TAMPA, FL. Back in January 2026, a state inspector walked into a Tampa Dollar Tree and found green and orange buildup coating the walk-in cooler floor, along with standing water pooling beneath it.
That finding was one of seven violations documented during a Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services inspection of Dollar Tree #4855, a minor outlet with perishables, on January 14, 2026. None of the violations were corrected on site before the inspector left.
What Inspectors Found
The cooler conditions drew the most detailed inspector observations. In the retail area, the inspector recorded mold-like buildup on the middle and bottom shelving of the reach-in cooler, as well as dust and residue buildup on the bottom shelving in the chips and candy section. In the back room, the inspector described "green and orange build-up and standing water on walk-in cooler floor."
The store also lacked a probe thermometer in the retail area. The inspector noted no temperature violation was observed during the visit, but without a working thermometer on hand, staff had no tool to verify that perishable items were being held at safe temperatures.
The store had no written procedures for employees to follow in the event of a vomiting or diarrheal incident. The inspector provided information about those procedures to the person in charge during the visit.
No handwashing sign was posted at the sink in the employee toilet room. The store also could not produce proof of a certified food protection manager, and the 2026 food permit was not conspicuously displayed, though the inspector confirmed it was active in the state system.
What These Violations Mean
The mold-like buildup inside the reach-in cooler and the green and orange residue on the walk-in cooler floor are not cosmetic problems. Coolers that are not regularly cleaned become environments where bacteria can transfer to food packaging and surfaces that employees and customers handle. At a store selling perishable items, a contaminated cooler is a direct contact point for the products on its shelves.
The missing probe thermometer matters because temperature is the primary tool food handlers use to confirm that perishables are safe. Dollar Tree #4855 sells refrigerated items, and without a thermometer readily accessible, employees have no reliable way to catch a cooler that has drifted into the temperature range where bacteria multiply rapidly. The inspector found no temperature violation on this visit, but the absence of the tool means any such problem could go undetected.
The lack of written vomiting and diarrheal event procedures is a preparedness gap with real consequences. When a customer or employee has a norovirus-type illness in a food retail space, a specific cleanup protocol exists to prevent the pathogen from spreading to surfaces and products. Without written procedures, employees are left to improvise, which increases the risk of cross-contamination to items other shoppers will later purchase.
The missing handwashing sign in the employee restroom is a low-cost fix with direct food safety implications. Employees who do not wash their hands after using the restroom can transfer pathogens to products and surfaces throughout the store.
The Longer Record
The missing probe thermometer was flagged as a repeat violation, meaning inspectors had cited Dollar Tree #4855 for this same deficiency before the January 14 visit. A store that sells perishables and has been told more than once to keep a thermometer accessible, and still does not have one on hand during a follow-up inspection, is not treating the citation as a prompt to change.
The inspection data does not specify how many prior inspections are on record for this location, but the repeat designation on the thermometer violation confirms at least one prior citation for the same problem. That a basic, inexpensive piece of equipment remained unavailable across multiple inspection cycles is the clearest indicator in this record of a compliance gap that has not been closed.
The January 14 inspection result was listed as "Met Sanitation Inspection Requirements," meaning the store was not ordered to close and was deemed to have satisfied the minimum threshold for continued operation. That designation does not mean all violations were resolved. Zero of the seven violations were corrected on site during the inspection.
What Remained Unresolved
When the inspector left Dollar Tree #4855 on January 14, 2026, the mold-like buildup on the reach-in cooler shelving was still there. The green and orange residue and standing water on the walk-in cooler floor had not been addressed. The store still had no probe thermometer, no written vomiting and diarrheal event procedures, no handwashing sign in the employee restroom, and no certified food protection manager on record.
All seven violations remained open at the close of the inspection.