FLORIDA. A Miami restaurant accumulated 14 high-severity violations in a single inspection during the week of August 22, the worst score in the state for that period, with citations ranging from food sourced from unapproved suppliers to parasite destruction procedures not followed on fish and shellfish without traceable identification records.
The Week's Worst
Rinconcito Miami 2 on SW 137th Avenue drew 14 high-severity citations, the highest tally in the state for the week. Inspectors documented that no person in charge was present or performing duties, that employees were not reporting illness symptoms, and that food had been sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers. The restaurant also had shellfish on hand without adequate identification records, meaning that if a customer became ill, tracing the source of those oysters, clams, or mussels back through the supply chain would be impossible.
The inspection also cited parasite destruction procedures not followed, a finding that applies to fish and shellfish served raw or undercooked. Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized, and food was not cooked to required minimum temperatures.
Rinconcito Latino Mixto on NW 10th Avenue, a separate Miami location, recorded 12 high-severity violations. Inspectors there found no person in charge, no written employee health policy, inadequate handwashing by food employees, and inadequate handwashing facilities, a combination that essentially removes every barrier between a sick employee and the food being served. The facility also had food from unapproved sources and shellfish without traceable identification records.
100 Montaditos Midtown on NE 1st Avenue also reached 12 high-severity violations. The Spanish fast-casual chain's Miami location was cited for no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, food from unapproved sources, shellfish without identification records, food contact surfaces not properly sanitized, and food not cooked to minimum required temperatures.
Beyond Miami
The week's worst inspections were not confined to South Florida, though Miami and its surrounding cities claimed six of the ten slots.
Hilton Garden Inn Orlando I-4 Millenia Blvd Mall on Millenia Place Drive recorded 11 high-severity violations, the highest count outside Miami-Dade and Broward. Inspectors found no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing and inadequate handwashing facilities, food in poor condition or adulterated, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and food not cooked to required minimum temperatures. The hotel's restaurant drew three intermediate violations as well.
Fontana Restaurant on Anastasia Avenue in Coral Gables matched the Hilton's 11 high-severity count and added seven intermediate violations, the most intermediate citations of any facility on this week's list. Inspectors cited food from unapproved sources, shellfish without identification records, parasite destruction procedures not followed, food contact surfaces not properly sanitized, and food not cooked to minimum temperatures.
Cafe Panisse on SW 57th Avenue in Miami recorded nine high-severity violations. Among the citations: food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food preparation areas. The restaurant also had no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods, meaning customers with compromised immune systems had no way of knowing which items carried elevated risk.
Akaya Grill and Sushi on Oakleaf Plantation Parkway in Orange Park, outside Jacksonville, drew seven high-severity violations. The sushi restaurant had no written employee health policy, food from unapproved sources, food contact surfaces not properly sanitized, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. Multi-use utensils were also cited as not properly cleaned, a finding that creates bacterial biofilm risk on surfaces that directly contact food.
Nine Spices Hot Pot on Countryside Boulevard in Clearwater accumulated six high-severity violations and zero intermediate citations. Inspectors found no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, parasite destruction procedures not followed, food contact surfaces not properly sanitized, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, and no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff. For a hot pot restaurant where customers cook their own food at the table, the combination of undercooked food citations and no allergen awareness is notable.
Panaderia Colombiana Mi Cali on W 60th Street in Hialeah drew five high-severity violations alongside five intermediate citations. Two of the high-severity findings involved chemicals: toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. The facility also had no written employee health policy and food contact surfaces not properly sanitized. An intermediate citation for improper sewage or waste water disposal rounded out a list that covered nearly every category of food safety failure.
Thai Chilli Pepper on Oakfield Drive in Brandon recorded one high-severity violation, for food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and one intermediate citation for inadequate cooling or cold holding equipment. Its presence on this list reflects the relatively clean week for the rest of the state rather than a particularly alarming inspection.
What These Violations Mean
The single most prevalent finding this week, appearing at seven of the ten facilities, was no person in charge present or performing duties. That citation is not a paperwork technicality. CDC data shows establishments without active managerial control accumulate critical violations at three times the rate of supervised kitchens. At Rinconcito Miami 2, Rinconcito Latino Mixto, 100 Montaditos Midtown, Cafe Panisse, the Hilton Garden Inn Orlando, Fontana Restaurant, and Nine Spices Hot Pot, inspectors arrived and found kitchens operating without anyone accountable for the food being served.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources appeared at five facilities: Rinconcito Miami 2, Rinconcito Latino Mixto, 100 Montaditos Midtown, Fontana Restaurant, and Akaya Grill and Sushi. When food enters a kitchen through an unapproved supplier, it bypasses USDA and FDA safety inspections. If a customer becomes ill, investigators have no supply chain to trace. This is not a labeling problem; it is a traceability problem that makes outbreak investigation substantially harder.
Shellfish without adequate identification records appeared at four facilities: Rinconcito Miami 2, Rinconcito Latino Mixto, 100 Montaditos Midtown, and Fontana Restaurant. Oysters, clams, and mussels are consumed raw or lightly cooked and are among the highest-risk foods in any kitchen. The tag system that tracks shellfish from harvest waters to the table exists specifically because shellfish-related illnesses, including Vibrio and hepatitis A, are difficult to diagnose quickly. Without those records, the chain breaks entirely.
Parasite destruction failures at Rinconcito Miami 2, the Hilton Garden Inn Orlando, Fontana Restaurant, and Nine Spices Hot Pot mean that fish being served raw or undercooked, whether as sushi, ceviche, or a lightly seared preparation, was not subjected to the freezing protocols that kill Anisakis worms and tapeworm larvae. Customers eating those dishes had no knowledge that the standard safety step had been skipped.
The Longer Record
The two Rinconcito locations lead this week's list by a wide margin and share several of the same violation categories, including food from unapproved sources, shellfish traceability failures, and absent management. Rinconcito Miami 2 on SW 137th Avenue and Rinconcito Latino Mixto on NW 10th Avenue are separate addresses under similar branding, and both produced double-digit high-severity counts in the same inspection week.
Fontana Restaurant carries the distinction of the most combined violations on this week's list when high-severity and intermediate citations are totaled together: 18. The Coral Gables address, located at the Biltmore Hotel on Anastasia Avenue, recorded seven intermediate violations alongside its 11 high-severity findings. The breadth of the intermediate citations suggests the problems inspectors documented were not isolated to one station or one shift.
Akaya Grill and Sushi in Orange Park and Nine Spices Hot Pot in Clearwater are the only two facilities on this week's list located outside the South Florida and Orlando markets. Both serve raw or undercooked fish as a core part of their menus, and both were cited for failures that directly affect the safety of those preparations: unapproved food sources at Akaya, parasite destruction failures at Nine Spices.
Panaderia Colombiana Mi Cali in Hialeah drew the most chemically specific citations of the week. Two separate high-severity violations involved toxic substances, one for improper storage or labeling of chemicals and one for improper identification, storage, or use of toxic substances. A bakery handles food at nearly every surface, and improperly stored chemicals in that environment represent a direct contamination risk that has nothing to do with temperature or sourcing.
Thai Chilli Pepper in Brandon recorded one high-severity violation, but the intermediate citation for inadequate cooling equipment is worth noting on its own. Equipment that cannot maintain required cold temperatures does not fail on a single shift. It fails continuously, across every service, until it is repaired or replaced.
