ORMOND BEACH, FL. Back in March 2026, a state food safety inspector walked into Solberry Smoothies on Ormond Beach, a health food store with food service, and watched an employee walk into the food service area and begin working with open foods without first washing their hands.
That was one of 17 violations documented during the March 25 inspection by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Two of those violations were classified as priority-level, the most serious category in the state's inspection framework.
What Inspectors Found
The handwashing violation was recorded in the inspector's own words: "Food service employee entered into food service area and began working with open foods before first washing hands." The manager intervened and instructed the employee to wash their hands before continuing, but the violation had already occurred and was logged as a priority finding.
The second priority violation involved personal medication. The inspector found employee medication stored on shelving directly over the food service counter, food service equipment, and food intended for customers. The manager relocated the medication during the inspection.
A bucket of cleaning wipes had been placed at the handwashing sink, blocking access. That violation, classified as priority foundation, was documented separately. A sink that cannot be reached easily is a sink that does not get used.
The ice machine carried its own problem. The inspector noted "black mold like substance build up on components of under the counter ice maker." The manager emptied the machine and washed, rinsed, and sanitized the interior during the visit.
Personal food belonging to employees was found stored on shelving above food intended for customer service, both in the reach-in cooler and in the dry storage area. Boxes of food were stored directly on the floor next to the storage freezer. Neither location meets basic food storage standards.
The store's current food permit was not on display during the inspection. No certified food protection manager certificate was provided. Tape was holding flooring together in the food service area.
What These Violations Mean
The handwashing violation is among the most direct public health risks documented in any food service inspection. An employee's hands are in contact with every surface they touch, every piece of equipment they operate, and every ingredient they handle. When those hands have not been washed after entering a food preparation area, anything they touch becomes a potential transfer point for bacteria, viruses, and contaminants. At a smoothie bar where employees are blending ingredients that go directly into a cup and directly to a customer, that transfer happens with no cooking step to intervene.
The blocked handwashing sink compounds that risk. If the only sink available for handwashing has a bucket sitting in it, employees face a practical barrier to compliance even when they intend to wash. Inspectors flag blocked sinks specifically because the physical obstacle predicts the behavior that follows.
Medication stored above food service surfaces and customer food is a contamination risk that most shoppers would not think to consider. Pills, liquids, and packaging can spill or leak. Anything that falls from that shelf lands on food or on surfaces where food is prepared. The inspector found this condition in the backroom at Solberry Smoothies in March.
The black mold-like buildup inside the ice machine is significant because ice is not cooked or heated before it reaches a customer's drink. Whatever grows inside that machine goes directly into the cup. The manager cleaned and sanitized the unit during the inspection, but the condition existed at the time of the visit.
The Longer Record
State records show FDACS had inspected this location once before the March 2026 visit. That prior inspection, conducted on March 3, 2023, found two violations and the facility met inspection requirements at that time.
The jump from two violations in 2023 to 17 violations in 2026 is the most notable feature of the inspection history here. The 2023 visit did not document any priority-level findings. The 2026 visit documented two, along with a priority foundation violation and 14 additional citations covering everything from food storage and utensil handling to plumbing and restroom maintenance.
None of the 17 violations from March 2026 were marked as repeats from the prior inspection. But the volume and range of what inspectors found in 2026 reflects a facility operating with multiple simultaneous gaps, not a single isolated problem.
What Remained Unresolved
Several violations were corrected during the inspection itself. The manager cleaned the ice machine, relocated the employee medication, moved the scoop handle out of the sorbet, and instructed the employee to wash their hands. The facility met sanitation inspection requirements at the conclusion of the visit.
What the records do not show is a corrected-on-site notation for the blocked handwashing sink, the absence of a certified food protection manager, the tape holding the floor together, or the food permit that was not on display. Those conditions were documented and the facility still passed, but they were not resolved in the inspector's presence.
The store had no certified food manager on record as of March 25, 2026.