TEMPLE TERRACE, FL. Back in February 2026, state inspectors walked into Riverhills Shell on River Hills Drive and found the convenience store operating without a valid 2026 food permit, selling juice pouches that were not labeled for individual retail sale, and running a boiled peanut station where the serving scoop sat in stagnant water measured at 77 degrees.
The February 18 inspection by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services logged 14 total violations. None were classified as priority violations, but five were flagged as priority foundation, a category that signals breakdowns in the basic systems meant to prevent foodborne illness before it starts.
What Inspectors Found
The unlabeled juice issue was specific. Inspectors found Kool-Aid and Capri Sun juice pouches in a reach-in cooler that were not labeled for individual retail sale, a requirement that exists so consumers know what they are buying and so products can be traced if a recall is issued. The pouches were pulled from sale on the spot.
The boiled peanut scoop was sitting in stagnant water at 77 degrees on the customer self-service counter. Water used to store utensils during pauses in service is required to be maintained at 135 degrees or above to prevent bacterial growth. A scoop resting in lukewarm, standing water at a self-service station is a direct contact point for customers reaching in to serve themselves. It was moved to a dry holder during the inspection.
Two plumbing findings were more structural. Inspectors documented a direct connection between the sewage system and the ice maker with no air gap, meaning there was no physical separation to prevent sewage backflow from contaminating the ice supply. They also found no backflow prevention device on a hose bibb on the south side of the building, where a hose was attached. Neither was corrected during the inspection.
The store was also missing paper towels at two handwashing sinks, one in the employee restroom and one in the warewashing area. Both were restocked before the inspector left. The three-compartment sink basins were soiled but were cleaned and sanitized on site.
The Permit Problem
The inspection itself was triggered by the store operating without a valid food permit. The inspection type is listed as "Operating Without a Valid Food Permit, Met Sanitation Inspection," meaning the store was flagged for running without current authorization and then evaluated on the spot.
Florida law requires food establishments to hold a current permit issued by the state. Selling food without one means the operation has not been formally cleared for the current year, and any prior permitting conditions or corrective actions required from previous inspections may not have been verified as completed.
There was also no certified food protection manager on record at the time of inspection.
What These Violations Mean
The unlabeled juice pouches are not a paperwork technicality. When packaged food is not labeled for individual retail sale, there is no way to connect a specific product to a specific lot or distributor if a contamination or recall event occurs. A customer who gets sick after buying an unlabeled pouch has no label information to report, and health officials have no trail to follow. That traceability gap is exactly why labeling requirements exist.
The ice maker finding carries direct food safety implications. An air gap is the simplest and most reliable barrier between a potable water supply and a potential contamination source. Without one, a pressure drop or backflow event in the plumbing could draw sewage into the ice-making system. Ice is served directly to customers without any cooking step that would destroy pathogens.
The missing handwashing supplies at two separate sinks point to a gap in basic hygiene infrastructure. An employee who cannot easily access paper towels at the nearest sink is more likely to skip or shortcut handwashing. That matters most in a store where employees handle food at a self-service station and stock products that go directly into customers' hands.
No written procedures for vomiting or diarrheal events may sound administrative, but it is a practical gap. If an employee or customer has an incident in the facility, staff need to know how to contain and clean it properly to prevent fecal-oral transmission of norovirus or similar pathogens. Without a written plan, the response is improvised.
The Longer Record
The inspection data does not include a prior inspection count for Riverhills Shell, so there is no documented history to compare against this visit. What the record does show is that the February 18 inspection was initiated specifically because the store was already operating without a valid permit, meaning the lack of current authorization was known or flagged before inspectors arrived.
None of the 14 violations were marked as repeats, which means inspectors did not cross-reference them against prior findings. That designation only applies when the same violation appears in consecutive inspections, and without prior inspection records in the data, no such comparison was made.
Of the five priority foundation violations, two remained unresolved when the inspector left: the missing backflow prevention device on the exterior hose bibb and the direct connection between the sewage system and the ice maker with no air gap.