WINTER HAVEN, FL. Back in December, a state inspector walked into a Winter Haven Dollar General and found bottles of baby body wash displayed directly above baby food on the retail shelf, suntan lotion positioned over ready-to-eat foods in the clearance aisle, and household cleaners stacked above single-use plates and cups.
Those were among nine violations documented at Dollar General #1529 on its December 10, 2025 inspection, conducted by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Two of the violations were priority-level findings, meaning inspectors considered them the most direct threat to consumer safety.
What Inspectors Found
The chemical storage findings were the most specific. According to the inspector's notes, cleaners sat above single-use plates and cups in the clearance aisle. Suntan lotion bottles were positioned over ready-to-eat foods on the same aisle. On a separate shelf, bottles of baby body wash were displayed directly above baby food. All three situations were corrected during the visit, with the inspector noting that staff moved the chemicals to another location.
The second priority violation involved the backroom cooler. Cartons of raw shell eggs were stored above plant-based beverages in the reach-in cooler. The eggs were moved to the bottom shelf during the inspection.
Beyond the priority findings, the inspector flagged that the reach-in display cooler holding ready-to-eat hot dogs and bacon was missing its door handle. Cardboard used to line the retail display shelf beneath bags of chips had a visible grease buildup. The receiving doors in the backroom had a gap large enough to concern the inspector as a potential entry point for insects and rodents. The store's 2025 food permit was not displayed.
No food probe thermometer was available for checking temperatures on temperature-controlled foods. There were no written procedures for employees to follow in the event of a vomiting or diarrheal incident. The store also had no certified food protection manager certificate on file. The inspector provided handouts on both the cleanup procedures and the certification requirement.
What These Violations Mean
The chemical storage violations are the most straightforward hazard in this inspection record. Household cleaners, personal care products, and chemicals stored above food or food-contact surfaces create a contamination risk if a bottle tips, leaks, or drips. Baby body wash above baby food is a specific scenario where the potential victim is an infant with no ability to detect or avoid the contamination. State food safety rules require toxic and poisonous materials to be stored and displayed in a way that prevents any possibility of contaminating food, and the arrangement at Dollar General #1529 failed that standard on three separate shelving locations in the same visit.
The raw egg storage problem matters because shell eggs carry Salmonella risk. Storing them above ready-to-eat items, in this case plant-based beverages that customers would consume without cooking, creates a path for contamination if an egg cracks or leaks. Moving the eggs to the bottom shelf eliminates that path.
The missing thermometer is a quieter but consequential finding. Dollar General #1529 is classified as a Minor Outlet with Perishables, meaning it stocks temperature-controlled foods like the hot dogs and bacon sitting in the handleless cooler. Without a probe thermometer, employees have no reliable way to verify those products are being held at safe temperatures. If the cooler is underperforming, there is no tool on hand to catch it.
The gap in the receiving doors is a structural problem. A gap large enough for the inspector to flag is large enough for insects and rodents to use. Unlike a roach found in a kitchen, a structural gap is a persistent condition that exists every night after the store closes.
The Longer Record
Dollar General #1529 has a short inspection history with FDACS. The December 2025 visit was only the second documented inspection at this location, following a June 2021 inspection that turned up two violations and also met requirements.
The gap between those two inspections spans more than three years. The December 2025 inspection produced nine violations, a significant jump from the two recorded in 2021, though none of the December findings were marked as repeats of prior cited problems.
None of the five violations that were not corrected on site, including the missing thermometer, the gap in the receiving doors, the grease-lined chip shelf, the missing door handle, and the absent written cleanup procedures, were resolved before the inspector left the building.
