FLORIDA. A Tampa sushi restaurant accumulated 13 high-severity violations in a single inspection last week, the highest critical count among Florida's ten worst-scoring restaurants for the week of August 4 through August 10, 2026.
The Week's Worst
Shogun Sushi on North Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa drew 13 high-severity citations and 3 intermediate violations in a single inspection. Among the findings: no written employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved or unknown sources, food in poor condition or adulterated, inadequate shellfish traceability records, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
That cluster of violations, particularly food from unapproved sources combined with no illness reporting policy, is among the most dangerous combinations an inspector can document at a raw-fish operation.
Jax Snappers on Northeast Jacksonville Road in Ocala was cited for 12 high-severity violations and 8 intermediate violations, the heaviest intermediate count of the week. Inspectors cited the restaurant for no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, inadequate shellfish records, parasite destruction procedures not followed, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and time as a public health control not properly used.
The parasite destruction citation is notable for a seafood restaurant. Without proper freezing protocols, parasites including Anisakis and tapeworm can survive in fish served to customers.
Spicy Girl on International Drive in Orlando accumulated 12 high-severity and 6 intermediate violations. The inspection found no person in charge present or performing duties, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, inadequate shellfish records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and time as a public health control not properly used. International Drive draws millions of tourists annually, many of them unfamiliar with where they are eating.
Samira's Cafe on Bartram Oaks Walk in Saint Johns matched that count with 12 high-severity violations and 3 intermediate violations. Inspectors documented no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, inadequate shellfish records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and food not cooked to required minimum temperatures.
Undercooked food combined with a sourcing violation is a compounding risk. Pathogens that might have been introduced through an uninspected supply chain survive if cooking temperatures are never reached.
China Buffet on East Fowler Avenue in Tampa also drew 12 high-severity citations, with 3 intermediate violations. The inspection found no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing by employees, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, inadequate shellfish records, and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces. Tampa produced two restaurants in the week's top ten.
Aoki Teppanyaki at North Kendall Drive in Miami was cited for 11 high-severity violations and 5 intermediate violations. Inspectors found no person in charge, no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, inadequate shellfish records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and food not cooked to required minimum temperatures. The inadequate handwashing facilities citation is distinct from technique: it means the physical infrastructure for hand hygiene was itself insufficient.
Tropical Cafeteria on East 9th Street in Hialeah drew 6 high-severity violations and 2 intermediate violations. The findings included inadequate handwashing by employees, parasite destruction procedures not followed, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. The chemical storage citation sets this inspection apart from most others on the list.
Angelo's on 1st Avenue North in St. Petersburg was cited for 6 high-severity violations and 4 intermediate violations. Inspectors documented no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing by employees, inadequate shellfish records, time as a public health control not properly used, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and no allergen awareness demonstrated. The allergen citation is one of only two recorded this week across all ten facilities.
Crafty Crab Restaurant on Northeast 8th Street in Homestead drew 4 high-severity violations and 1 intermediate violation. Inspectors cited improper handwashing technique, inadequate shellfish records, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and no allergen awareness demonstrated. A seafood-focused restaurant without shellfish traceability records and without allergen awareness protocols presents a specific risk profile.
Thai Spice Kitchen on Bowden Road in Jacksonville was included in this week's top-ten list but recorded zero high-severity violations and zero intermediate violations at inspection.
What These Violations Mean
The most common high-severity finding across this week's ten inspections was inadequate shellfish traceability records, cited at seven of the ten facilities: Shogun Sushi, Jax Snappers, Spicy Girl, Samira's Cafe, China Buffet, Aoki Teppanyaki, Angelo's, and Crafty Crab. Shellfish, including oysters, clams, and mussels, are frequently consumed raw or lightly cooked. Without proper identification tags and purchase records, there is no way to trace an outbreak back to a harvesting source, no way to issue a targeted recall, and no way to warn other customers who ate from the same batch.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources was documented at five facilities this week: Shogun Sushi, Jax Snappers, Spicy Girl, Samira's Cafe, China Buffet, and Aoki Teppanyaki. Unapproved sources bypass federal and state inspection systems. That means the food could be carrying Listeria, Salmonella, or other pathogens, and there is no paper trail if someone gets sick.
The employee illness cluster, no health policy combined with employees not reporting symptoms, appeared at Shogun Sushi, Jax Snappers, Spicy Girl, Samira's Cafe, and China Buffet. Norovirus, the leading cause of foodborne illness in the United States, is transmitted person to person through exactly this pathway. A single sick food worker without any reporting obligation can expose dozens or hundreds of customers before anyone identifies the source.
Toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled appeared at two facilities, Tropical Cafeteria in Hialeah and Crafty Crab in Homestead. This violation is not about food preparation technique. It means cleaning agents, sanitizers, or other hazardous substances were stored in a location or manner where they could physically contaminate food or be mistaken for a food-safe product.
The Longer Record
The data for this week does not include prior inspection counts for each facility, which limits direct comparison of this week's findings against each restaurant's historical record. What the inspection records do show is the geographic spread of the week's most serious violations: Tampa contributed two facilities to the top ten, and Miami-Dade County contributed two more, with Hialeah and Homestead both appearing alongside Aoki Teppanyaki in Miami proper.
The concentration of food-from-unapproved-sources violations across five separate facilities in five separate cities, Tampa, Ocala, Orlando, Saint Johns, and Miami, is notable. That violation does not happen by accident. It reflects a sourcing decision, a choice to purchase food outside the regulated supply chain, and it appeared at more than half of the week's worst-rated inspections.
Jax Snappers in Ocala stands out for its intermediate violation count. Eight intermediate violations alongside 12 high-severity citations suggests systemic problems that extend beyond any single practice or employee. Intermediate violations typically cover training, record-keeping, and procedural compliance. That many in one visit, at a facility also missing basic illness reporting and sourcing documentation, points to an operation with multiple layers of compliance gaps.
Samira's Cafe in Saint Johns is a suburban location in one of Florida's fastest-growing counties. The combination of no person in charge, food from unapproved sources, and food not cooked to required temperatures, documented in the same inspection, means that neither the sourcing nor the cooking process provided any safety margin for customers who ate there that week.
