MIAMI BEACH, FL. A state inspector visiting Naked Taco on Collins Avenue on May 19 found that the restaurant had not followed parasite destruction procedures for fish, a failure that means customers who ordered raw or lightly cooked seafood may have been exposed to live parasites including Anisakis and tapeworm. That was one of seven high-severity violations documented in a single visit. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The inspector also found toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food areas. Mislabeled or unsecured chemicals near food preparation surfaces create a direct route for acute poisoning, and the risk is not theoretical: contamination from unlabeled cleaning compounds can be indistinguishable from a foodborne illness until a poison control report is filed.
The restaurant was also cited for failing to post a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. That notice exists specifically to warn elderly diners, pregnant women, young children, and anyone with a compromised immune system that certain menu items carry elevated risk. Without it, those customers have no way to make an informed choice.
Inspectors further documented inadequate shell stock identification records, meaning the oysters, clams, or mussels served at the restaurant could not be traced to a certified source. Food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized, a condition that turns every cutting board and prep surface into a potential vehicle for bacterial transfer between raw and ready-to-eat foods.
The time-as-public-health-control violation adds another layer. When a kitchen uses time rather than temperature to manage food safety, it operates under strict rules about how long food can remain in the temperature danger zone before it must be discarded. The inspector found those procedures were not being followed correctly.
Improper handwashing technique rounded out the high-severity citations. The distinction matters: an employee who goes through the motion of washing hands but uses incorrect technique leaves pathogens on their hands. The food they touch afterward is effectively unwashed.
What These Violations Mean
The parasite destruction failure is the violation with the most direct consequence for anyone who ate raw or lightly cooked fish at Naked Taco before or around the inspection date. Parasites like Anisakis, which can embed in the stomach lining and cause severe abdominal pain, are killed by proper freezing or thorough cooking. When those procedures are skipped or not documented, the restaurant has no way to confirm the fish served was safe.
The shellfish traceability failure compounds that risk. Shellfish harvested from contaminated waters are a known vector for norovirus and hepatitis A. The tagging and record-keeping system that state inspectors check exists precisely so that, if customers get sick, investigators can identify the harvest location and pull the product. Without those records at Naked Taco, that chain of accountability breaks.
Improperly stored chemicals near food require no long exposure window to cause harm. A single mislabeled container used in food preparation can result in chemical poisoning that mimics foodborne illness, and because the symptoms overlap, the source is often not identified quickly.
The combination of uncleaned food contact surfaces, improper handwashing technique, and time-control failures creates what inspectors sometimes call a stacking problem: each violation alone is serious, but together they describe a kitchen where multiple independent safeguards against contamination were not functioning on the same day.
The Longer Record
The May 19 inspection was the 33rd on record for this address. Across those 33 inspections, state records show 302 total violations. That averages to more than nine violations per visit over the life of the facility.
The pattern in recent years is consistent. Inspectors found high-severity violations on every single visit in the prior inspection history provided: three high-severity violations in October 2025, two in May 2025, three in February 2025, two in October 2024, two in August 2024, four in March 2024, and three in November 2023. The May 2026 inspection, with seven high-severity violations, is the worst single visit in that recent run.
The restaurant was emergency-closed once before, in February 2016, after inspectors found roach activity. It reopened the following day. That closure came a decade ago. Since then, the facility has accumulated violations across dozens of inspections without triggering another emergency order.
Open for Business
State inspectors documented seven high-severity violations at Naked Taco on May 19, 2026. The restaurant was not emergency-closed. It remained open.