TAMPA, FL. Back in February 2026, state food safety inspectors walked into Huracan Supermarket on a re-inspection tied to a failure to renew its food permit, and found pork shoulders being hot-held in an oven at internal temperatures between 102 and 105 degrees Fahrenheit, more than 30 degrees below the minimum safe holding temperature required by state code.
The temperature readings did not stop there. On the hot tables, inspectors measured chicken legs at 116°F, ribs at 106°F, beef with onion at 114°F, plantains at 104°F, tequenos at 106°F, chicken and cheese croquetas at 106°F, and beef empanadas at 109°F. Every item on the hot tables fell short of the 135°F threshold required to prevent bacterial growth.
What Inspectors Found
The cold side of the meat department had its own problems. In the meat walk-in cooler, ham measured 45°F, raw chicken 44°F, raw beef 44°F, and smoked ham 44°F. In the end right corner meat display cooler, mortadella measured 48°F, pork feet 46°F, raw pork cushion 46°F, and raw pork shoulder 48°F. Both coolers were found not maintaining temperatures at or below the required 41°F.
The deli slicer carried "old food and mold like growth on deli slicer meat grip back area," according to the inspector's notes. Inside the counter meat grinder, inspectors documented "old yellow and brown protein build-up." The larger meat grinder cavity had "old brown protein build-up" as well. All three pieces of equipment were cleaned and sanitized on site.
Raw bacon was stored on a shelf directly above fully cooked smoked pork ribs in the meats open-air cooler in the retail area. Raw shell eggs had been left on a prep counter at ambient temperature in the kitchen. An employee confirmed the eggs had been out less than two hours, and they were moved to chill.
The ice maker drain line in the back area was not connected and was leaking onto the floor. The plumbing under the handwashing sink in the meat department leaked. And the kitchen's larger three-compartment sink had a direct connection to the sewage system with no air gap, a condition inspectors flagged as a priority-foundation violation.
Two employee beverages were found sitting on food prep surfaces: a coffee on a cutting board in the meat department, and a tea on a prep table in the repackaging area. Both were relocated during the inspection.
The store also had no written procedures for responding to a vomiting or diarrheal event, and employees had not been informed in a verifiable manner of their obligation to report health conditions related to foodborne illness to the person in charge.
What These Violations Mean
The temperature violations at Huracan Supermarket represent the most direct risk to anyone who purchased ready-to-eat food from the store's hot tables or meat cases in February. Foods held below 135°F create conditions where bacteria multiply rapidly. Pork shoulders sitting at 102°F to 105°F for an unknown period before inspectors arrived had been in a temperature range where pathogens like Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus can reach dangerous levels. The same logic applies to the cold case: mortadella at 48°F and raw pork shoulder at 48°F in the display cooler had drifted far enough above 41°F to present a real risk.
The mold-like growth on the deli slicer meat grip is a separate concern. A slicer that processes deli meats with biological contamination on its surfaces can transfer that contamination directly to every product it touches. The inspectors noted this was "old" growth, meaning it had been present across multiple uses of the equipment.
The raw bacon stored above fully cooked smoked pork ribs matters because any drip or leak from the raw product falls directly onto food that will not be cooked again before a customer eats it. Cross-contamination of this kind is one of the most common documented pathways to foodborne illness in retail meat settings.
The direct sewage connection at the three-compartment sink is a structural plumbing problem. Without an air gap, there is no physical barrier preventing sewage from back-flowing into a sink used to wash food-contact equipment.
The Longer Record
The February 12 inspection was itself triggered by the store's failure to timely submit its permit renewal fee. That administrative lapse brought inspectors through the door for a re-inspection, and they found 22 violations, including 5 priority-level findings and 1 repeat violation.
The repeat violation involved the ambient air thermometer in the deli walk-in cooler. Inspectors had flagged the same problem before, and it remained unresolved on the February visit.
Two follow-up inspections occurred after the February findings. On February 26, inspectors returned and documented 2 violations, noting the facility had met sanitation inspection requirements with a check-back needed. By March 18, a focused inspection found zero violations.
None of the 22 violations from the February inspection were corrected on site in a way that resolved the underlying structural issues. The mop sink, for example, did not exist. The store was given 30 days to provide one. The plumbing leak, the sewage connection, the cracked and pitted floor near the band saw and larger meat grinder, and the missing handwashing signs in the meat department and kitchen all remained unresolved when inspectors left that day.