POMPANO BEACH, FL. Back in March 2026, a state inspector walked into Crown Wine and Spirits in Pompano Beach and found the retail food establishment operating without a valid food permit, a violation of Florida Statute 500.12.
The inspector's notes were direct: "Operating without a permit. Application submitted."
That single finding drove the nature of the inspection itself. The visit was classified not as a routine check but as an "Operating Without a Valid Food Permit" inspection, meaning the store triggered scrutiny specifically because its permit status had lapsed. The inspector noted that an application had been submitted, but the permit was not in hand when the visit occurred.
What Inspectors Found
The inspector documented five violations in total. Two were classified as priority foundation violations, which are procedural requirements the state considers foundational to safe food handling.
The first priority foundation violation involved the handwashing sink in the backroom. The inspector noted: "Backroom area, hand washing sink is missing paper towel or hand drying device." An employee provided paper towels during the inspection, and the violation was marked corrected on site.
The second priority foundation violation was the absence of written procedures for responding to vomiting or diarrheal events. The inspector recorded: "Food establishment does not have written procedures for employees to follow when responding to an event involving the discharge of vomitus/diarrhea events." The inspector provided written guidance and information about Norovirus cleanup and disinfection during the visit.
The remaining violations were structural. The women's restroom in the backroom was missing a covered trash receptacle for sanitary waste. The restroom door was missing a self-closing device, which is required when a restroom is located inside a food establishment. Neither of those two violations was corrected during the inspection.
What These Violations Mean
Operating without a valid food permit is not a paperwork technicality. Florida's food permit system is the mechanism the state uses to ensure that food retail establishments have been reviewed for compliance before selling products to the public. A lapsed permit means the store was selling food, including prepackaged goods, outside the regulatory framework designed to protect consumers. If a foodborne illness complaint were to arise, the permit record is part of the documentation trail. Crown Wine and Spirits had submitted an application, but the permit was not valid on the day the inspector arrived.
The missing handwashing supplies at the backroom sink are a more immediate concern. A sink without paper towels or a hand drying device is a sink that employees are unlikely to use properly. In a retail food environment, even one handling only prepackaged products, employees handle surfaces, packaging, and products that customers then touch. The correction happened during the inspection, but the gap existed before the inspector walked in.
The absence of written vomit and diarrhea response procedures may seem removed from a wine and spirits shop, but the requirement exists for a reason. Norovirus, the most common cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States, spreads rapidly through contaminated surfaces. Retail food establishments that lack written cleanup protocols risk spreading contamination to products and surfaces that customers contact. The inspector provided guidance materials, but the store had none of its own before that visit.
The Longer Record
The data on file shows this was an inspection driven by a specific trigger, the store's lack of a valid food permit, rather than a scheduled routine visit. The inspection type itself, "Operating Without a Valid Food Permit, Met Sanitation Inspection," indicates the store met sanitation standards on the day of the visit, which is reflected in the absence of any priority violations beyond the two priority foundation items.
None of the five violations were marked as repeat citations. That means inspectors had not documented the same problems in prior visits, at least not in the record attached to this inspection cycle.
The store is classified as a Minor Outlet/Prepackaged/No PHF facility, meaning it does not handle potentially hazardous foods requiring temperature control. That limits some of the food safety risks present in a full grocery or deli environment. But the permit violation, the missing handwashing supplies, and the lack of written illness response procedures are requirements that apply regardless of what is on the shelves.
The two structural violations, the uncovered restroom trash receptacle and the door missing a self-closing mechanism, were not corrected before the inspector left in March.