MIAMI BEACH, FL. Food at FL Cafe at 1360 Collins Ave was not cooked to the required minimum temperature when state inspectors arrived on October 2, a violation that can allow pathogens like Salmonella in poultry to survive and reach a customer's plate.
That was one of seven high-severity violations inspectors documented that afternoon. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The full list reads like a cascade. Toxic substances were improperly identified, stored, or used, creating what inspectors categorize as an immediate risk of chemical contamination of food or surfaces. Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized, a primary vehicle for transferring bacteria from one food to another.
Handwashing failures compounded the picture. Inspectors cited both inadequate handwashing facilities and improper hand and arm washing technique. That combination means that even when an employee attempted to wash their hands, the infrastructure and the method both failed.
No consumer advisory was posted for raw or undercooked foods. That omission matters most for elderly customers, pregnant women, young children, and anyone with a compromised immune system, all of whom face elevated risk from pathogens that survive undercooking.
No person in charge was present or performing duties during the inspection. That single fact helps explain how the other six high-severity violations accumulated in the same visit.
What These Violations Mean
Undercooking is not a paperwork violation. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit, and a customer who eats undercooked meat has no way of knowing the food they ordered was not brought to a safe temperature. At a restaurant that also lacked a consumer advisory for undercooked items, vulnerable diners had no warning at all.
The improper storage and use of toxic substances sits in a separate category of risk. Cleaning chemicals stored near or above food preparation surfaces can contaminate food directly. Chemicals that are unlabeled or misidentified can be mistaken for food-safe products. The citation does not specify which substances were involved, but the violation class reflects an immediate, not a theoretical, hazard.
The handwashing failures are worth reading together. When a facility lacks adequate handwashing infrastructure and employees are also using improper technique, the result is that pathogens picked up from raw meat, soiled surfaces, or restrooms travel onto food with no effective barrier. CDC data cited in the inspection records indicates that establishments without active managerial control have three times more critical violations. FL Cafe had no person in charge on site.
Inadequate toilet facilities round out the hygiene picture. When restroom conditions discourage proper use or handwashing by employees, the contamination pathway from restroom to food prep surfaces becomes shorter.
The Longer Record
October 2 was not an outlier for FL Cafe. State records show 28 inspections on file and 191 total violations across that history.
The most recent inspections tell a consistent story. On February 23, 2026, inspectors found six high-severity violations and zero intermediate ones. On December 22, 2025, they documented eight high-severity violations and one intermediate. On December 23, 2025, just one day later, a follow-up visit still showed three high-severity violations remaining.
The restaurant was emergency-closed once before, on July 23, 2025, for roach activity. Inspectors returned the following day, July 24, and found three high-severity violations still present when they cleared the facility to reopen.
The Pattern
FL Cafe: Recent Inspection History
Of the eight most recent inspections on record, five produced high-severity violations in counts ranging from three to eight per visit. The two visits that produced zero high-severity findings, in April 2025 and January 2025, stand as exceptions in a record defined by repeat critical citations.
The October 2 inspection found seven high-severity violations at FL Cafe, more than any single visit in the prior year except the December 22, 2025 inspection that triggered a same-day follow-up. State records show the restaurant on Collins Avenue remained open.
