OLD TOWN, FL. Back in January 2026, a state inspector walked into Crazy By Rasel Inc., a convenience store on the edge of Dixie County, and asked for two basic tools every food establishment is required to keep on hand: a probe thermometer and sanitizer test strips. Neither could be produced.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services conducted the inspection on January 27, 2026. The store met sanitation inspection requirements overall, but the visit turned up 10 violations, three of them classified as priority foundation, meaning they relate to the foundational knowledge and equipment a food establishment needs to operate safely.
What Inspectors Found
The thermometer finding was direct. The inspector recorded that the "food establishment could not provide a required probe thermometer for taking cold and hot holding temperatures of perishable foods during the inspection." Without one, there is no way to verify that refrigerated or hot-held food is being kept at safe temperatures.
The sanitizer issue was equally blunt. The inspector noted the store "could not provide sanitizer test strips," the device used to confirm that sanitizing solution is mixed at the concentration required to actually kill pathogens on food-contact surfaces.
The person in charge made the picture worse. That individual "incorrectly responded to questions relating to their employee health policy," according to the inspector's notes. The employee health policy governs when sick workers must be excluded from food handling, one of the most direct ways illness spreads from a food handler to a customer.
Beyond those three foundational violations, the inspector documented a series of physical and facility problems. In the old deli area, boxes of assorted prepackaged food and soda syrup boxes were stored directly on the floor, a violation of the requirement that food be kept at least six inches off the ground. Boxes of single-use coffee cups and 16-ounce foam cups were also found on the floor in the old deli and retail area.
The hand wash station in the old deli area had "mineralization buildup on the basin and faucet adjacent to the ware washing sink." A hand soap dispenser and hand dryer were mounted on the wall directly above the ware washing sink, a placement that contaminates the dish-washing area with hand-washing splash and soap residue.
In the back room, the inspector found "heavy dust accumulation on condensing unit fans and ceiling inside the walk-in cooler." The dumpster outside sat directly on grass rather than on a paved or gravel surface as required. And the old deli area was filled with unused equipment, including freezers, fryers, flat-top grills, shelving, and display items, creating clutter that makes cleaning and inspection difficult.
None of the 10 violations were corrected on site during the January visit.
What These Violations Mean
The absence of a probe thermometer is not a paperwork problem. It means the store had no reliable way to check whether perishable food in its coolers or any hot-held items was being kept at temperatures that prevent bacterial growth. Pathogens like Salmonella and Listeria thrive in the range between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit. A thermometer is the only tool that tells a food handler whether food has drifted into that danger zone.
The missing sanitizer test strips matter for the same reason, applied to surfaces rather than food. Sanitizing solution that is too dilute does not kill bacteria. Solution that is too concentrated can leave chemical residue on surfaces that contact food. Test strips are the only way to know which situation you have.
The person in charge failing the employee health questions is the most direct public health concern of the three. If the person running the store on a given shift cannot correctly explain when a sick employee must stop handling food, there is no reliable barrier between an ill worker and the products on the shelf or the surfaces in the store.
The floor storage violations compound the picture. Food and single-use items stored on the floor are exposed to moisture, pests, and contamination from foot traffic and cleaning activities. In a store where the dumpster sits on grass outside and dust has accumulated heavily on the walk-in cooler fans, keeping product off the floor is not a minor formality.
The Longer Record
The January 2026 inspection was not the first time state inspectors had concerns at this location. In October 2025, just three months earlier, an inspection tied to operating without a valid food permit turned up nine violations, two of them repeat findings. That inspection was categorized as an "Operating Without a Valid Food Permit" visit, a more serious triggering circumstance than a routine check.
A follow-up focused inspection in November 2025 found zero violations, suggesting the store addressed what was cited in October. But the January 2026 visit showed new problems emerging, including the three priority foundation violations that were not present in the November check.
The store now has three inspections on record in roughly three and a half months. The October visit involved operating without a valid permit. The January visit found the person in charge unable to answer basic food safety questions and the store without two pieces of required equipment.
None of the 10 violations from the January 27 inspection were corrected before the inspector left the building.