FORT MYERS, FL. Poke Hawaii on Forum Boulevard served raw fish to customers this week without following parasite destruction procedures and without being able to document where that fish came from, according to state inspection records for the week of September 1 through September 7, 2026.
Those two violations, food from an unapproved or unknown source and failure to follow parasite destruction procedures, put the restaurant at the top of a troubling week for Fort Myers dining. Inspectors flagged 15 facilities across the city, collectively racking up 49 high-severity violations and 29 intermediate violations.
What Inspectors Found
Sip and Sizzle on First Street led the week with five high-severity violations, the most of any facility. Inspectors cited the downtown restaurant for having no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, food from an unapproved or unknown source, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
The food sourcing violation at Sip and Sizzle is notable because it mirrors what was found at Poke Hawaii. Two Fort Myers restaurants in the same week could not demonstrate that their food supply had passed through inspected, approved channels.
Ginza Sushi on Cleveland Avenue drew four high-severity violations, including an employee not reporting symptoms of illness, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. A sushi restaurant with improperly sanitized food contact surfaces and no illness reporting protocol is a specific combination that warrants attention, given the raw fish served there daily.
Fortune Cookie on Palm Beach Boulevard was cited for four high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and no allergen awareness demonstrated. Allergen failures are among the most immediately dangerous violations on the list, affecting a customer base that can go into anaphylactic shock within minutes of exposure.
Shanghai Restaurant on Summerlin Road received four high-severity citations, including no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, time as a public health control not properly used, and no allergen awareness demonstrated. The time control violation means food was allowed to sit in the bacterial growth zone, between 41 and 135 degrees, without a documented plan tracking how long it had been there.
Beef O' Brady's Verandah on Palm Beach Boulevard was cited for four high-severity violations. One of them was the absence of a person in charge performing duties. Another was toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. A third was inadequate handwashing facilities. The fourth was food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized. When the person responsible for overseeing compliance is absent or inactive, violations across every other category tend to follow.
Lucky Screw on Hendry Street also drew four high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, improper handwashing technique, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. That last citation means cleaning chemicals or other toxic materials were not properly labeled or were stored in a location that created contamination risk.
Panda Express #3250 on Corporate Commerce Way was cited for failing to follow parasite destruction procedures, the same violation found at Poke Hawaii. The chain location also had toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, along with three intermediate violations.
Martis Family Dining on San Carlos Boulevard drew three high-severity violations, including an employee not reporting symptoms of illness, time as a public health control not properly used, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. Inspectors also cited an intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
Angel Restaurant and Jerk Center on Martin Luther King Boulevard was cited for a person in charge not present or not performing duties, an employee not reporting symptoms of illness, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. The facility also had intermediate violations for improper sewage disposal and inadequate cooling equipment.
Tiki Subs and Mexican Place on San Carlos Boulevard drew three high-severity violations, including time as a public health control not properly used, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. Inspectors also documented improper sewage or wastewater disposal as an intermediate violation.
Ceviches by Divino on Dani Drive was cited for no employee health policy, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. A ceviche restaurant serving raw or lightly acidified seafood without a consumer advisory raises specific concerns for customers who are pregnant, elderly, or immunocompromised.
Matt's Red Hots on South Tamiami Trail drew three high-severity violations, including food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Mochi Co. and Tea at Gulf Coast Main Street was cited for an employee not reporting symptoms of illness, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and no allergen awareness demonstrated. Three high-severity violations, no intermediate violations. BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse on University Plaza Drive drew two high-severity violations, including a person in charge not present or not performing duties and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used.
What These Violations Mean
The parasite destruction citations at both Poke Hawaii and Panda Express are worth understanding precisely. When fish is served raw or undercooked, state rules require it to be frozen to specific temperatures for specific durations beforehand, killing parasites like Anisakis and tapeworm that survive in raw fish tissue. Without documentation that this step occurred, there is no way to verify the fish on the plate was ever rendered safe.
The food from unapproved sources violations at Sip and Sizzle and Poke Hawaii carry a different kind of risk. Approved food sources are inspected and traceable. When a restaurant cannot identify where its food came from, there is no chain of custody if a customer gets sick. Investigators cannot trace an outbreak back to a contaminated batch, and the source remains in circulation.
Employee illness reporting failures, cited at Ginza Sushi, Martis Family Dining, Angel Restaurant and Jerk Center, and Mochi Co. and Tea, represent the most direct human transmission route in a food service setting. Norovirus spreads person to person through contaminated food with startling efficiency. A single sick employee without a reporting obligation or a health policy requiring them to stay home can expose dozens of customers before anyone knows there is a problem.
The allergen failures at Fortune Cookie, Shanghai Restaurant, and Mochi Co. and Tea are not paperwork violations. Food allergies send 30,000 Americans to emergency rooms every year. A customer with a tree nut or shellfish allergy asking a server about ingredients depends entirely on whether that server has been trained to answer accurately.
The Longer Record
Ginza Sushi has 43 prior inspections on record, the most of any facility flagged this week. Four high-severity violations in the most recent visit, after 43 previous inspections, suggests that the problems inspectors found this week are not new. The same is true at Matt's Red Hots, which has 36 prior inspections on record and still drew three high-severity violations including improperly sanitized food contact surfaces and toxic chemicals stored or labeled incorrectly.
Fortune Cookie has 33 prior inspections on record. Beef O' Brady's Verandah, Martis Family Dining, and BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse each have 31. Shanghai Restaurant and Sip and Sizzle each have 27 prior inspections. None of these are new establishments encountering health code requirements for the first time.
Mochi Co. and Tea, by contrast, has only 2 prior inspections on record. Three high-severity violations in what is effectively the restaurant's first substantive inspection history, including no allergen awareness and no illness reporting protocol, is a significant early signal. Tiki Subs and Mexican Place has 9 prior inspections and drew three high-severity violations including an improper sewage disposal citation.
Poke Hawaii has 19 prior inspections on record. The combination of unapproved food sourcing and no parasite destruction documentation, at a restaurant that has been inspected nearly 20 times, is the week's most unresolved question.
