MIAMI BEACH, FL. Inspectors walked into Coyote on Collins Avenue on August 14 and found no evidence that any employee knew how to handle a customer's food allergy, no consumer advisory warning diners about raw or undercooked items on the menu, and toxic chemicals improperly stored near food, all in a single visit that produced six high-severity violations. The restaurant was not closed.
The inspection also turned up improper sewage or wastewater disposal, multi-use utensils not properly cleaned, and inadequate toilet facilities, adding four intermediate violations to the tally. State records show Coyote remained open through and after the inspection.
What Inspectors Found
The allergen finding is the one that most directly threatened customers walking in off Collins Avenue. State records show inspectors found no demonstrated allergen awareness among staff, meaning no employee could reliably identify which menu items contained common allergens or how to prevent cross-contact.
The chemical violations compounded the picture. Inspectors cited both improper storage or labeling of toxic chemicals and improper identification, storage, or use of toxic substances, two separate high-severity findings that together point to chemicals accessible near food without adequate controls.
The absence of a consumer advisory is its own category of risk. Without a posted warning about raw or undercooked items, customers who are pregnant, elderly, immunocompromised, or simply unaware have no way to make an informed choice before ordering.
What These Violations Mean
Allergen failures kill people. Food allergies affect 32 million Americans, and allergic reactions send 30,000 people to emergency rooms every year. When no employee can confirm whether a dish contains peanuts, shellfish, or dairy, a customer with a severe allergy is depending on luck. At Coyote on August 14, inspectors found that the staff had no demonstrated framework for answering that question accurately.
The chemical storage violations carry a different but equally immediate risk. Improperly labeled or stored chemicals near food create a direct path to acute poisoning, either through accidental contamination of ingredients or through mislabeled containers being mistaken for food-safe products. Two separate high-severity citations for chemical handling in a single inspection suggests the problem is not a single misplaced bottle.
The improper sewage or wastewater disposal finding is the intermediate violation that deserves the most attention. Raw sewage contains pathogens including Hepatitis A, Norovirus, and E. coli. When wastewater is not properly routed and contained, fecal contamination can reach food prep surfaces, utensils, and food itself. Inspectors also found multi-use utensils not properly cleaned, which means any bacterial biofilm already present on those surfaces could survive repeated use and reach customers' plates.
The absence of an employee health policy rounds out a facility where, on August 14, multiple systems designed to protect customers were either absent or broken.
The Longer Record
The August 14 inspection was not an anomaly. State records show Coyote has been inspected 28 times, accumulating 301 total violations across that history, and has never been emergency-closed.
The pattern in the most recent inspections is striking. On May 27, 2026, inspectors cited 14 high-severity violations and 4 intermediate violations. Two days later, on May 29, a follow-up visit still found 10 high-severity violations and 4 intermediate violations. The August 14 inspection, with 6 high-severity violations, represents an improvement over that spring stretch, but it is still six violations at the most serious classification the state uses.
Going back further, the record shows Coyote has logged high-severity violations in every single inspection since at least 2023. The counts have ranged from a low of 1 high-severity violation in November 2023 to a peak of 14 in May 2026. The facility has never recorded a clean inspection in the period covered by the available data.
Still Open
Florida's emergency closure authority is triggered when inspectors determine that conditions pose an immediate threat to public health. Six high-severity violations, including no allergen awareness, two separate chemical handling failures, no consumer advisory for raw foods, and improper sewage disposal, did not meet that threshold at Coyote on August 14.
The restaurant at 1351 Collins Avenue remained open.
