FLORIDA. Three restaurants across the state each racked up 13 high-severity violations during the week of July 10, the worst single-week tally in this accounting, with inspectors documenting failures that ranged from food sourced outside regulated supply chains to employees not reporting illness symptoms to missing shellfish traceability records.
The findings stretch from Homestead to Lake City to Gainesville, with additional serious inspections in Orlando, Ocala, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Hialeah, and Miami. Taken together, the ten worst inspections of the week produced more than 90 high-severity violations across ten facilities in nine cities.
The Three at the Top
MayaMex Restaurant on N Krome Avenue in Homestead led the week with 13 high-severity violations and 5 intermediate, a combination that inspectors documented as reaching across nearly every category of serious food safety failure. The record shows no person in charge performing duties, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition or mislabeled, inadequate shellfish identification records, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
That is eight distinct categories of high-severity failure in a single inspection.
La Fiesta Tacos and Tequila on W US Highway 90 in Lake City matched that count at 13 high-severity violations, with inspectors noting a different but equally serious cluster of failures. The Lake City inspection flagged inadequate handwashing by food employees, inadequate handwashing facilities, and improper hand and arm washing technique, all three handwashing violation categories, alongside no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting symptoms, food from unapproved sources, and missing shellfish identification records.
Three separate handwashing violations at a single facility means the infrastructure was inadequate, the practice was inadequate, and the technique was inadequate, simultaneously.
Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant on SW 2nd Avenue in Gainesville also reached 13 high-severity violations, with inspectors documenting food not cooked to the required minimum temperature alongside inadequate handwashing facilities, improper technique, food from unapproved sources, missing shellfish records, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and employees not reporting illness. No person in charge was present or performing duties.
The Next Tier
Rico Chino Asian Cuisine on S Semoran Boulevard in Orlando recorded 12 high-severity violations, including one that did not appear at any other facility on this week's list: food contaminated by chemical, physical, or biological hazards. Inspectors also cited food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition or adulterated, missing shellfish records, parasite destruction procedures not followed, no employee health policy, employees not reporting symptoms, and no person in charge.
Southern Pig and Cattle Co II on SW Highway 200 in Ocala drew 12 high-severity violations with only one intermediate, a ratio that reflects concentrated serious deficiencies rather than a general accumulation of minor issues. Inspectors documented food not cooked to required minimum temperature, food from unapproved sources, missing shellfish records, parasite destruction procedures not followed, food contact surfaces not properly sanitized, improper handwashing technique, employees not reporting symptoms, and no person in charge.
A barbecue restaurant with undercooking violations and missing parasite destruction records is a specific combination worth noting.
Cilantro Asian Bistro on W SR 84 in Davie also reached 12 high-severity violations, with all three handwashing violation categories present, the same pattern as La Fiesta in Lake City. The Davie inspection added missing shellfish records and parasite destruction procedures not followed, alongside no employee health policy, employees not reporting symptoms, and no person in charge.
Sushi Sake on SW 42nd Street in Miami logged 11 high-severity violations and 5 intermediate, the highest intermediate count on the week's list alongside MayaMex and La Fiesta. Inspectors cited time as a public health control not properly used, meaning food was held in the temperature danger zone beyond safe limits without documentation. Food from unapproved sources, food contact surfaces not properly sanitized, inadequate handwashing by employees, improper technique, no employee health policy, employees not reporting symptoms, and no person in charge rounded out the high-severity findings.
The Lower End of a Bad Week
El Fogon Dreams on Davie Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale recorded 4 high-severity violations and 3 intermediate, including an intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal, a citation that does not appear at any other facility this week. The high-severity findings included food not cooked to required minimum temperature, food contact surfaces not properly sanitized, no employee health policy, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Inspectors also noted inadequate ventilation and improperly cleaned multi-use utensils.
Big Crazy Taco on N Krome Avenue in Homestead drew 4 high-severity violations, with inspectors documenting parasite destruction procedures not followed, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, inadequate handwashing by food employees, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. The facility is on the same street as MayaMex, the week's top violator, making Homestead's N Krome Avenue corridor notable for two separate serious inspections in the same week.
Cuba Lives Restaurant on W 12th Avenue in Hialeah rounded out the list with 4 high-severity violations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, a citation that appeared at no other facility this week. The inspection also found no employee health policy, food contact surfaces not properly sanitized, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. An intermediate violation for single-use items improperly reused was also documented.
What These Violations Mean
The most common high-severity violation this week was the cluster of illness-policy failures: no employee health policy, employees not reporting symptoms, and no person in charge. These three citations appeared together at MayaMex, La Fiesta, Las Carretas, Rico Chino, Southern Pig and Cattle, Cilantro Asian Bistro, and Sushi Sake. When all three appear simultaneously, it reflects a system where sick employees have no policy telling them to stay home, no mechanism for reporting their symptoms, and no manager present to catch the gap. CDC data identifies food worker illness as the primary driver of multi-victim norovirus outbreaks.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources appeared at six of the ten facilities this week: MayaMex, La Fiesta, Las Carretas, Rico Chino, Southern Pig and Cattle, and Sushi Sake. Unapproved sourcing means the food bypassed USDA and FDA inspection at the point of origin. If a customer becomes ill and investigators need to trace the source, there is no supply chain record to follow.
Shellfish traceability violations appeared at seven of the ten facilities, the single most widespread specific citation this week. Shellfish consumed raw or lightly cooked, including oysters, clams, and mussels, carry elevated risk for Vibrio and norovirus. The traceability requirement exists specifically so that if an illness cluster emerges, the harvest location can be identified and the supply pulled. Without those records, the chain of accountability breaks at the restaurant.
Parasite destruction procedures not followed appeared at five facilities: MayaMex, Big Crazy Taco, Rico Chino, Southern Pig and Cattle, and Cilantro Asian Bistro. This violation applies most directly to raw or undercooked fish dishes. Without documented freezing to required temperatures, parasites including Anisakis in fish and Trichinella in pork can survive to the plate.
The Longer Record
The data does not include prior inspection counts for these facilities, which limits the ability to place this week's findings in full historical context. What the record does show is that several of these facilities carry inspection ID numbers suggesting they are not new to the state's licensing system. Las Carretas Mexican Restaurant in Gainesville carries license identifier SEA1103692, a lower sequence number than most others on this week's list, suggesting a longer operating history in the state system than facilities with identifiers in the SEA23 range.
Homestead appears twice on this week's list, with MayaMex and Big Crazy Taco both drawing serious inspections. Both are on N Krome Avenue. MayaMex logged 13 high-severity violations; Big Crazy Taco logged 4. Two facilities on the same street, inspected in the same week, with overlapping violation categories including parasite destruction and food contact surface sanitation.
The three facilities tied at 13 high-severity violations each span the state geographically, from South Florida to North Central Florida, which means this is not a regional or single-district pattern. The consistency of the illness-policy failure cluster across seven of the ten facilities, present from Lake City to Miami to Davie to Ocala, points to a statewide compliance gap in the most basic layer of food safety management.
Sushi Sake in Miami logged 5 intermediate violations alongside its 11 high-severity citations. The intermediate count matters because intermediate violations, including failures in food safety knowledge, employee training, and food manager certification, are the structural layer beneath the acute failures. At Sushi Sake, both layers were compromised in the same inspection.
