DELAND, FL. A state inspector walked into Kingpin's on East International Speedway Boulevard on June 11, 2026, and documented that employees were not reporting symptoms of illness before handling food, a violation that federal health officials identify as the single leading cause of multi-victim foodborne outbreaks.
That was one of eight high-severity violations cited that day. The restaurant remained open.
What Inspectors Found
The inspector's report shows the facility had no person in charge present or performing supervisory duties. CDC data links the absence of active managerial control to three times the rate of critical violations at a given establishment.
Two separate handwashing violations were cited on the same visit. Inspectors documented both that employees were washing inadequately and that the technique itself was improper, meaning that even when workers made an attempt to wash, pathogens were not being removed.
Toxic chemicals were found improperly stored or labeled near food. The inspection also noted that parasite destruction procedures were not being followed, a violation relevant to any menu items involving fish, pork, or other proteins that require specific temperature or time controls to kill parasites including Anisakis and Trichinella.
Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized. No consumer advisory was posted for raw or undercooked menu items, leaving customers with no notice that certain foods carry elevated risk.
What These Violations Mean
The illness-reporting failure carries the most direct risk to anyone who ate at Kingpin's around the time of this inspection. When food workers handle ingredients while symptomatic with norovirus, hepatitis A, or salmonella, and no reporting policy is enforced, the transmission route from employee to customer is direct and documented. Multi-victim outbreaks traced to single food workers are a consistent pattern in federal outbreak data, and the absence of a person in charge to enforce reporting policies compounds the risk.
The two handwashing violations together describe a kitchen where contamination from raw proteins, surfaces, and other sources could move freely onto food being prepared and plated. Improper technique is in some ways more insidious than skipping handwashing entirely, because a worker who believes their hands are clean has no reason to take additional precautions.
The parasite destruction citation is specific to how the restaurant is preparing certain proteins. Without documented freezing protocols or verified cooking temperatures for fish and pork, parasites that cause illness in humans can survive to the plate. Customers who ordered fish dishes on or around June 11 had no way of knowing those protocols were not in place.
Improperly stored chemicals near food represent an acute poisoning risk distinct from the biological hazards above. Mislabeled or misplaced cleaning agents can enter food directly, and the consequences are immediate rather than delayed.
The Longer Record
The June 2026 inspection was not an aberration. State records show Kingpin's has been inspected 38 times and has accumulated 304 total violations across that history.
The eight high-severity violations cited on June 11 match a figure the facility has reached before. Records show an inspection on December 8, 2023, also produced eight high-severity violations, along with five intermediate violations on that same visit. The July 2024 inspection produced six high-severity violations. The December 2025 inspection produced five.
The pattern is consistent across years and across inspection cycles. High-severity violations appeared in every single one of the eight prior inspections listed in state records, with counts ranging from one to eight. There has never been a clean inspection in the available history.
Kingpin's has never been emergency-closed. In 38 inspections and 304 violations, the state has not once ordered the doors shut.
Open for Business
The June 11 inspection produced nine total violations, eight of them high-severity. The facility was not closed.
Customers who visited Kingpin's after that inspection had no posted notice that employees had been found not reporting illness symptoms, that handwashing was documented as both inadequate and improperly performed, that parasite destruction protocols were not being followed, or that toxic chemicals were improperly stored near food.
The restaurant remained open.