MIAMI, FL. Inspectors who walked into Di Napoli at 11755 S. Dixie Highway on August 25 found food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers being served to customers, one of the most serious violations a food establishment can receive, and left the restaurant open.
That single finding was one of eleven high-severity violations documented during the visit. Four additional intermediate violations brought the total to fifteen citations from a single inspection.
What Inspectors Found
The inspector found that the person in charge was either absent or not performing required supervisory duties. That alone, state records indicate, correlates with a cascade of other failures, and the August 25 inspection bore that out.
Employees were not reporting symptoms of illness. Handwashing technique was improper. Food contact surfaces were not being properly cleaned or sanitized.
The inspector also documented food in poor condition, mislabeled or adulterated, and cited the restaurant for having no consumer advisory on the menu for raw or undercooked items. Toxic chemicals were improperly stored or labeled, and a second citation for toxic substances being improperly identified, stored, or used was recorded separately.
Shellfish identification records were inadequate, meaning the restaurant could not document the origin of its oysters, clams, or mussels. On the intermediate side, multi-use utensils were not properly cleaned, wiping cloths were being used improperly, ventilation and lighting were inadequate, and toilet facilities were not properly maintained.
What These Violations Mean
The food-from-unapproved-sources violation is not a paperwork issue. When a restaurant cannot document where its food came from, there is no chain of accountability if a customer gets sick. Suppliers approved by the USDA and FDA are subject to inspections and recalls. Unapproved sources are not. If contaminated product enters the kitchen from an unverified supplier, investigators have nowhere to start.
The employee illness reporting failure compounds that risk directly. Norovirus, the most common cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurant settings, spreads person-to-person and through food handled by infected workers. An employee who does not report symptoms, and a manager who does not enforce reporting, creates a direct transmission route from kitchen to customer.
Inadequate shellfish traceability is a separate but equally serious gap. Shellfish are filter feeders that concentrate bacteria and viruses from surrounding water. They are often consumed raw or lightly cooked, which means heat does not eliminate the risk. Without proper harvest records, there is no way to link a sick customer back to a contaminated shellfish bed, and no way to pull the product before more people are exposed.
The two separate toxic chemical violations, one for improper storage and labeling, one for improper identification and use, mean that cleaning agents or pesticides were present near food or food-contact surfaces in ways that could cause acute poisoning. These are not theoretical risks. Chemical contamination from improperly stored cleaners is one of the fastest-acting causes of foodborne illness, with symptoms appearing within minutes.
The Longer Record
Di Napoli Inspection History: High-Severity Violations
The August 25 inspection was not an anomaly. State records show Di Napoli has been inspected 33 times and has accumulated 643 total violations across its history. The restaurant has never been emergency-closed.
In February 2026, inspectors documented 12 high-severity violations and 6 intermediate ones. Two months later, in April 2026, the count was 10 high and 3 intermediate. The August 25 inspection, with 11 high violations, fell between those two benchmarks. It was not the worst inspection on record. It was closer to the average.
Going back further, February 2025 also produced 12 high-severity violations. The pattern across eight documented inspections in this data set shows the restaurant has never logged fewer than 5 high-severity violations in a single visit.
A two-day follow-up inspection on August 27 showed 5 high and 1 intermediate violations remaining, a reduction but not a resolution.
Open for Business
Florida law allows inspectors to order an emergency closure when conditions pose an immediate threat to public health. Eleven high-severity violations, including food from unverified sources, employees not reporting illness, and toxic chemicals improperly stored near food, did not meet that threshold at Di Napoli on August 25.
The restaurant served customers that day.
