FORT MYERS, FL. Inspectors cited Kelly Greens Golf and Country Club on Kelly Green Blvd with nine high-severity violations during the week of September 28, the most of any facility in Lee County that week, including toxic chemicals stored without proper labeling near food, shellfish with no identification records, and no person in charge present or performing duties during the inspection.
That single visit placed Kelly Greens at the top of a troubling week across Fort Myers, in which 15 facilities each drew at least one high-severity violation from state inspectors.
The Violations
The Kelly Greens citation list reads like a catalog of compounding failures. Inspectors cited the club not only for toxic chemical storage problems but also for two separate handwashing violations, food in poor condition, the improper use of time as a public health control, and inadequate handwashing facilities. Nine high-severity violations from a single inspection at a private golf and country club is a number that commands attention on its own.
Eight Ball Lounge on S US 41 drew eight high-severity violations, including one that is among the most serious a food establishment can receive: no approved potable water supply. Inspectors also cited the lounge for food from an unapproved or unknown source, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures for fish, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Toxic chemicals were also found improperly stored or labeled.
Whiskey Creek Dining Room on Whiskey Creek Dr accumulated seven high-severity violations, including both an unapproved food source and no approved potable water supply. Inspectors also found shellfish with no identification records, food in poor condition, time controls not properly applied, and toxic substances improperly stored. Multi-use utensils were cited as not properly cleaned.
Three other facilities each reached seven high-severity violations. At El Cheyo Mariscos, Botanas, y Tacos on McGregor Blvd, inspectors cited food from an unapproved source, food not cooked to minimum required temperature, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and shellfish with inadequate identification records. The facility had no employee health policy and demonstrated improper handwashing technique.
At Dona Juana Guatemalan Restaurant 2 on S Tamiami Trail, inspectors documented that employees were not reporting symptoms of illness, that no employee health policy existed, and that the person in charge was not present or performing duties. Food from an unapproved source and improperly cleaned food contact surfaces rounded out the seven high-severity citations.
Fiddlesticks Country Club on Canongate Dr drew six high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved source, failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, improperly stored toxic substances, no employee health policy, and no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff.
Across the Rest of the Week
Sweet Melissa's Restaurant on Summerlin Rd received five high-severity violations, including food not cooked to minimum required temperature, an unapproved food source, and shellfish without adequate identification records. Inspectors also cited the facility for improper handwashing technique and no employee health policy.
At 3 Pepper Burrito on College Pkwy, inspectors found that employees were not reporting symptoms of illness, no employee health policy was in place, food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned, and toxic chemicals were improperly stored or labeled. Inspectors also noted improper sewage or wastewater disposal and inadequate toilet facilities.
Sensaciones Restaurant on S Cleveland Ave was cited for food from an unapproved source, improperly stored toxic substances, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and no allergen awareness demonstrated. Single-use items were also found being reused.
Mr Tequila Mexican Restaurant on Colonial Blvd drew four high-severity violations including an unapproved food source, inadequate shellfish identification records, improper handwashing technique, and improperly stored toxic substances. Improper sewage disposal was also noted.
Clam Bake on S Tamiami Trail was cited for employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Three intermediate violations also appeared, including improper sewage disposal and multi-use utensils not properly cleaned.
Haney's Cafe on S Tamiami Trail received three high-severity violations: food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Improper sewage disposal was among the intermediate violations.
At Buster's Sports Tavern and Family Eatery on McGregor Blvd, inspectors cited one high-severity violation for food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated. Burntwood Tavern on S Cleveland Ave and Jet's Pizza on Reflections Pkwy each drew one high-severity violation, for improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, respectively.
What These Violations Mean
The unapproved water supply citations at Eight Ball Lounge and Whiskey Creek Dining Room are among the most acute risks documented this week. Water that has not been verified as potable can carry E. coli, Cryptosporidium, and Giardia, pathogens that spread through every dish washed, every surface rinsed, and every beverage made in the facility.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Eight Ball Lounge, Whiskey Creek Dining Room, El Cheyo Mariscos, Dona Juana, Fiddlesticks, Sweet Melissa's, Sensaciones, and Mr Tequila, means inspectors could not confirm the supply chain behind those ingredients. When a foodborne illness investigation begins, traceability is how public health officials identify the source and stop additional cases. Without it, that trail goes cold.
The cluster of employee illness reporting failures at Dona Juana, 3 Pepper Burrito, and Clam Bake describes a specific outbreak scenario. Norovirus, the most common cause of foodborne illness in the United States, is shed in enormous quantities by infected food workers, and it survives on surfaces for days. A facility without a health policy and without employees required to report symptoms has no mechanism to remove a sick worker from food preparation before dozens of customers are exposed.
Shellfish traceability violations at Kelly Greens, Whiskey Creek Dining Room, El Cheyo Mariscos, Sweet Melissa's, and Mr Tequila are a separate category of concern. Oysters, clams, and mussels are frequently consumed raw or only lightly cooked, making the harvest origin tag the only tool available to trace a Vibrio or hepatitis A outbreak back to a contaminated harvest bed. Five facilities serving shellfish this week could not demonstrate they had those records.
The Longer Record
The inspection histories behind this week's violations tell a story that goes beyond a single bad week. Sensaciones Restaurant carries 34 prior inspections on record, and this week's four high-severity violations include food from unapproved sources and no allergen awareness, categories that are not new problems in Fort Myers kitchens. Buster's Sports Tavern has 35 prior inspections on record, the highest count in this week's data, and still drew a high-severity food condition citation.
Kelly Greens has 29 prior inspections on file. Nine high-severity violations in a single visit at a facility with that much inspection history suggests the problems documented this week were not introduced overnight. Haney's Cafe also carries 29 prior inspections, and Fiddlesticks Country Club carries 30.
Whiskey Creek Dining Room, with 33 prior inspections on record, drew seven high-severity violations this week including both an unapproved water supply and an unapproved food source simultaneously. That combination, at a facility inspected more than three dozen times, is the kind of finding that stands apart from a paperwork lapse.
At the other end of the spectrum, Dona Juana Guatemalan Restaurant 2 has only two prior inspections on record and already accumulated seven high-severity violations in the current visit, including failures in management presence, employee illness reporting, handwashing, food sourcing, and surface sanitation. Mr Tequila Mexican Restaurant has five prior inspections on record and drew four high-severity violations. Neither facility had the accumulated inspection history to normalize this week's findings as a chronic problem, which makes the volume of violations in the earliest visits the unresolved question.
