ST. PETERSBURG, FL. Back in April 2026, a state inspector walked into Princess Martha at 411 N 1 Ave and found food that had not been cooked to the required minimum temperature, a violation that puts every customer who ordered a hot dish at direct risk of foodborne illness. That was one of six high-severity violations documented during the April 13 inspection. The restaurant was not closed.

What Inspectors Found

1HIGHFood not cooked to required minimum temperatureHigh severity
2HIGHEmployee not reporting symptoms of illnessHigh severity
3HIGHFood contact surfaces not properly cleaned/sanitizedHigh severity
4HIGHInadequate shell stock identification/recordsHigh severity
5HIGHNo consumer advisory for raw/undercooked foodsHigh severity
6HIGHPerson in charge not present or not performing dutiesHigh severity
7INTERMEDIATEMulti-use utensils not properly cleanedIntermediate

The inspector also found that employees were not reporting symptoms of illness, a violation with a direct line to customer harm. When sick workers handle food without flagging their symptoms, there is no mechanism to pull them off food preparation before they transmit illness to dozens of diners.

The kitchen's food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized. Cutting boards, prep tables, and similar surfaces that touch raw proteins can carry bacteria directly to the next dish prepared on them.

Inspectors additionally cited inadequate shell stock identification records. Princess Martha serves shellfish, which are consumed raw or lightly cooked, and without proper tagging records, there is no way to trace the source of those oysters, clams, or mussels if a customer gets sick. The restaurant also lacked a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, meaning customers with compromised immune systems had no written warning on the menu.

The person in charge was either absent or not performing supervisory duties. Multi-use utensils were found improperly cleaned, rounding out a seven-violation inspection that left the restaurant open to the public.

What These Violations Mean

The cooking temperature violation is among the most direct paths from a restaurant kitchen to a hospital. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. A dish pulled from the heat too soon, served to a customer, and consumed is a completed transmission chain. Princess Martha's April inspection documented that chain as a live condition in the kitchen.

The illness reporting failure compounds the temperature violation. A worker experiencing norovirus symptoms who continues handling food can infect dozens of customers before anyone connects the illnesses to a single source. Norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States, and food workers are its most efficient vector.

The shell stock traceability violation matters most when something goes wrong. Shellfish harvested from contaminated waters, improperly tagged and distributed, cannot be recalled effectively. Without records linking Princess Martha's shellfish to a specific harvest lot and source, a sick customer's illness could not be traced back to the supplier. That gap protects no one.

The absence of a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods compounds the shellfish risk. Elderly diners, pregnant women, and people on immunosuppressant medications are at acute risk from raw shellfish. A menu advisory is the last line of notice between a high-risk customer and a dish that could hospitalize them.

The Longer Record

Princess Martha: Inspection Pattern, 2023-2026

April 13, 20266 high-severity violations, 1 intermediate. Facility remained open.
October 9, 20254 high, 2 intermediate violations.
April 15, 20257 high, 1 intermediate violations.
December 11, 20245 high, 1 intermediate violations.
February 26, 20243 high, 2 intermediate violations.
December 19, 20239 high, 5 intermediate violations. Emergency closure: roach and rodent activity.
October 17, 2023Emergency closure: fly activity. Reopened October 20, 2023.

April 2026 was not an anomaly. Princess Martha has accumulated 279 total violations across 33 inspections on record. Every routine inspection since October 2023 has produced high-severity citations, and the count has never once dropped to zero.

The restaurant has been emergency-closed twice. In October 2023, fly activity triggered the first closure. In December 2023, inspectors returned and found roach and rodent activity, closing the restaurant again. That December inspection produced nine high-severity violations and five intermediate ones, the worst single inspection in the available record.

The pattern since those closures has not bent downward. December 2024 brought five high-severity violations. April 2025 brought seven. October 2025 brought four. The April 2026 inspection, with six high-severity violations, fits the established range precisely.

Still Open

State inspectors documented six high-severity violations at Princess Martha on April 13, 2026, in a facility that had already been emergency-closed twice in the prior two and a half years and had not completed a single routine inspection without high-severity findings since late 2023.

The restaurant was not closed after the April inspection.