SEMINOLE COUNTY, FL. A Sanford taqueria walked out of a July inspection carrying eight high-severity violations, including food from unapproved or unknown sources, no demonstrated allergen awareness, and improperly stored toxic chemicals, making it the county's worst performer in a week when 12 of 19 inspected facilities drew at least two serious citations.
State inspectors conducted 21 inspections across 19 Seminole County facilities between July 6 and July 12, 2026. The results were uneven at best, and alarming in several cases.
The Worst of the Week
Taqueria Navarro at 2435 S French Ave in Sanford drew citations in nearly every major risk category inspectors track. An employee was found not reporting symptoms of illness, food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized, and an inspector noted improper hand and arm washing technique. The taqueria also received a high-severity citation for food in poor condition and a separate citation for no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Two of the Taqueria Navarro citations stood out even against that list. Food from an unapproved or unknown source means the supply chain bypasses federal safety inspections entirely. No allergen awareness demonstrated means staff could not show they understood how to protect the 32 million Americans living with food allergies.
Buster's Bistro at 300 S Sanford Ave in Sanford drew six high-severity violations and five intermediate ones, the heaviest combined total of the week. Inspectors cited the restaurant for no employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and food not cooked to the required minimum temperature. A sixth high-severity citation noted no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Buster's Bistro also drew intermediate citations for improper sewage or wastewater disposal and multi-use utensils not properly cleaned, two categories that compound the risk of the high-severity findings.
Backstreet Pizza and Pub at 1949 W CR 419 in Oviedo drew six high-severity violations of its own, with a pattern centered on chemicals and shellfish. Inspectors cited the location for two separate chemical-storage violations, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. They also cited the restaurant for inadequate shell stock identification, meaning there are no records to trace shellfish back to their source if a customer gets sick.
Jerry's Pizza and Subs at 924 W SR 436 in Altamonte Springs matched that six-violation count. Like Taqueria Navarro, Jerry's was cited for food from an unapproved or unknown source and for two chemical-storage violations. The location also drew citations for improper handwashing technique and improperly used wiping cloths.
Green Papaya Thai Sushi Bar at 2480 W SR 434 in Altamonte Springs drew six high-severity violations as well, including three that relate directly to illness transmission: no employee health policy, an employee not reporting symptoms, and improper handwashing technique. A fourth citation, time as a public health control not properly used, means food was allowed to sit in the temperature danger zone without proper tracking.
Mulligan's at 165 Wekiva Springs Rd in Longwood drew five high-severity violations. The inspector found no person in charge present or performing duties, no employee health policy, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, and food not cooked to the required minimum temperature. Longwood's other flagged location that week, Bayou Kitchen and Lounge at 165 Wekiva Springs Rd, drew no high-severity violations but was cited for improper sanitizing solution or procedures.
Yardery of Sanford at 415 E 4th St drew five high-severity violations including a parasite destruction citation, meaning fish or other parasite-risk proteins were served without documented freezing or cooking procedures sufficient to kill parasites. La Brasa Grill at 3784 Orlando Dr in Sanford also drew five high-severity violations, including a missing person in charge, an employee not reporting illness symptoms, and food not cooked to the required minimum temperature.
Denny's #7947 at 255 E Altamonte Dr in Altamonte Springs drew three high-severity violations, including improperly stored toxic chemicals and toxic substances improperly identified. The location also drew intermediate citations for improper sewage disposal and inadequate cooling equipment.
Chiantis Pizza and Pasta at 1819 W SR 434 in Longwood drew two high-severity violations: no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled. McDonald's at 290 N US Hwy 17 and 92 in Longwood also drew two high-severity citations, for food contact surfaces not properly cleaned and no consumer advisory.
What These Violations Mean
Three violations appeared repeatedly across this week's inspections and each one represents a distinct pathway for customers to get sick. The most common was food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, cited at Taqueria Navarro, Buster's Bistro, Backstreet Pizza and Pub, Jerry's Pizza and Subs, Green Papaya Thai Sushi Bar, and Mulligan's. Cutting boards, prep tables, and slicers that are not properly sanitized between uses transfer bacteria directly onto food that will not be cooked again before it reaches a customer's plate.
The illness-reporting violations, found at Taqueria Navarro, Buster's Bistro, Green Papaya Thai Sushi Bar, Mulligan's, and La Brasa Grill, are a separate category of risk. A sick food worker who handles food can transmit Norovirus before symptoms become severe enough to stay home. Five facilities in one county, in one week, with this citation is not a paperwork problem.
Food from unapproved or unknown sources, cited at Taqueria Navarro and Jerry's Pizza and Subs, removes the traceability that makes a recall possible. If a customer gets sick and an inspector needs to trace the ingredient back through the supply chain, an unapproved source offers no trail to follow.
The chemical-storage violations at Backstreet Pizza and Pub, Jerry's Pizza and Subs, Green Papaya Thai Sushi Bar, Yardery of Sanford, Denny's, and Chiantis were cited in two overlapping forms: improperly stored or labeled chemicals, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Both mean that cleaning agents or other toxic substances were positioned or marked in ways that created a risk of contamination or accidental ingestion.
The Longer Record
Mulligan's in Longwood carries one of the longer inspection histories of the facilities featured this week, with record identifier SEA6903245 indicating it is among the more established locations in the state's tracking system. The five high-severity violations it drew this week, anchored by no person in charge and no employee health policy, suggest systemic gaps rather than isolated oversights. When a manager is absent and no health policy exists, the conditions for every other violation on that inspection report become easier to understand.
La Brasa Grill and Buster's Bistro, both in Sanford, drew among the highest combined violation totals of any facilities in the county this week. Buster's Bistro's eleven total violations, six high-severity and five intermediate, included sewage disposal and utensil-cleaning failures alongside the illness-reporting and handwashing citations. That breadth, across food safety, employee health, and facility infrastructure, points to inspection findings that go well beyond any single correctable item.
Taqueria Navarro's eight high-severity citations place it at the top of this week's county rankings, and several of those citations involve categories that require affirmative action to correct: staff must be trained, a consumer advisory must be posted, allergen procedures must be documented. Whether those steps were taken after the inspector left is not reflected in this week's records.
Green Papaya Thai Sushi Bar's citation for time as a public health control not properly used adds a layer of risk specific to a sushi operation. When temperature monitoring is replaced by time tracking as the safety mechanism, and that tracking is done incorrectly, the margin between safe and unsafe food is a clock that nobody is watching.
