SWEETWATER, FL. A state inspector who walked into Metropol Restaurant at 11401 NW 12th Street on June 2 found food that had not been cooked to required minimum temperatures, toxic chemicals stored improperly near food, and no written policy requiring sick employees to report their symptoms before handling that food. The restaurant was not closed.
The inspection documented nine high-severity violations and two intermediate violations in a single visit. That tally places the June 2 inspection among the worst in the facility's recorded history, which now spans 17 inspections and 242 total violations.
What Inspectors Found
The undercooking violation is the most direct threat to anyone who ate at Metropol that day. Salmonella in poultry survives temperatures below 165 degrees Fahrenheit, and a single undercooked serving is enough to cause serious illness.
Toxic chemicals were found improperly stored or labeled near food. Mislabeled or misplaced chemicals are a documented cause of acute poisoning that can be indistinguishable from foodborne illness until a pattern emerges.
The shellfish violation adds a separate layer of risk. Metropol serves shellfish, and the inspector found inadequate shell stock identification records. Without those records, there is no way to trace where oysters, clams, or mussels came from if a customer becomes ill.
No person in charge was present or performing duties at the time of the inspection. Inspectors also noted that employees were not reporting symptoms of illness, that handwashing technique was improper, and that food contact surfaces had not been properly cleaned or sanitized. Those four violations together describe a kitchen operating without meaningful oversight on a routine business day.
What These Violations Mean
The combination of no employee health policy and employees not reporting illness symptoms is the condition that allows a single sick food worker to infect dozens of customers. Norovirus, the most common cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurant settings, spreads through exactly this pathway. A worker who does not know they are required to report symptoms, or who works in a kitchen without a written policy demanding it, has no formal barrier between their illness and the food they are handling.
Improper handwashing technique compounds that risk. Washing hands incorrectly, meaning too briefly, without soap, or without covering all surfaces, leaves pathogens on hands even when a worker believes they have washed. Combined with food contact surfaces that were not properly cleaned or sanitized, the kitchen at Metropol on June 2 had multiple simultaneous failure points for bacterial transfer.
The absence of a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods is a specific danger for elderly customers, pregnant women, and anyone with a compromised immune system. These groups face significantly higher risk from undercooked proteins and raw shellfish. Without a menu advisory, they have no information on which to base a decision.
Improper sewage or wastewater disposal, flagged as an intermediate violation, carries its own serious consequence. Raw sewage contains pathogens including E. coli and hepatitis A. When wastewater is not properly contained or removed, fecal contamination can spread to surfaces, equipment, and food throughout a facility.
The Longer Record
The June 2 inspection did not represent a sudden decline. State records show Metropol has been cited for high-severity violations in every single inspection on file going back to at least October 2023.
The April 2024 inspection produced the highest single-visit total in the record: 10 high-severity violations and 4 intermediate violations. The November 2024 inspection recorded 8 high-severity violations. The September 2025 and March 2025 inspections each produced 7 high-severity violations. Across 17 inspections, the facility has accumulated 242 total violations.
A follow-up inspection conducted the day after the June 2 visit, on June 3, found 6 high-severity violations and 2 intermediate violations still present. The violations did not disappear overnight.
The Pattern
The categories repeat. Management failures, illness reporting failures, and food safety process failures appear across multiple inspection cycles at Metropol. These are not one-time oversights or isolated incidents tied to a single employee.
Metropol has never been emergency-closed despite this record. The June 2 inspection, with nine high-severity violations including undercooking, improperly stored toxic chemicals, and no illness reporting policy, did not change that.
The restaurant was open for business.