PALM BAY, FL. A state inspector walked into Marabella Dominican Food on Palm Bay Road on April 27 and found food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, an employee failing to report illness symptoms, and no one in charge who was actively performing their duties. The restaurant was not closed.

The inspection logged six high-severity violations and three intermediate violations, a total of nine citations at a facility that has now accumulated 120 violations across 23 inspections on record.

What Inspectors Found

1HIGHFood not cooked to required minimum temperatureHigh severity
2HIGHEmployee not reporting symptoms of illnessHigh severity
3HIGHPerson in charge not present or not performing dutiesHigh severity
4HIGHImproper hand and arm washing techniqueHigh severity
5HIGHTime as a public health control not properly usedHigh severity
6HIGHNo consumer advisory for raw/undercooked foodsHigh severity
7INTSingle-use items improperly reusedIntermediate
8INTInadequate ventilation and lightingIntermediate
9INTInadequate or improperly maintained toilet facilitiesIntermediate

The undercooking violation is the most direct threat to anyone who ate at Marabella that day. Dominican cuisine relies heavily on poultry, and salmonella in chicken survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. A customer who ate improperly cooked food on April 27 had no way of knowing it.

The illness-reporting violation compounds that risk. An employee showing symptoms of illness who does not report it can transmit norovirus and other pathogens directly onto food through handling. That violation, combined with an improper handwashing technique citation, means the barriers that exist between a sick worker and a customer's plate were not functioning.

The inspector also cited time as a public health control not being properly used. When a restaurant opts to use time rather than temperature to keep food safe, it agrees to strict tracking and discard requirements. The violation means those requirements were not followed, leaving food in the temperature danger zone for an unknown period.

No consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods was posted, meaning customers had no notice that any item on the menu carried elevated risk.

What These Violations Mean

The person-in-charge violation is not a paperwork problem. CDC data shows that establishments without active managerial oversight record three times as many critical violations as those with engaged management on the floor. At Marabella on April 27, the inspector found no one filling that role, which helps explain how six high-severity failures occurred in the same visit.

The handwashing citation is worth reading carefully. This was not a case of employees skipping handwashing entirely, it was a technique failure, meaning employees went through the motion but did so incorrectly. Studies show that improper technique leaves enough pathogens on hands to contaminate food even after a washing attempt. Paired with the illness-reporting failure, this is a direct transmission pathway.

The reuse of single-use items, flagged as an intermediate violation, creates its own contamination risk. Items designed for one use, gloves, cups, utensils, do not maintain their integrity after the first use and can transfer bacteria between surfaces or food items.

Inadequate toilet facilities discourage employees from using the restroom properly, which feeds directly back into the handwashing problem. These violations do not exist in isolation. They form a chain.

The Longer Record

Twenty-three inspections. One hundred and twenty total violations. No emergency closures.

The April 27 inspection is not an anomaly at Marabella, it is a continuation. The facility's most recent prior inspection, on February 17, 2026, found two high-severity violations. Before that, a December 2025 inspection logged eight high-severity violations and four intermediate ones, the single worst inspection in the recent record until this month matched it in high-severity count.

The pattern across the eight most recent inspections is consistent: high-severity violations appear in six of the eight visits. The facility passed clean in August 2023, but returned to high-severity citations by the following February. The December 2025 inspection and the April 2026 inspection together represent back-to-back quarters with five or more high-severity violations each.

The facility has never been emergency-closed across its entire inspection history on record. The April 27 inspection, with six high-severity violations including undercooked food and an employee not reporting illness, did not change that.

The Longer Record in Time

Marabella Dominican Food: Recent Inspection History

April 27, 20266 high, 3 intermediate violations. Undercooked food, unreported employee illness, no person in charge. Remained open.
February 17, 20262 high, 0 intermediate violations.
December 18, 20258 high, 4 intermediate violations. Worst single inspection in recent record by high-severity count.
September 3, 20241 high, 0 intermediate violations.
February 8, 20242 high, 2 intermediate violations.
August 16, 20230 high, 0 intermediate violations. Clean inspection.
August 14, 20233 high, 2 intermediate violations.

Marabella Dominican Food served customers through the afternoon and evening of April 27, 2026, with six high-severity violations on the inspector's clipboard and no emergency closure order on the door.