KEY LARGO, FL. Back in April 2026, state inspectors walked into Sharkeys Pub at 522 Caribbean Drive and found that the kitchen had no functioning parasite destruction procedures for fish, no written employee health policy, and toxic chemicals stored improperly near food, all in the same visit. The facility logged nine high-severity violations and three intermediate violations. It was not emergency-closed.
What Inspectors Found
The parasite destruction failure stands out in a waterfront Keys bar that almost certainly serves fish. Florida regulations require that fish intended for raw or undercooked service be frozen to specific temperatures for set periods to kill parasites including Anisakis and tapeworm. The inspector found those procedures were not being followed.
The shell stock identification violation compounded the seafood risk. Oysters, clams, and mussels require harvest tags that allow regulators to trace a contaminated batch back to its source if customers get sick. Without those records, there is no traceability.
Toxic chemicals were found improperly stored or labeled near food. That violation creates a direct route to acute chemical poisoning through accidental contamination or mislabeling of containers. It is among the most immediately dangerous violations an inspector can cite.
The inspector also found that no person in charge was present or performing supervisory duties during the visit. That single finding, according to CDC data, correlates with three times as many critical violations at a facility, and the April 3 inspection appeared to confirm the pattern.
What These Violations Mean
The combination of no employee health policy and no illness reporting by staff is what epidemiologists describe as an outbreak waiting to happen. Norovirus, the leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States, spreads most efficiently when a sick food worker continues handling food without restriction. At Sharkeys in April 2026, there was no written policy requiring workers to report symptoms and no documented system to act on a report if one came in.
The improper handwashing technique violation makes that worse. A worker who attempts to wash hands but uses incorrect technique, skipping steps or not washing long enough, leaves pathogens on their hands. Combined with unsanitized food contact surfaces and improperly cleaned multi-use utensils, the April inspection described a facility where cross-contamination had multiple active pathways.
The sewage disposal violation, listed as intermediate, is not a paperwork problem. Improper wastewater disposal introduces fecal contamination risk throughout a kitchen. The ventilation and lighting deficiency allows grease vapor and combustion byproducts to accumulate, a fire and air quality hazard on top of the food safety concerns.
No consumer advisory was posted for raw or undercooked foods. For a bar that serves fish and likely shellfish, that omission means customers with compromised immune systems, elderly diners, pregnant women, and young children had no warning before ordering.
The Longer Record
The April 3, 2026 inspection was not an anomaly. State records show Sharkeys Pub has accumulated 360 total violations across 32 inspections on record, and the pattern of high-severity citations repeats almost every cycle.
The inspection on April 21, 2025, turned up seven high-severity violations and one intermediate. The follow-up the next day, April 22, still showed two high-severity violations. In December 2024, inspectors found eight high-severity violations and two intermediate. In April 2024, the tally was nine high-severity and three intermediate, the identical count as this past April.
Going back further, October 25, 2023 produced nine high-severity violations and one intermediate. The follow-up the next day still showed two high-severity violations. The facility has never been emergency-closed in the records available.
That last fact is the one that stays with you. Nine high-severity violations in a single visit, a record showing the same counts in the same months across multiple years, a kitchen with no active manager, no illness policy, no parasite controls, chemicals near food, and sewage disposal problems. Sharkeys Pub in Key Largo remained open after the April 3, 2026 inspection.