PALM COAST, FL. Back in February 2026, a state food safety inspector walked into the Dollar Tree #4177 on Palm Coast and found raw bacon stored directly adjacent to and touching ready-to-eat deli turkey on the retail floor.
That was not the only cross-contamination problem. Inside the walk-in refrigerator, a carton of raw shelled eggs was sitting directly on top of ready-to-eat bottled beverages. A store manager separated the items during the inspection, but neither correction happened before the inspector arrived.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services conducted the February 9 inspection and documented 16 total violations, including one priority violation and one repeat citation. None were corrected on site in advance of the visit.
What Inspectors Found
The inspector found daylight visible through a gap in the front entrance door, a condition the report described as "allowing for possible pest intrusion." Dead insects caught in spider webs were documented in the ceiling of the restroom area.
Water was leaking from the walk-in refrigerator's condenser unit directly onto ready-to-eat bottled beverages on the shelf below. A pool of water had accumulated on the walk-in floor as a result. The manager mopped it up during the inspection.
Foods in both the retail floor and the storage area were sitting directly on the floor, exposed to splash, dust, and other contaminants. In the walk-in cooler and throughout dry storage, inverted soda crates were being used as makeshift shelving for packaged beverages.
The store's food establishment permit was not displayed when the inspector arrived, and the manager initially could not produce the current permit. The manager eventually provided it during the inspection.
An employee had stored personal food on bags of retail ice rather than in a designated break area. Retail shelving where prepackaged foods are stored showed an accumulation of dust and dirt. The hand-washing sinks in the employee restrooms had a buildup of dirt, and the men's restroom was missing a sign reminding employees to wash their hands.
The dumpster area's trash and recyclable receptacles were missing required drain plugs.
What These Violations Mean
The cross-contamination finding is the most direct food safety risk in this inspection. Raw animal proteins like bacon carry pathogens including salmonella and listeria. When raw meat is in physical contact with ready-to-eat products, those pathogens transfer without any cooking step to eliminate them. A shopper who picked up that deli turkey and served it without further cooking had no way of knowing it had been in contact with raw bacon.
The same logic applies to the raw eggs stored on top of bottled beverages. Eggshells carry salmonella on their exterior surfaces. Storing a carton directly on drinks that customers take home and consume without cooking creates a direct contamination pathway.
The absence of a thin-tipped probe thermometer compounds the temperature risk. Without a functioning thermometer, store staff had no reliable way to verify that cold products arriving on delivery trucks or held in the walk-in refrigerator were at safe temperatures. The leaking condenser in that same walk-in raises the question of whether the unit was maintaining proper cold temperatures at all.
The store also had no written procedures for cleaning up vomit or diarrheal events, a requirement that exists because norovirus and other pathogens spread rapidly through improper cleanup. The inspector provided a guidance handout during the visit.
A Repeat Problem at the Top
The citation for having no certified food protection manager was a repeat violation, meaning inspectors had flagged the same deficiency before. The inspector noted that no certificate was provided during the February visit, the manager on duty was unable to answer basic food safety questions, and the inspection itself produced at least one priority violation, all three conditions that together triggered the "demonstration of knowledge not in compliance" finding.
A certified food protection manager is not a formality. That person is the point of accountability for decisions about food storage, temperature control, cross-contamination prevention, and employee hygiene. When that role is absent or unfilled, the conditions documented in this inspection become more likely, not less.
The Longer Record
The February 9 inspection carried the designation "Met Sanitation Inspection Requirements, Check Back Needed," meaning the store passed the threshold to remain open but inspectors planned a follow-up visit. That follow-up came on March 17, 2026, and recorded zero violations.
The single follow-up inspection showing a clean record is a narrow window into this location's history. What the February record establishes is that at least one of the serious findings, the absence of a certified food protection manager, had been documented before the February visit. That violation was not corrected between the prior inspection and February 9.
The gap between zero violations in March and 16 violations in February, including three priority-level findings and a repeat citation, reflects how quickly conditions can shift in a retail food environment without consistent management oversight. The store had no thermometer to check cold products, no written emergency procedures, and no certified manager on the day inspectors walked in.
The leaking condenser that was dripping onto bottled beverages in the walk-in refrigerator was still present when the inspector arrived in February. No correction for that equipment failure was recorded on site.