ST. PETERSBURG, FL. Fish served at Fortunato's Alfresco on 37th Avenue North may not have been treated to destroy parasites, according to an August 14 state inspection that found the restaurant had not followed parasite destruction procedures, one of seven high-severity violations documented that day.
The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The parasite destruction citation is among the most direct food-safety failures an inspector can document at a restaurant serving fish or pork. Without proper freezing protocols or cooking temperatures verified by procedure, parasites including Anisakis and tapeworm can survive and reach a customer's plate.
Toxic chemicals were stored improperly or without adequate labeling. Cleaning agents and other chemicals stored near or above food preparation areas can contaminate food through spills or mislabeled containers, with effects that range from gastrointestinal illness to acute poisoning.
Food contact surfaces, the cutting boards, prep tables, and utensils that touch food directly, were not properly cleaned or sanitized. That failure is one of the most reliable pathways for bacterial transfer between raw and ready-to-eat food.
The restaurant also lacked a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked menu items. Customers who are elderly, pregnant, or immunocompromised rely on that disclosure to make informed choices. Without it, they have no warning.
What These Violations Mean
The employee health policy violation means the restaurant had no documented procedure for keeping sick workers out of the kitchen. Norovirus, one of the most common causes of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurants, spreads directly from an infected food handler to a customer's meal. A written policy is the baseline mechanism for preventing that.
The handwashing technique citation compounds the health policy problem. An employee who attempts to wash their hands but uses improper technique, skipping steps or using inadequate time, leaves pathogens on their hands. Studies show that incorrect handwashing removes little more contamination than no handwashing at all.
The time-as-public-health-control violation is specific and serious. When a restaurant uses time rather than temperature to keep food safe, strict tracking is required. Food is allowed to remain in the bacterial growth zone between 41 and 135 degrees, but only for a defined window, after which it must be discarded. When that system is not properly maintained, food that should have been thrown out stays in service.
Together, the nine violations documented on August 14 represent failures across four distinct safety systems: employee health, food handling technique, food sourcing and preparation, and chemical storage. All four broke down on the same day.
The Longer Record
August 14 was not an aberration. State records show Fortunato's Alfresco has accumulated 308 violations across 35 inspections on record, and the pattern of high-severity citations stretches back years without meaningful interruption.
The most recent inspections tell a consistent story. The January 2026 visit produced 7 high-severity and 2 intermediate violations, identical in severity count to the August 2026 inspection. The August 2025 visit found 7 high-severity violations. Two weeks earlier, in August 2025, inspectors documented 13 high-severity violations in a single visit. The February 2025 inspection found 6 high-severity and 3 intermediate violations.
Going back further, the September 2024 inspection found 6 high-severity and 3 intermediate violations. The May 2024 visit found 7 high-severity and 4 intermediate violations. The March 2024 inspection found 6 high-severity violations.
The restaurant has been emergency-closed twice, both times for roach activity. Inspectors ordered it shut on September 13, 2022, and it reopened the following day. It was closed again on November 16, 2022, and reopened November 17. No emergency closure has followed since, despite a string of inspections that have consistently found six or more high-severity violations per visit.
Still Open
Florida's inspection system allows restaurants to remain open after high-severity violations are documented, provided those violations do not rise to the threshold that triggers an emergency closure order. Fortunato's Alfresco has not crossed that threshold since November 2022.
The August 14 inspection found seven high-severity violations, including failures in parasite destruction, chemical storage, food surface sanitation, handwashing technique, employee health policy, time control, and consumer disclosure. The two intermediate violations covered ventilation and toilet facilities.
Fortunato's Alfresco remained open after inspectors left.
