TAMPA, FL. Back in May 2025, state inspectors walked into Sal's Bodega LLC, a small grocery and deli on Tampa's west side, and found two pet dogs inside the kitchen's food processing area.
The dogs were removed from the premises during the inspection. But that was only one item on a list of 25 violations inspectors documented on May 23, 2025, including four priority violations, one of them a repeat.
The establishment was also operating with an expired food permit at the time of the inspection.
What Inspectors Found
In the kitchen, inspectors observed raw shell eggs and raw bacon stored on the top shelf of a large silver cooler, directly above ready-to-eat foods. That arrangement creates a direct drip contamination risk and is among the most commonly cited causes of foodborne illness outbreaks in retail settings. The foods were relocated to the bottom shelf during the inspection.
A jug of spoiled milk was found in the deli cooler and was voluntarily discarded by an employee on the spot.
The deli slicer had old food buildup on its food-contact surfaces. Inspectors had it disassembled, cleaned, and sanitized before they left.
Employees in the kitchen and deli areas were observed entering from the retail floor and beginning to work with food, including donning gloves, without first washing their hands. They washed their hands when instructed to do so by the inspector.
The handwashing sink in the deli area had no hot water running when inspectors arrived. The person in charge turned on the hot water valve and the temperature was verified during the inspection. The same sink had been blocked by a garbage can and utensils, and a black mold-like buildup was documented on its basin.
Several other findings added to the picture. Wet wiping cloths in the deli were held in a sanitizer solution at undetectable chlorine concentration. Containers without handles were used as scoops in bulk sugar and rice bins. Cooked foods, sliced deli meats, sliced tomatoes, opened milks, and sauerkraut in both the deli and kitchen coolers had been held more than 24 hours with no date markings, a violation inspectors had cited before.
None of the 25 violations were corrected on site in the formal sense. The inspection record shows zero violations marked as corrected on site in the final tally, though the narrative notes for individual items describe some immediate actions taken during the visit.
What These Violations Mean
The raw animal food storage violation is among the most direct food safety risks in any retail or deli setting. When raw eggs or raw meat are stored above ready-to-eat items, any drip or leak carries bacteria such as Salmonella directly onto food that will not be cooked again before a customer eats it. There is no second chance to kill the pathogen.
The missing date labels on deli meats, cooked foods, and opened dairy are a repeat violation at Sal's Bodega. Date marking exists so that staff and inspectors can verify that time-sensitive foods are used or discarded within seven days. Without those labels, there is no way to know how long the food has actually been in the cooler, and no way to catch a product that has been sitting too long before it reaches a customer.
The deli slicer finding carries particular weight in a grocery deli environment. A slicer with old food buildup on its food-contact surfaces can transfer bacteria to every product that passes through it. Listeria, in particular, is known to colonize deli slicers and can survive at refrigerator temperatures.
The two dogs found in the food processing area represent a direct contamination pathway. Animal hair, dander, and waste can introduce pathogens into food preparation surfaces. Florida food code prohibits live animals in food processing and preparation areas precisely because the contamination risk is not theoretical.
The Longer Record
The May 23 inspection was not Sal's Bodega's first encounter with state inspectors, but the facility's formal record is relatively short. FDACS records show two inspections on file with a combined five violations before the May 2025 visit.
What the broader inspection history does show is a pattern of follow-up activity in the weeks after the May inspection. Inspectors returned on May 27, June 3, June 11, and June 12, 2025, conducting focused inspections tied to the expired permit issue. The June 11 visit found two violations and the June 12 visit found one, both under the "Operating Without a Valid Food Permit" inspection type.
The repeat citation for missing date labels on deli and kitchen foods is the clearest evidence of a recurring problem. Inspectors had flagged the same issue before, and it appeared again in May across multiple coolers and multiple product types.
The facility had no emergency closures on record as of the time of these inspections. But the combination of an expired permit, priority violations across food handling and storage, and a repeat citation for date marking suggests the May 23 visit captured a store operating well outside routine compliance. As of the June 12 follow-up, inspectors were still finding violations tied to the permit status.
