JACKSONVILLE, FL. Two restaurants sitting less than a block apart on Deer Lake Court each accumulated 11 high-severity violations during the same inspection week, leading a sweep in which state inspectors cited 15 Duval County facilities for serious food safety failures between August 29 and September 4, 2026.
Miller's Jacksonville Ale House at 9711 Deer Lake Court drew 11 high-severity and 4 intermediate citations. Among them: no employee health policy, an employee failing to report illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, food from an unapproved or unknown source, inadequate shell stock identification, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Culhane's Irish Pub at 9720 Deer Lake Court, directly across the parking lot, matched that high-severity count exactly. Inspectors cited the pub for no person in charge present or performing duties, no employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, inadequate shell stock records, parasite destruction procedures not followed, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and time used improperly as a public health control.
What Inspectors Found
Beignets Caribbean Cafe on Barnes Road also reached 11 high-severity violations, making it the third facility this week to hit that mark. Inspectors documented inadequate handwashing by employees, improper handwashing technique, food in poor condition or adulterated, inadequate shell stock records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, alongside the absence of any employee health policy and an employee failing to report illness symptoms.
Tony Pepperoni on Mayport Road accumulated 10 high-severity violations and 5 intermediate ones. The record included food contaminated by chemical, physical, or biological hazards; food from an unapproved or unknown source; parasite destruction procedures not followed; inadequate shell stock records; improperly cleaned food contact surfaces; and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods.
Southern Coast Seafood on Monument Road also drew 10 high-severity citations. Inspectors found no person in charge present, no employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, time used improperly as a public health control, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items.
Mestizo Mex Cocina on Roosevelt Boulevard drew 9 high-severity violations, including no person in charge, no employee health policy, food in poor condition or adulterated, inadequate shell stock records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, and food not cooked to the required minimum temperature.
Bangkok Thai Cuisine on Philips Highway was cited for 8 high-severity violations, among them food from an unapproved or unknown source, inadequate shell stock records, food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Charleys Philly Steaks on Beach Boulevard drew 8 high-severity citations including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, food in poor condition or adulterated, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and no allergen awareness demonstrated.
Cracker Barrel No. 341 on Lenoir Avenue was cited for 8 high-severity violations: no person in charge, inadequate handwashing by employees, food from an unapproved or unknown source, parasite destruction procedures not followed, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, toxic chemicals improperly stored, and no allergen awareness demonstrated.
Queens Harbour Yacht and Country Club on Queens Harbour Boulevard drew 8 high-severity violations, including inadequate handwashing facilities, food from an unapproved or unknown source, food in poor condition or adulterated, inadequate shell stock records, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Hot Wok on Dunn Avenue was cited for 8 high-severity violations, including inadequate handwashing facilities, food in poor condition or adulterated, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Sashimi Fusion on Monument Road drew 8 high-severity citations: no person in charge, inadequate handwashing facilities, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, time used improperly as a public health control, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Caribbean Paradise Restaurant on Dunn Avenue was cited for 8 high-severity violations, including an employee not reporting illness symptoms, food from an unapproved or unknown source, inadequate shell stock records, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, time used improperly as a public health control, no consumer advisory, toxic substances improperly identified or stored, and no allergen awareness demonstrated.
Flavorikan on East Duval Street drew 2 high-severity violations: no person in charge and an employee not reporting illness symptoms. Inspectors also noted single-use items being reused improperly.
Sichuan Family on Old St. Augustine Road was the only facility this week to record zero high-severity violations, drawing a single intermediate citation for multi-use utensils not properly cleaned.
What These Violations Mean
The most pervasive high-severity violation this week, appearing across nearly every facility on this list, was the combination of no employee health policy and employees failing to report illness symptoms. At Miller's Ale House, Culhane's Irish Pub, Beignets Caribbean Cafe, Southern Coast Seafood, Mestizo Mex Cocina, and Bangkok Thai Cuisine, among others, inspectors found both conditions present simultaneously. Food workers sickened with Norovirus or Salmonella who continue preparing food because no written policy requires them to report symptoms represent the single most direct path from a restaurant kitchen to a multi-victim outbreak.
Handwashing failures appeared at nearly every facility cited this week. The distinction between "inadequate handwashing facilities," documented at Miller's Ale House, Southern Coast Seafood, Queens Harbour Yacht and Country Club, Hot Wok, and Sashimi Fusion, and "improper handwashing technique," documented at nearly all 15 facilities, matters practically. The first means the infrastructure to wash hands properly does not exist. The second means employees have working sinks and are still not washing their hands correctly. Both leave pathogens on hands that then transfer directly to food.
Three facilities this week, Tony Pepperoni, Bangkok Thai Cuisine, and Beignets Caribbean Cafe, were cited for food not cooked to the required minimum temperature or food from an unapproved source. Undercooked poultry allows Salmonella to survive; food sourced outside regulated supply chains has no traceability if a customer gets sick. At Caribbean Paradise Restaurant and Charleys Philly Steaks, inspectors also documented no allergen awareness, a gap that puts the estimated 32 million Americans with food allergies at risk when they ask kitchen staff whether a dish contains their allergen.
Inadequate shell stock identification records appeared at 11 of the 15 facilities this week, including both Deer Lake Court locations, Tony Pepperoni, Beignets Caribbean Cafe, and Southern Coast Seafood. Shellfish, consumed raw or lightly cooked, are among the highest-risk foods served in restaurants. Without complete harvest records tied to each batch, there is no way to trace a contaminated shipment if customers fall ill.
The Longer Record
Several facilities on this week's list have extensive inspection histories, which places the current violations in sharper context. Flavorikan on East Duval Street has 38 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility cited this week, yet still drew a no-person-in-charge violation and an employee illness reporting failure. Queens Harbour Yacht and Country Club carries 34 prior inspections, Mestizo Mex Cocina 33, and Culhane's Irish Pub and Southern Coast Seafood each 30. Facilities with that volume of inspections have been through this process many times. Finding foundational violations, no health policy, no manager present, no handwashing infrastructure, at that stage of the inspection record is a different finding than encountering them at a newer establishment.
Bangkok Thai Cuisine, by contrast, has only 10 prior inspections on record, the fewest among facilities with substantial high-severity counts this week. Eight high-severity violations, including food from an unapproved source and food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, early in an inspection history is a pattern inspectors watch closely. Charleys Philly Steaks on Beach Boulevard has only 2 prior inspections on record, making this week's 8 high-severity citations, including toxic chemicals improperly stored and no allergen awareness, among the most serious early-record findings in this week's sweep.
Miller's Jacksonville Ale House, with 28 prior inspections, and Beignets Caribbean Cafe, with 24, both carry records long enough that the absence of a written employee health policy and the failure to correct handwashing deficiencies represent persistent gaps rather than first-time oversights.
Sashimi Fusion on Monument Road, with 25 prior inspections and 8 high-severity citations this week including toxic chemicals improperly stored and no consumer advisory for raw fish, serves a menu where the consumer advisory violation carries particular weight. The facility has been through the inspection process two dozen times.
