JACKSONVILLE, FL. Pizza Dynamo on N Laura Street drew 10 high-severity violations in a single inspection during the week of April 27, including citations for food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, food found in poor or adulterated condition, and failure to cook food to required minimum temperatures. No person in charge was present or performing duties when inspectors arrived.
The same inspection found no written employee health policy, improper handwashing technique among staff, inadequate shellfish traceability records, and failure to follow parasite destruction procedures for fish. That last violation means fish served at the restaurant may not have been frozen to the temperatures and time intervals required to kill parasites including Anisakis and tapeworm.
Pizza Dynamo has only 6 prior inspections on record, making this week's 10-count high-severity tally one of the most concentrated early-record findings in the city this week.
The Violations
Southern Grounds on Atlantic Boulevard matched Pizza Dynamo's 10 high-severity count. Inspectors cited the coffee and restaurant concept for food from unapproved sources, failure to cook food to required minimum temperatures, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. There was also no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods.
Pour Taproom at 61 N Laura Street, one address away from Pizza Dynamo in downtown Jacksonville, drew 9 high-severity violations. The list included improper handwashing technique, no written employee health policy, inadequate shellfish traceability, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Poke Cafe on Old Saint Augustine Road also recorded 9 high-severity violations. Inspectors found inadequate handwashing facilities, food from unapproved sources, food in poor or adulterated condition, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, time as a public health control not properly used, and toxic chemicals improperly stored. A poke restaurant serving raw fish that cannot demonstrate proper sourcing, parasite controls, or time-temperature management presents a compounded risk.
Hip Hop Fish and Chicken on N Main Street accumulated 8 high-severity violations. No written employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored toxic chemicals were all cited in the same visit.
Fancy Sushi on Collins Road drew 8 high-severity violations including no person in charge present, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, inadequate shellfish traceability, and failure to follow parasite destruction procedures. At a sushi restaurant, the parasite destruction and shellfish traceability failures are particularly significant because so much of the menu is served raw or lightly prepared.
Pig Seafood on Lem Turner Road was cited for 7 high-severity violations, including food from unapproved sources, no written employee health policy, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, no consumer advisory, improperly stored toxic substances, and no allergen awareness demonstrated. Inspectors also cited an intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal, a finding that points to contamination risk extending beyond the kitchen.
Jax Spice on Gate Parkway drew 7 high-severity violations including no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, time as a public health control not properly used, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored toxic substances. Multi-use utensils were also cited as improperly cleaned.
Big Crab on Point Meadows Drive was cited for 6 high-severity violations, all related to handwashing: inadequate handwashing by food employees, inadequate handwashing facilities, and improper handwashing technique were cited alongside no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and no consumer advisory. Inadequate cooling equipment was also noted as an intermediate violation.
Bay Street Sports Grill on E Bay Street drew 5 high-severity violations including food from unapproved sources, inadequate shellfish traceability, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored toxic chemicals. Inspectors also cited improper sewage or wastewater disposal, single-use items being improperly reused, and improper sanitizing solutions.
Ramada by Wyndham Jacksonville Hotel and Conference Center on Hartley Road recorded 5 high-severity violations: no employee health policy, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, no consumer advisory, and no allergen awareness demonstrated. Improper sewage or wastewater disposal and single-use items being reused were among the intermediate findings.
Hop Shing on N Main Street drew 5 high-severity violations including employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored toxic chemicals.
Fast Eddy's Quick Mideast on Baymeadows Road was cited for 5 high-severity violations including no person in charge, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate shellfish traceability, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored toxic chemicals. Inspectors also noted inadequate or improperly maintained toilet facilities, a finding that directly affects employee hygiene.
Broskii Fish and Chicken on Lem Turner Road and Bo Sushi on Old St Augustine Road each drew a single high-severity violation. Broskii was cited for failure to follow required procedures for specialized processes. Bo Sushi was cited for food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, its only violation of the week.
What These Violations Mean
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Pizza Dynamo, Southern Grounds, Hip Hop Fish and Chicken, Poke Cafe, Pig Seafood, and Bay Street Sports Grill, means inspectors could not confirm those ingredients passed through USDA or FDA-regulated supply chains. If a customer gets sick, there is no tag, no lot number, and no supplier record to trace the contamination back to its origin. The traceability gap is not theoretical. It is the reason outbreaks drag on for weeks before investigators can identify a source.
Employees not reporting illness symptoms, flagged at Southern Grounds, Hip Hop Fish and Chicken, Fancy Sushi, Jax Spice, Big Crab, Hop Shing, and Fast Eddy's Quick Mideast, is the violation most directly linked to multi-victim outbreaks. Norovirus can be transmitted by a single infected food handler touching a surface or a plate. A written health policy requiring workers to report symptoms before they reach the kitchen is the first line of defense, and it was absent or inadequate at multiple facilities this week.
Parasite destruction failures at Pizza Dynamo and Fancy Sushi mean fish may have been served without the freezing protocols required to kill Anisakis and tapeworm larvae. These are not edge-case risks. Anisakis infection causes severe abdominal pain and, in some cases, requires surgical removal of larvae from the intestinal wall. At a sushi restaurant like Fancy Sushi, where raw fish is the core product, that failure carries direct and immediate consequence for every customer who ordered that week.
Improper sewage or wastewater disposal, documented at Pig Seafood, Bay Street Sports Grill, and the Ramada by Wyndham, means fecal contamination can spread to surfaces, equipment, and food in ways that are not visible to kitchen staff or customers. It is among the most serious infrastructure failures an inspector can document.
The Longer Record
The Ramada by Wyndham Jacksonville has 47 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility cited this week, and it still drew 5 high-severity violations including no allergen awareness and food not cooked to required minimum temperature. Forty-seven inspections is a substantial body of contact between this facility and state regulators, and the violations this week are not minor administrative items.
Hip Hop Fish and Chicken has 34 prior inspections on record. Bo Sushi has 33, and Bay Street Sports Grill has 33. All three facilities have been inspected enough times that the violations found this week, particularly food from unapproved sources at Hip Hop Fish and Chicken and Bay Street Sports Grill, represent patterns that inspectors have had repeated opportunity to address.
Southern Grounds and Hop Shing each carry 30 prior inspections. Pig Seafood has 31. At Pig Seafood, the combination of food from unapproved sources, no allergen awareness, inadequate handwashing infrastructure, and improper sewage disposal across 31 inspections raises a straightforward question about whether prior visits produced lasting corrections.
Pizza Dynamo, with only 6 prior inspections, and Pour Taproom, with only 3, are among the newest facilities in this week's data. Pour Taproom's 9 high-severity violations on just its third inspection on record, including toxic chemicals improperly stored and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, suggests problems that took root early. Poke Cafe, with 19 prior inspections, was cited for 9 high-severity violations including food from unapproved sources and failure to follow time as a public health control, a violation that requires active daily documentation to manage and was not being managed.
Fast Eddy's Quick Mideast, with 21 prior inspections, was cited for inadequate shellfish traceability. A Middle Eastern quick-service restaurant serving shellfish without proper tagging records, after more than 20 documented inspections, is a detail that the record does not explain.