BELLEVIEW, FL. A state inspector walked into Hardee's on SE Abshier Boulevard on September 24 and found food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, a violation that means pathogens like Salmonella can survive in poultry and reach a customer's plate.
The restaurant was not closed.
That single finding was one of nine high-severity violations documented during the inspection, a total that also included improperly stored toxic chemicals, no demonstrated allergen awareness among staff, and an employee who had not reported symptoms of illness. Two intermediate violations rounded out the citation list.
What Inspectors Found
The inspector also cited staff for improper handwashing technique, a violation distinct from simply skipping the sink. Even when employees washed their hands, the technique was insufficient to remove pathogens, according to the citation.
Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized, creating a direct path for bacterial transfer between raw and ready-to-eat items. Wiping cloths were used improperly, which can spread contamination across prep surfaces rather than remove it.
The inspector noted no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods, and cited inadequate shell stock identification records, a traceability requirement for shellfish. That last citation is unusual for a fast-food location and raises questions about what, specifically, was being served without proper sourcing documentation.
No person in charge was present or performing supervisory duties at the time of the inspection.
What These Violations Mean
The combination of undercooking and no person in charge is particularly significant. When food is not brought to minimum internal temperatures, bacteria that should be destroyed in the cooking process survive. At a Hardee's, where chicken and beef are the core menu items, that is not a theoretical risk.
The employee illness reporting failure compounds that. Food workers who do not report symptoms are the primary driver of norovirus and other multi-victim outbreaks, according to CDC data. If a sick employee is preparing food that is also undercooked, the margin for error disappears entirely.
Toxic chemicals stored improperly near food create a separate and acute danger. Mislabeled or misplaced cleaning products can contaminate food directly, and the symptoms, which can include nausea and organ damage, are not always immediately recognized as chemical poisoning.
The allergen citation means staff could not demonstrate awareness of which menu items contain common allergens. Food allergies send roughly 30,000 Americans to emergency rooms each year. A customer with a nut or dairy allergy relying on staff knowledge at this location on September 24 had no reliable protection.
The Longer Record
The September inspection was not an outlier. State records show 25 inspections at this location with 172 total violations documented across that history.
Every single inspection in the past three years has included high-severity violations. The location logged nine high-severity citations in July 2023, then eight more in December 2023. It recorded five high-severity violations in February 2025, five more in April 2026, and now nine again in September 2026.
Hardee's Belleview: High-Severity Violations Over Time
The pattern is consistent enough that the September 2026 inspection looks less like a bad day and more like a baseline. High-severity violations have appeared in eight consecutive inspections now on record, spanning more than three years.
The location has never been emergency-closed. State records show zero prior closures across all 25 inspections.
Still Open
After an inspector documented nine high-severity violations at this location, including food not cooked to safe temperatures and an employee who had not disclosed illness symptoms, the restaurant remained open and continued serving customers.
That is the same outcome that followed the nine high-severity violations in July 2023, and the eight in December 2023, and the five in February 2025.
The Hardee's on SE Abshier Boulevard in Belleview has accumulated 172 violations across 25 state inspections. It has never been closed.
