TAMPA, FL. Back in March 2026, a state inspector walked into a Tampa Pump&Munch convenience store and found a large container of all-purpose chemical cleaner sitting on a shelf directly over sodas in the warewashing area.
That single finding, a priority violation under Florida food safety code, was among 12 violations documented at the store during a March 12 inspection by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The establishment was also operating without a valid food permit.
What Inspectors Found
The chemical violation was corrected during the visit, with the inspector noting the cleaner was relocated to proper storage away from foods. But the store's lack of a valid food permit was not resolved that day.
The inspector also found no soap or paper towels at the handwashing sink in the warewashing area. Those were supplied before the inspector left.
Mold-like buildup appeared in two separate refrigeration areas. The inspector noted it on the fan guard inside the glass-door Coca-Cola cooler in the retail area, and on the white racks of drink shelving inside the walk-in cooler. Neither was marked as corrected on site.
The front entrance door had an open gap at the bottom that the inspector said did not provide a protective seal against pest intrusion. The warewashing area had unused shelving propped against a wall alongside old paint cans, and a fenced enclosure behind the building near the air conditioning unit held unnecessary items and litter on the ground. The outdoor dumpster was missing its drain plug.
The plumbing findings were notable. The inspector documented no backflow prevention on the hose attached to the faucet of the three-compartment sink, and no air gap at that same sink. Neither was corrected before the inspector left.
The Repeat Problem
One violation carried a repeat designation. The store had no probe thermometer and one was not readily accessible for use. The inspector noted no temperature violations were observed during the inspection, but the absence of a thermometer means the store has no reliable way to verify food temperatures on its own.
That same deficiency had been cited before. A repeat violation means an inspector found the same problem at this location on a prior visit, and it still had not been addressed by March 12.
Not one of the 12 violations documented that day was corrected on site in a lasting sense. The two that were addressed, the chemical relocation and the soap and paper towels, were immediate fixes. The permit issue, the plumbing deficiencies, the mold, the pest gap, and the missing thermometer all remained.
What These Violations Mean
The chemical storage finding is the kind of violation that can result in product contamination before anyone notices. A large container of all-purpose cleaner held above packaged sodas creates a direct contamination path if the container leaks, tips, or is handled carelessly. For a convenience store customer grabbing a drink off the shelf, there is no visible sign that the product above it contained a chemical hazard.
Operating without a valid food permit is not a paperwork technicality. A permit is the mechanism through which a facility is authorized to sell food to the public, and its absence means the state had not confirmed the establishment met baseline requirements to operate. The inspection type itself was flagged as "Operating Without a Valid Food Permit," meaning this was the central trigger for the visit.
The plumbing violations, specifically the missing backflow prevention and the absent air gap at the three-compartment sink, matter because they create conditions under which contaminated water can travel backward into the clean water supply or into food-contact surfaces. These are infrastructure problems, not surface-level cleaning issues, and they are not fixed with a mop.
The missing probe thermometer, cited as a repeat violation, is a foundational gap. Without it, there is no way for employees to check whether refrigerated products are being held at safe temperatures. The inspector noted no temperature violations were observed, but that observation was made by a trained inspector with their own equipment, not by store staff.
The Longer Record
The March 12 inspection was not the end of the story at this location. A follow-up inspection on March 26, 2026 found 9 violations, including one repeat. That visit was categorized as "Met Sanitation Inspection," meaning the store cleared the threshold to continue operating, but still carried nearly a dozen documented problems two weeks after the initial citation.
The repeat violation on March 26 signals that at least one problem identified on March 12 was still present two weeks later. The inspection record at this location now spans at least two documented visits within a single month, with a combined total of 21 violations across both.
For a convenience store where customers pick up drinks, snacks, and packaged goods without much scrutiny, the mold-like buildup documented inside the Coca-Cola cooler and on the walk-in drink shelving was still unresolved when inspectors left on March 12.