LAKELAND, FL. Back in March 2026, a state food safety inspector walked into M & J Food Store, a convenience store on Lakeland's food permit rolls, and found rodent droppings inside the cabinets of the soda machine counter in the retail area.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services issued a stop use order on the soda machine counter and cabinets area on the spot. The droppings triggered a citation under state statute for adulterated conditions, with inspectors noting that insects, rodents, and animals must not be present in a food establishment.
What Inspectors Found
The inspection, conducted March 17, 2026, documented 11 total violations. None had been cited as repeats from prior visits, but the store was operating without a valid 2026 food permit, which alone requires a re-inspection before the establishment can be considered fully compliant.
The handwashing sink in the warewashing area had its water turned off because of a leak underneath. The inspector verified the sink could supply hot and cold water and gave the store two weeks to fix the plumbing. That sink also lacked a handwashing sign entirely, and the restroom sink had no paper towels, though towels were provided before the inspector left.
A direct connection between the sewage system and the three-compartment sink in the warewashing area was also cited. The inspector noted there was no air gap between the drain and the sewage line.
The store had no certified food protection manager. The certificate on file belonged to a previous owner, not anyone currently working there. The sandwich reach-in cooler in the retail area had no ambient air thermometer, though one was provided during the inspection. Coffee stirrers on the customer self-service counter were not stored in a way that protected them from contamination. Black residue had built up on shelving and shelf glides inside the walk-in cooler.
What These Violations Mean
Rodent droppings inside food service equipment are not a paperwork problem. Rodents carry bacteria including Salmonella and Leptospira, and their presence in an area where beverages are dispensed to customers means contamination of surfaces that people touch directly. The stop use order issued for the soda machine counter was the state's mechanism for taking that area out of service until it could be cleaned and sanitized to compliance standards.
The direct sewage connection at the three-compartment sink matters because an air gap is what prevents wastewater from flowing back into food-contact surfaces during a pressure drop or blockage. Without one, contaminated water from the sewage line can siphon back into a sink used to wash, rinse, and sanitize equipment. At M & J Food Store, that condition was documented and left uncorrected at the time of inspection.
Operating without a valid food permit means the store had not completed the renewal process that confirms it meets current safety standards. It also means the state had not formally cleared the establishment to operate in 2026 before the inspection took place. A supplemental report was issued to management during the visit.
The absence of a certified food protection manager compounds the other findings. State rules require someone on staff who has passed a food safety certification exam, because that person is responsible for training employees and identifying hazards. When that position is vacant, or filled by someone whose certificate belongs to a previous owner, the oversight structure for everything else on the violation list is weaker.
The Longer Record
M & J Food Store: Inspection History
FDACS records for this location go back to at least October 2022, when inspectors documented 20 violations in a single visit. The store met inspection requirements at that time, meaning it was not closed, but the violation count was among the highest in its recorded history until the March 2026 inspection.
The permit problem is not new. In September 2024, the store was cited for operating without a valid food permit, and that violation was flagged as a repeat. Sixteen months later, in March 2026, inspectors found the same condition: no valid 2026 permit in place.
The April 2025 sequence is worth noting. On April 7, 2025, a re-inspection found 16 violations. A focused inspection the same day cleared those concerns, and a follow-up on April 11 found zero violations. That pattern, a high violation count followed by rapid correction, has appeared more than once in this store's record.
None of the 11 violations from the March 2026 inspection were corrected on site, with the exception of the missing ambient air thermometer and the missing paper towels at the restroom sink. The plumbing leak, the sewage connection, the absent food protection manager certification, the rodent evidence and the stop use order on the soda counter were all unresolved when the inspector left.