, FL. An ice machine coated in what inspectors described as a "yellow mold like substance" was among the findings at High Tide Kava Bar when state inspectors arrived on September 23, the third FDACS inspection at the location in five months.
The kava bar, which operates as a convenience store limited food service establishment, was open and serving customers despite carrying outstanding permit fees. Inspectors documented six violations during the visit.
What Inspectors Found
The ice machine finding was among three priority foundation violations documented during the visit. According to the inspection record, the service counter ice machine had "build up of yellow mold like substance." Employees washed and sanitized the machine while inspectors were still on site.
Access to a handwashing sink was also blocked. The warewash room, which contains a three-compartment sink, had no handwash sink inside it. Inspectors noted that during the visit a door was removed to allow access to a handwash sink, resolving the issue on the spot.
The establishment also lacked written procedures for employees to follow when cleaning up vomit or diarrhea. Inspectors provided a handout during the visit. That violation was marked corrected on site.
The back room had no sign advising employees to wash their hands at the handwash sink in the employee toilet room. The warewash area had a floor and wall juncture that was not coved, a structural condition that allows moisture, debris, and pests to accumulate in the gap. Neither of those two violations was corrected during the visit.
The Permit Problem
The inspection itself was triggered by a failure to renew the food permit. State records show the establishment was "open and operating with outstanding permit fees" at the time inspectors arrived.
This was not the first time inspectors flagged the permit issue. The September 23 visit was classified as a "Failure to Renew Food Permit, Met Sanitation Inspection Requirements" inspection, meaning the establishment passed the sanitation portion but the underlying permit problem remained.
The Longer Record
High Tide Kava Bar has been inspected three times by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services since April 2026. That is a compressed inspection history driven entirely by permit compliance failures, not routine scheduling.
The first inspection, on April 27, 2026, turned up one violation and was also classified as a failure-to-renew visit. The second, on September 9, produced five violations and resulted in a re-inspection being required. The September 23 visit was that re-inspection, and it found six violations, one more than the visit that triggered it.
The permit renewal problem appears across all three inspections. A kava bar operating without a current food permit has no active regulatory standing, meaning the state's routine oversight cycle does not apply until the permit is brought current.
What These Violations Mean
The ice machine finding carries direct implications for anyone who consumes beverages at High Tide Kava Bar. Kava is typically prepared and served cold, and ice is a food contact surface. Mold inside an ice machine is not a cosmetic issue. It means mold spores can transfer directly into drinks served to customers. The machine was cleaned during the inspection, but the buildup documented suggests the condition had been developing for some time before inspectors arrived.
The blocked handwash sink in the warewash room matters because that is the area where equipment and utensils are cleaned. Employees working in that space who cannot easily access a handwash sink are less likely to wash their hands between tasks, which creates a direct route for contamination to move from surfaces to food and beverages.
The absence of written vomit and diarrhea cleanup procedures is a violation that sounds procedural but reflects a genuine public health risk. When a customer or employee becomes ill on site, improper cleanup of biological waste can spread pathogens including norovirus to surfaces, food contact equipment, and other customers. The state requires written procedures because verbal instructions are not reliable in a crisis moment.
The permit violation sits beneath all of this. An establishment operating without a current permit is operating outside the state's inspection schedule. The three inspections at this location since April were all triggered by the permit lapse, not by routine oversight. Without a current permit, there is no guarantee of how frequently the location would otherwise be reviewed.
Three of the six violations from the September 23 inspection were corrected while inspectors were present. The permit fees remain outstanding, the handwash sign is still missing from the employee restroom, and the warewash area floor and wall juncture remains uncoved.
