TAMPA, FL. Back in January 2026, state inspectors walked into Don Miguel Latin Market on a routine check and found the convenience store and deli operating without a valid food permit, croquettes and potato balls sitting in a hot holding cabinet at 122 degrees Fahrenheit, and flats of raw shell eggs left sitting on top of coolers at ambient temperature.
The inspection, conducted January 30 by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, turned up 12 total violations, including two priority violations directly tied to food temperature and two priority-foundation violations involving an inoperable handwashing sink and unlabeled chemical containers. None of the violations were corrected before inspectors arrived. One was a repeat.
What Inspectors Found
The temperature problems extended well beyond the hot holding cabinet. In the back room, sliced deli meats, cheese, tomato, and lettuce, all cut on site, were measured between 53 and 60 degrees after being placed on a counter. In the food service area, packaged unsliced deli meats and cheeses recently placed in the open top deli cooler measured 53 degrees. The cooler's ambient air temperature was reading 50 degrees, well above the required 41.
Flats of raw shell eggs and raw shell quail eggs had been removed from temperature and were sitting on top of coolers at room temperature. Inspectors noted the eggs were "recently removed from temperature," but no internal reading was recorded.
The back room handwashing sink had no hot or cold running water at all. The inspector noted an adjacent sink in a nearby cooking area was accessible, but the primary sink in the back room, where food was being prepared and stored, was nonfunctional.
Three squeeze bottles containing soap, chlorine, and degreaser were stored near the three-compartment sink in the warewashing area without labels identifying their contents. Shredded pork, ground beef, and sliced turkey, all prepared more than 24 hours before the inspection, were held in a white cooler with no date markings.
Dead roaches turned up in two separate locations: one in the handwashing sink in the back room and one in a drawer in the food service area. The inspector noted no signs of ongoing infestation at the time of inspection.
The hemp extract signage violation was a repeat. Inspectors had previously cited the store for failing to post the required notice stating that sales of hemp extract intended for inhalation to persons under 21 are prohibited and that proof of age is required.
Operating Without a Permit
The store was operating without a valid food permit when inspectors arrived. Records show an application had been submitted, and inspectors noted the establishment had 10 days to remit the appropriate fee. The inspection itself was classified as an "Operating Without a Valid Food Permit, Met Sanitation" inspection, meaning the store was allowed to continue operating after the visit.
The store also had no certified food protection manager on staff, a foundational requirement for establishments that handle ready-to-eat and temperature-sensitive foods.
What These Violations Mean
The temperature violations here are the most direct public health concern. Hot food held below 135 degrees and cold food held above 41 degrees both fall into what food safety regulators call the "danger zone," the range between 41 and 135 degrees where bacteria like Salmonella, Listeria, and Staph aureus multiply rapidly. Croquettes and potato balls at 122 degrees, and deli meats sliced on site measuring up to 60 degrees, had both crossed into that range. The longer food sits in that zone, the higher the bacterial load becomes.
Raw shell eggs left at ambient temperature carry a particular Salmonella risk. Eggs removed from refrigeration and held at room temperature can allow any Salmonella present on or in the shell to multiply quickly, and the inspector's notes indicate the eggs had been sitting out, not just briefly handled.
The nonfunctional handwashing sink in the back room matters because it removes a critical barrier between food handling and contamination. When the designated sink cannot be used, employees are less likely to wash hands as often or at all, and cross-contamination from raw proteins to ready-to-eat foods becomes more likely.
Unlabeled chemical bottles near food preparation equipment are a poisoning risk. Chlorine and degreaser in unmarked squeeze bottles are easily confused with food-safe sanitizers or water, particularly during a busy prep shift.
The Longer Record
The January 30 inspection was classified as an operating-without-a-permit check, meaning the store had already lapsed on its licensing before inspectors made contact. That the permit application had been submitted but fees not yet paid suggests an administrative gap, but the underlying food safety conditions inspectors found, two temperature priority violations, a broken handwashing sink, unlabeled chemicals, and undated ready-to-eat proteins, go beyond paperwork.
The repeat violation on hemp extract signage indicates this was not the store's first inspection. The same missing age-restriction notice had been cited before, and the sign was still not posted when inspectors returned in January.
No violations were corrected before inspectors arrived. Several were addressed during the inspection itself: out-of-temperature foods were moved to freezers, the date marking was added, bottles were labeled, and a repair technician arrived mid-inspection to work on the failing deli cooler. The handwashing sink in the back room, however, remained without running water at the time the inspection report was filed.