MIAMI, FL. A state inspector walked into a Miami juice bar and cafe last month and found food sourced from an unknown, unapproved supplier, no written employee illness policy, and a worker using improper handwashing technique, then left the facility open to customers.

Guarapo at 553 NE 81st Street logged seven high-severity violations and three intermediate violations during a May 8, 2026 inspection, according to state records. Despite that tally, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation did not issue an emergency closure order.

What Inspectors Found

1HIGHFood from unapproved or unknown sourceHigh severity
2HIGHNo employee health policyHigh severity
3HIGHEmployee not reporting illness symptomsHigh severity
4HIGHImproper handwashing techniqueHigh severity
5HIGHFood contact surfaces not properly cleanedHigh severity
6HIGHInadequate shell stock identificationHigh severity
7HIGHPerson in charge not present or not performing dutiesHigh severity
8INTImproper sewage or wastewater disposalIntermediate
9INTMulti-use utensils not properly cleanedIntermediate
10INTInadequate ventilation and lightingIntermediate

The food sourcing violation is among the most serious in the report. State records show the inspector cited food from an unapproved or unknown source, meaning at least some of what Guarapo served that day could not be traced back to a USDA or FDA-inspected supplier.

The inspector also documented that no written employee health policy existed at the facility, and that an employee was not reporting illness symptoms as required. Both violations were flagged at the highest severity level.

Improper handwashing technique was also cited as a high-severity violation. A separate high-severity citation noted that food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized.

The inspector flagged inadequate shell stock identification records, a high-severity violation tied to the traceability of shellfish such as oysters, clams, and mussels. Without those records, there is no way to trace a contaminated batch if a customer becomes ill.

On the intermediate side, inspectors documented improper sewage or wastewater disposal, multi-use utensils not properly cleaned, and inadequate ventilation and lighting.

What These Violations Mean

The combination of no employee illness policy and an employee not reporting symptoms is not a paperwork problem. Norovirus, which causes roughly 20 million illnesses in the United States each year, spreads most efficiently when infected food workers handle ready-to-eat food without restriction. A written policy is the mechanism that keeps a sick worker off the line. Without one, there is no formal trigger to send that person home.

The food sourcing violation compounds that risk. Food that bypasses federal inspection has no verified chain of custody. If a customer became ill after eating at Guarapo on or around May 8, investigators would have no supplier records to trace.

Improper handwashing technique is distinct from not washing hands at all. Studies show that an incomplete technique, skipping the backs of hands, fingertips, or the space between fingers, leaves enough pathogen load to contaminate surfaces and food. At Guarapo, that violation existed alongside improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, meaning two of the most common routes for bacterial transfer were both compromised at the same time.

The sewage disposal violation adds a third layer. Raw sewage carries E. coli, hepatitis A, and other pathogens. Improper disposal inside a food preparation facility creates the possibility of fecal contamination reaching prep surfaces, equipment, or food directly.

The Longer Record

Guarapo Inspection History, 2023-2026

2026-05-087 high, 3 intermediate violations. Facility remained open.
2026-03-242 high, 1 intermediate violations.
2025-09-2514 high, 4 intermediate violations. Highest single-inspection count on record.
2025-03-123 high, 2 intermediate violations.
2025-01-060 high, 1 intermediate violation.
2024-11-054 high, 2 intermediate violations.
2024-05-101 high, 2 intermediate violations.
2024-02-062 high, 1 intermediate violation.
2023-04-122 high, 0 intermediate violations.

The May 8 inspection was not an anomaly. State records show Guarapo has been inspected 26 times and has accumulated 190 total violations across that history. The facility has never been emergency-closed.

The September 2025 inspection was the worst single visit on record, with 14 high-severity and 4 intermediate violations documented. The May 2026 inspection, at 7 high-severity citations, is the second-highest high-severity count in the facility's recent history. The pattern is not a one-time spike.

Between January 2025 and May 2026, inspectors visited Guarapo five times. Four of those five visits produced high-severity violations. The one clean visit, in January 2025, produced a single intermediate citation. The facility has not had two consecutive clean inspections in the period covered by state records.

Guarapo has never been issued an emergency closure order in 26 inspections. After seven high-severity violations on May 8, 2026, it was not closed.