FORT MYERS, FL. Kelly Greens Golf and Country Club on Kelly Green Boulevard drew nine high-severity violations in a single inspection during the week of September 25, the most of any facility inspected in Fort Myers that week, with inspectors citing toxic chemicals improperly stored near food, shellfish with no traceability records, and no person in charge present or performing duties.
Fifteen Fort Myers restaurants and bars accumulated high-severity violations during the week. The findings ranged from unapproved food sources at multiple locations to employees working without any health policy in place to guide them off the job when sick.
The Violations
Eight Ball Lounge on South US 41 accumulated eight high-severity violations. Inspectors cited the bar for obtaining food from an unapproved or unknown source, failing to follow parasite destruction procedures, serving food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, and operating without an approved potable water supply.
Busters Sports Tavern and Family Eatery on McGregor Boulevard also drew eight high-severity violations. The list included food from an unapproved source, food in poor condition or adulterated, shellfish with no identification records, and toxic chemicals and toxic substances both cited as improperly stored or identified.
Whiskey Creek Dining Room on Whiskey Creek Drive was cited for seven high-severity violations, among them no approved potable water supply and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods. Inspectors also flagged food from an unapproved source, inadequate shellfish traceability records, and toxic substances improperly identified or stored.
Dona Juana Guatemalan Restaurant 2 on South Tamiami Trail drew seven high-severity violations that together describe a facility with almost no illness-prevention infrastructure in place. No employee health policy existed, no employee was reporting illness symptoms, no person in charge was present or performing duties, and food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Fiddlesticks Country Club on Canongate Drive was cited for six high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, food from an unapproved source, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff.
Rib City on North Cleveland Avenue drew five high-severity violations, including food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, inadequate shellfish traceability, and an employee failing to report illness symptoms.
Sweet Melissa's Restaurant on Summerlin Road was cited for five high-severity violations: no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, food from an unapproved source, shellfish with no traceability records, and food not cooked to the required minimum temperature.
FK Your Diet on South Tamiami Trail also drew five high-severity violations, including required procedures for specialized food processes not followed, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, no allergen awareness demonstrated, improper handwashing technique, and inadequate shellfish identification records.
Jets Pizza on Reflections Parkway was cited for four high-severity violations, including no person in charge present, an employee failing to report illness symptoms, no consumer advisory for undercooked foods, and no allergen awareness. Inspectors also noted improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
3 Pepper Burrito on College Parkway drew four high-severity violations including no employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. Improper sewage disposal was also cited.
Sensaciones Restaurant on South Cleveland Avenue was cited for food from an unapproved source, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, toxic substances improperly stored or identified, and no allergen awareness demonstrated.
Mr. Tequila Mexican Restaurant on Colonial Boulevard drew four high-severity violations: improper handwashing technique, food from an unapproved source, inadequate shellfish traceability records, and toxic substances improperly identified or stored. Inspectors also noted improper sewage disposal.
Clam Bake on South Tamiami Trail was cited for three high-severity violations, including an employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Inspectors also flagged improper sewage disposal and improperly maintained toilet facilities.
Burntwood Tavern on South Cleveland Avenue drew the fewest high-severity violations of the week, a single citation for food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, along with an intermediate violation for inadequate ventilation and lighting.
What These Violations Mean
The food-from-unapproved-source citation, which appeared at Eight Ball Lounge, Busters Sports Tavern, Whiskey Creek Dining Room, Dona Juana Guatemalan Restaurant 2, Fiddlesticks Country Club, Sweet Melissa's, Sensaciones, and Mr. Tequila, is not a paperwork problem. Food that bypasses USDA and FDA inspection has no traceability chain. If a customer gets sick, there is no way to identify the source, no way to pull the product, and no way to determine how many other people were exposed.
The shellfish traceability violation, cited at Kelly Greens, Busters Sports Tavern, Whiskey Creek Dining Room, Rib City, Sweet Melissa's, FK Your Diet, and Mr. Tequila, compounds that risk specifically for high-risk raw shellfish. Oysters, clams, and mussels are frequently eaten raw or lightly cooked. Without a tag showing harvest location and date, a hepatitis A or Vibrio outbreak cannot be traced back to the source bed.
The cluster of employee illness violations is the finding that should concern anyone who ate at several of these locations this week. Dona Juana Guatemalan Restaurant 2, Rib City, Jets Pizza, 3 Pepper Burrito, and Clam Bake were all cited for employees not reporting illness symptoms. Fiddlesticks Country Club, Sweet Melissa's, 3 Pepper Burrito, and Dona Juana were also cited for having no written employee health policy at all. A worker with Norovirus, which is infectious at a dose of fewer than 20 viral particles, can contaminate hundreds of meals in a single shift. Without a policy requiring sick employees to stay home, there is no mechanism to stop that.
The toxic chemical and toxic substance violations at Kelly Greens, Busters Sports Tavern, Rib City, Eight Ball Lounge, 3 Pepper Burrito, Whiskey Creek Dining Room, Fiddlesticks Country Club, Sensaciones, and Mr. Tequila represent a different category of risk entirely. Chemical poisoning from improperly stored or mislabeled cleaning compounds is acute, not gradual. A customer does not develop symptoms days later. The reaction is immediate and can require emergency care.
The Longer Record
Sensaciones Restaurant and Busters Sports Tavern each have 34 prior inspections on record, the most of any facility in this week's data, and both were cited for food from unapproved sources and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces this week. A facility with 34 inspections behind it has had extensive contact with state regulators. The presence of unapproved food sourcing at either location at this point in their inspection history is not a first-time oversight.
Whiskey Creek Dining Room has 33 prior inspections on record and drew seven high-severity violations this week, including no approved potable water supply. Fiddlesticks Country Club has 30 prior inspections and FK Your Diet also sits at 30, yet FK Your Diet was still cited this week for failing to follow required procedures for specialized food processes and for demonstrating no allergen awareness among staff.
Dona Juana Guatemalan Restaurant 2 tells a different story. With only two prior inspections on record, this location is effectively new to the state's oversight system, and it arrived with seven high-severity violations on its second or third encounter with an inspector. No employee health policy, no illness reporting, no person in charge, and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces together suggest foundational food safety training never took place before the restaurant opened.
Kelly Greens Golf and Country Club has 29 prior inspections on record and led the week with nine high-severity citations. Among them: inadequate handwashing facilities, meaning the physical infrastructure for proper hygiene was not in place, and food in poor condition or adulterated. With nearly three dozen inspection visits behind it, Kelly Greens has had ample opportunity to address infrastructure deficiencies. Whether the handwashing facilities cited this week are a new failure or a recurring one is a question the inspection record does not yet answer.
