FORT MYERS, FL. Kelly Greens Golf & Country Club on Kelly Green Boulevard drew nine high-severity violations in a single inspection during the week of September 29, the most of any facility among the 15 Fort Myers restaurants that state inspectors flagged for serious food safety failures.
The violations at the private club covered nearly every layer of the food safety system. Inspectors cited toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, toxic substances improperly identified and used, food in poor condition, inadequate shellfish traceability records, and time-as-public-health-control procedures not properly followed. The person in charge was either not present or not performing required duties. Handwashing facilities were inadequate, and the technique used when employees did wash was cited as improper.
What Inspectors Found Across the City
Whiskey Creek Dining Room on Whiskey Creek Drive matched the breadth of Kelly Greens with seven high-severity violations of its own, including one that stands apart from every other facility cited this week: no approved potable water supply. Inspectors documented that the restaurant lacked an approved source of drinking water, a condition that creates direct risk of E. coli, Cryptosporidium, and other waterborne pathogens reaching every dish, every rinsed surface, every glass served to customers. The facility was also cited for food from an unapproved or unknown source, inadequate shellfish traceability records, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, improperly stored toxic substances, and food in poor condition. Multi-use utensils were not properly cleaned.
El Cheyo Mariscos, Botanas, y Tacos at 16681 McGregor Boulevard also drew seven high-severity violations. Inspectors found food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, food from an unapproved source, and inadequate shellfish records. The facility had no employee health policy and was cited for improper handwashing technique.
Dona Juana Guatemalan Restaurant 2 on South Tamiami Trail drew seven high-severity violations including a combination that inspectors flag as particularly acute: no employee health policy, employees not reporting symptoms of illness, and improper handwashing technique all cited in the same visit. Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized, and food came from an unapproved or unknown source.
Fiddlesticks Country Club on Canongate Drive was cited for six high-severity violations, among them parasite destruction procedures not followed, no allergen awareness demonstrated, food from an unapproved source, and improperly stored toxic substances. No employee health policy was on file.
Grimaldi's Pizzeria on Cleveland Avenue drew four high-severity violations including both parasite destruction failures and no allergen awareness, the same pairing found at Fiddlesticks. Food came from an unapproved source, and food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Sweet Melissa's Restaurant on Summerlin Road was cited for five high-severity violations. Food was not cooked to required minimum temperatures, shellfish traceability records were inadequate, food came from an unapproved source, and no employee health policy existed. Inspectors also cited improper handwashing technique.
Cheesesteaks.com on Gladiolus Drive drew five high-severity violations. Employees were not reporting symptoms of illness. Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized, shellfish traceability records were inadequate, and time-as-public-health-control procedures were not properly followed.
3 Pepper Burrito on College Parkway was cited for four high-severity violations including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, no employee health policy, and employees not reporting illness symptoms. Inspectors also documented improper sewage or wastewater disposal and inadequate toilet facilities.
Sensaciones Restaurant on South Cleveland Avenue drew four high-severity violations: food from an unapproved source, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, toxic substances improperly stored, and no allergen awareness demonstrated. Single-use items were being reused.
Mr Tequila Mexican Restaurant on Colonial Boulevard was cited for four high-severity violations including food from an unapproved source, inadequate shellfish records, improper handwashing technique, and toxic substances improperly identified or stored. Improper sewage disposal was also noted.
Fort Myers Dinner Theatre on Crystal Drive drew four high-severity violations: no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, no allergen awareness, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and improper handwashing technique.
Clam Bake on South Tamiami Trail was cited for three high-severity violations including employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Improper sewage disposal and inadequate toilet facilities were also documented.
Jet's Pizza on Reflections Parkway drew one high-severity violation, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, along with a citation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
Buster's Sports Tavern & Family Eatery on McGregor Boulevard drew a single high-severity violation for food in poor condition or adulterated.
What These Violations Mean
The most dangerous cluster this week involved food sourcing and traceability. Eight facilities, including Whiskey Creek Dining Room, El Cheyo Mariscos, Dona Juana Guatemalan Restaurant 2, Fiddlesticks Country Club, Grimaldi's Pizzeria, Sweet Melissa's, Sensaciones Restaurant, and Mr Tequila Mexican Restaurant, were all cited for food from unapproved or unknown sources. When food bypasses USDA and FDA inspection channels, there is no paper trail if someone gets sick. Investigators cannot trace a Listeria or Salmonella outbreak back to a source that was never documented entering the supply chain.
Six facilities, including Kelly Greens, Whiskey Creek, El Cheyo Mariscos, Sweet Melissa's, Cheesesteaks.com, and Mr Tequila, were cited for inadequate shellfish identification or records. Shellfish are consumed raw or lightly cooked, and without harvest tags and dealer records, a contaminated batch of oysters or clams cannot be identified or recalled after illness is reported.
The illness-reporting failures at Dona Juana, 3 Pepper Burrito, Cheesesteaks.com, and Clam Bake represent a direct transmission risk. A food worker shedding Norovirus who continues preparing food without reporting symptoms can infect dozens of customers before any connection to the restaurant is made. The absence of a written health policy, cited at Dona Juana, Fiddlesticks, Sweet Melissa's, El Cheyo Mariscos, and 3 Pepper Burrito, means workers may not know they are required to report illness at all.
Whiskey Creek's citation for no approved potable water supply is in a category by itself. Every other violation this week describes a practice that can be corrected with training or a policy. The absence of an approved water source means every food preparation step, every surface rinse, every beverage served may have been compromised.
The Longer Record
Several facilities cited this week have extensive inspection histories with no apparent resolution of core problems. Grimaldi's Pizzeria and Buster's Sports Tavern each carry 35 prior inspections on record, the longest histories among this week's flagged facilities. Sensaciones Restaurant follows with 34 prior inspections, and Fort Myers Dinner Theatre with 34. Kelly Greens has 29 prior inspections on record. That Grimaldi's is still being cited for food from an unapproved source and parasite destruction failures after 35 inspections, and that Sensaciones is still drawing citations for unapproved food sources after 34, places those findings in a different context than a facility on its first or second visit.
Whiskey Creek Dining Room has 33 prior inspections on record. The citation for no approved potable water supply is not a paperwork lapse. It is a foundational infrastructure failure at a facility with more than three decades of inspection history behind it.
Dona Juana Guatemalan Restaurant 2 presents a different concern. The facility has only 2 prior inspections on record, making this week's seven high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, and food from an unapproved source, a serious accumulation for a location that is, by the inspection record, essentially new.
Mr Tequila Mexican Restaurant has 5 prior inspections on record and already carries citations for unapproved food sourcing, shellfish traceability failures, and improperly stored toxic substances. Whether those violations appeared on earlier inspections as well is not reflected in the available data.
Whiskey Creek Dining Room's water supply citation remained unresolved in the inspection record reviewed for this report.
