FLORIDA. Two restaurants in the Orlando area each accumulated 12 high-severity violations during a single inspection this week, leading a statewide list of the ten worst-scoring facilities found between October 9 and October 15, 2026, a stretch that also turned up unapproved food sources in Miami, improper parasite destruction at a Kissimmee resort, and toxic chemicals stored near food in Miami Lakes.
The Top of the List
Ming Garden on East Colonial Drive in Orlando led the week with 12 high-severity violations and 6 intermediate ones. Inspectors cited employees for both inadequate handwashing and improper handwashing technique, a combination that means workers were not washing their hands often enough and were not washing them correctly when they did. The restaurant also had food from an unapproved or unknown source, missing shellfish traceability records, parasite destruction procedures that were not followed, and food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Kitchen Bistro on West Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway in Kissimmee matched that count with 12 high-severity violations of its own. The inspection found no person in charge present or performing duties, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and inadequate handwashing facilities, meaning the physical infrastructure for hand hygiene was missing, not merely neglected. Food was also not cooked to the required minimum temperature, and shellfish records were absent.
Famous Amos on North Main Street in Jacksonville also reached 12 high-severity violations, with four intermediate violations added. Like Kitchen Bistro, inspectors found no manager present, no health policy, employees not reporting symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper technique, and missing shellfish records. The facility was also cited for not properly using time as a public health control, a violation that occurs when food is allowed to remain in the temperature danger zone without being tracked or discarded on schedule.
Miami, the Resort Strip, and the Burrito Chain
La Hormiga de Oro III on SW 147th Avenue in Miami drew 11 high-severity violations. The list there included food from an unapproved or unknown source, food found in poor condition or adulterated, inadequate shellfish identification records, and food not cooked to the required minimum temperature. No person in charge was present, and no employee health policy was in place.
Tijuana Flats Burrito Company on Highway 50 in Clermont produced the week's highest combined total when intermediate violations are counted alongside high-severity ones: 11 high and 7 intermediate, for 18 total. Parasite destruction procedures were not followed, food was not cooked to minimum temperature, food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned, and food was found in poor condition or mislabeled. The chain location also lacked an employee health policy and had employees who were not reporting illness symptoms.
Margaritaville Resort Orlando's Euphoria Bar and Grill on Fins Up Circle in Kissimmee recorded 11 high-severity violations at a resort destination that draws tourists from across the country. Inspectors found no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting symptoms, improper handwashing technique, missing shellfish records, parasite destruction procedures not followed, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and food not cooked to the required minimum temperature.
Salt and Ember on North Alexander Street in Mount Dora also reached 11 high-severity violations. That inspection turned up food from an unapproved or unknown source alongside the now-familiar cluster of no manager, no health policy, no illness reporting, and missing shellfish records. Parasite destruction procedures were not followed, and food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Latin American Grill on NW 79th Court in Miami Lakes drew 6 high-severity violations. Two of them involved toxic substances: chemicals were improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances were improperly identified, stored, or used. The restaurant also lacked a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, had missing shellfish records, had not followed parasite destruction procedures, and had food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned.
A Gourmet Chinese Cuisine on East Colonial Drive in Orlando had 3 high-severity violations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Inspectors also noted improper sewage or wastewater disposal, an intermediate violation that carries a risk of fecal contamination throughout a facility.
U Mi FL LLC on West US Highway 90 in Lake City had a single high-severity violation: employees were not reporting symptoms of illness.
What These Violations Mean
The most common high-severity finding across this week's list was the cluster of management and employee health failures: no person in charge, no written health policy, and employees not reporting illness symptoms. These three violations tend to appear together because they reflect the same underlying problem. When a manager is not actively overseeing a kitchen, the policies that prevent sick workers from handling food are not enforced. CDC data cited in the inspection records indicates that facilities without active managerial control accumulate critical violations at three times the rate of those with engaged oversight. That pattern showed up at La Hormiga de Oro III, Kitchen Bistro, Famous Amos, Margaritaville's Euphoria Bar and Grill, and Salt and Ember, all in the same week.
Parasite destruction failures appeared at five of the ten facilities: Ming Garden, Latin American Grill, Tijuana Flats, Margaritaville's Euphoria Bar and Grill, and Salt and Ember. When fish or pork is served without being frozen to the temperatures required to kill parasites such as Anisakis or Trichinella, those organisms can survive into the finished dish. This is not a theoretical risk at a facility that also lacks a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, as was the case at both Latin American Grill and A Gourmet Chinese Cuisine. Diners who are elderly, pregnant, or immunocompromised have no way to make an informed choice when that advisory is absent.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources was cited at La Hormiga de Oro III, Ming Garden, and Salt and Ember. The practical consequence of that violation is traceability: if a customer becomes ill after eating at one of those restaurants, investigators cannot trace the food back through the supply chain to identify a contaminated batch or a compromised distributor. That is not a paperwork problem. It is the reason outbreaks go unresolved.
The toxic chemical violations at Latin American Grill and A Gourmet Chinese Cuisine represent a separate category of risk. Improperly stored or unlabeled chemicals near food preparation surfaces can cause acute poisoning through direct contamination. At A Gourmet Chinese Cuisine, that finding sat alongside an improper sewage disposal violation, creating two distinct contamination pathways in a single inspection.
The Longer Record
The data for this week does not include prior inspection counts for the individual facilities, which limits direct comparison of their histories. What the violation profiles do show is which restaurants have accumulated the most layered failures in a single visit. Ming Garden, Kitchen Bistro, and Famous Amos each reached 12 high-severity violations, a count that reflects problems across multiple food safety categories simultaneously: management, employee health, handwashing, food sourcing, shellfish records, parasite controls, and surface sanitation. That breadth suggests these are not isolated lapses.
Tijuana Flats in Clermont stands out within the list because the chain format implies standardized training and corporate oversight. The 11 high-severity and 7 intermediate violations found there, including food not cooked to minimum temperature and food in poor condition, are the kinds of findings that corporate food safety audits are designed to prevent. The Clermont location's record this week suggests those systems were not functioning.
Margaritaville Resort Orlando's Euphoria Bar and Grill draws a tourist clientele that has no local knowledge of the facility's inspection history. Visitors to a resort do not typically check state inspection records before ordering. The eight high-severity violations that map directly to food safety process failures, including undercooking and parasite destruction, are the ones most likely to reach a plate.
Salt and Ember in Mount Dora had food from an unapproved source alongside parasite destruction failures and missing shellfish records. That combination means the restaurant was serving food that could not be traced, may not have been treated for parasites, and came from a supplier whose safety certifications were not on file.
