MIAMI, FL. Two Miami-area restaurants each drew 11 high-severity violations during the week of October 12, 2026, leading a sweep across the tri-county region in which 15 facilities accumulated 130 high-severity citations combined, with inspectors documenting everything from unapproved food sources to improperly stored toxic chemicals to shellfish with no traceability records.
The Top Offenders
La Hormiga de Oro III on SW 147 Avenue in Miami led the week's findings. Inspectors cited the restaurant for having no person in charge performing duties, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, food from unapproved or unknown sources, food in poor condition or adulterated, inadequate shellfish identification records, unclean food contact surfaces, and food not cooked to required minimum temperatures. That combination, absent management oversight and food arriving from sources outside the regulated supply chain, represents some of the most serious conditions inspectors document.
Churros Manolo on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach matched that count with 11 high-severity violations of its own. The Collins Avenue location sits in a high-traffic tourist corridor. Inspectors found no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing by employees, inadequate handwashing facilities, food from unapproved sources, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized.
Doughboys Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant on SE 17th Street in Fort Lauderdale drew 10 high-severity violations, the highest total among Broward County facilities this week. The record included no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing, improper handwashing technique, missing shellfish identification records, unsanitary food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods.
Golden Corral on South Dixie Highway in Florida City also reached 10 high-severity violations. The franchise location was cited for no person in charge, employees not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, inadequate shellfish records, unsanitary food contact surfaces, improper use of time as a public health control, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items.
Across the Three Counties
Miami-Dade produced 10 of the 15 facilities flagged this week. Xixon Spanish Restaurant on SW 22nd Street in Miami drew 9 high-severity violations, all without a single intermediate citation alongside them. Inspectors found inadequate handwashing, improper technique, food from unapproved sources, food in poor condition or adulterated, missing shellfish records, unsanitary food contact surfaces, improper time control, and no consumer advisory.
Macitas Restaurant on SW 104th Street in Miami accumulated 9 high-severity and 5 intermediate violations, the highest intermediate count of any facility this week. The high-severity list included no person in charge, no health policy, employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing, improper technique, missing shellfish records, unsanitary food contact surfaces, and improper time control.
Bulla Gastrobar in Aventura drew 9 high-severity violations that included food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, a citation that puts it in a distinct category from most facilities on this week's list. Inspectors also found no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, parasite destruction procedures not followed, unsanitary food contact surfaces, and improper time control.
FlyFuel Food Co on NE 29th Street in Miami was also cited for food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, alongside no person in charge, no health policy, employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, missing shellfish records, and unsanitary food contact surfaces.
Street Bar on Harding Avenue in Surfside drew 9 high-severity violations including parasite destruction procedures not followed, improper time control, employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing, improper technique, missing shellfish records, unsanitary food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory.
In Broward, Las Colinas Restaurant on North Andrews Avenue in Wilton Manors drew 9 high-severity violations including food from unapproved sources, food not cooked to required minimum temperatures, missing shellfish records, no health policy, employees not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, unsanitary food contact surfaces, and no consumer advisory.
Pollo Tipico on South SR 7 in Davie reached 9 high-severity violations that included improperly stored or labeled toxic chemicals, alongside no person in charge, employees not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, missing shellfish records, unsanitary food contact surfaces, improper time control, and no consumer advisory.
Palm Beach County placed one facility on this week's list. Boca Lago Country Club on Juego Way in Boca Raton drew 9 high-severity violations including no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, missing shellfish records, parasite destruction procedures not followed, and unsanitary food contact surfaces. A private country club kitchen carrying those violations across food sourcing, illness policy, and parasite controls is notable.
Latin American Grill on NW 79th Court in Miami Lakes drew 6 high-severity violations, among them toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. Those two chemical-handling citations, combined with parasite destruction failures, missing shellfish records, no consumer advisory, and unsanitary food contact surfaces, round out a list that goes beyond food temperature concerns.
What These Violations Mean
The cluster of employee illness violations at facilities including La Hormiga de Oro III, Churros Manolo, Doughboys Pizzeria, Boca Lago Country Club, Macitas Restaurant, and Bulla Gastrobar carries a specific and direct risk. When no written health policy exists and employees are not required to report symptoms, a worker with Norovirus or Salmonella can spend a full shift handling food, touching surfaces, and serving customers without anyone intervening. Norovirus spreads with exposure to as few as 18 viral particles, and a single sick food worker can trigger an outbreak affecting dozens of customers.
The shellfish traceability failures documented at 11 of the 15 facilities this week, including Golden Corral, Street Bar, Xixon Spanish Restaurant, Pollo Tipico, and Las Colinas Restaurant, create a specific problem if someone becomes ill. Oysters, clams, and mussels are high-risk foods typically eaten raw or lightly cooked. Without shell stock identification tags, there is no way to trace a contaminated batch back to its harvest location, and no way to issue a targeted recall. The absence of records does not mean the shellfish is contaminated. It means there is no way to know.
Improperly stored toxic chemicals, cited at both Latin American Grill and Pollo Tipico, represent a different category of hazard. When cleaning agents or pesticides are stored near or above food prep areas without proper labeling, a mislabeled container or a spill can contaminate food directly. Chemical poisoning from this type of exposure can cause acute illness within hours.
The cooking temperature violations at Bulla Gastrobar, FlyFuel Food Co, and Las Colinas Restaurant are among the most direct pathogen risks in the dataset. Salmonella in poultry survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Food that leaves a kitchen undercooked does not get a second chance at a safe temperature on the customer's plate.
The Longer Record
The data does not include prior inspection counts for the facilities listed this week, which limits the ability to place these findings against a cumulative record. What the violation totals alone reveal is a concentration of systemic failures rather than isolated incidents. Facilities that simultaneously lack a person in charge, have no employee health policy, source food from unverified suppliers, and fail to maintain shellfish records are not dealing with a single overlooked procedure. Each of those failures requires a separate, active decision not to comply.
The geographic spread is also notable. The ten Miami-Dade facilities span from Florida City in the south to Aventura in the north, a corridor of roughly 50 miles. The four Broward facilities stretch from Hollywood to Wilton Manors to Davie to Fort Lauderdale. Boca Lago Country Club stands as the sole Palm Beach entry, and its private-club setting does not appear to have produced a different outcome.
Churros Manolo on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach sits in a neighborhood that draws heavy tourist foot traffic year-round. The combination of inadequate handwashing facilities and food from unapproved sources at that location means customers have no practical way to assess the risks before they order. The handwashing sink deficiency was still on the record as of the October 18 inspection cutoff.
