longer Record
Three inspections are on record at this address since April 2024. The April 2024 visit produced 11 violations, the highest single-visit count in the available history. The June 2024 follow-up found one violation, suggesting some issues were addressed after the heavier inspection. But the February 2026 visit showed the permit problem had returned, and the ice lab testing deficiency was now a repeat.
The repeat designation on the ice lab results is significant. It means inspectors had previously cited this specific violation, the store had been on notice, and the documentation was still not in place when inspectors returned months later.
Three of the six February 2026 violations were corrected on the spot: the blocked hand wash sink, the chemicals stored above disposable cups, and the missing hand wash sign. Three were not: the missing ice lab results, the absent food permit, and the lack of a certified food protection manager.
As of the February 24 inspection, the store had 30 days to produce recent ice test results and 10 days to remit the food permit fee. Whether either deadline was met is not reflected in the inspection record reviewed for this report.