MIAMI, FL. A state inspector walked into the restaurant at Palmetto Golf Course on September 1 and found that employees were not following parasite destruction procedures for fish and other proteins, a failure that can leave Anisakis worms and tapeworm larvae alive in food served to customers on the back nine.
That was one of six high-severity violations documented at Sports Grill at Palmetto Golf Course, 9300 SW 152nd Street, during the inspection. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The parasite violation was not the only high-priority finding. Inspectors also cited the restaurant because employees were not reporting symptoms of illness, a violation that public health officials classify as among the most dangerous in food service because it removes the only human checkpoint between a sick worker and a customer's plate.
Inspectors further documented improper hand and arm washing technique, meaning employees were attempting to wash their hands but doing so incorrectly, leaving pathogens on their skin. Food contact surfaces were not being properly cleaned or sanitized, creating a direct transfer route for bacteria between preparation cycles.
Two separate chemical violations were also cited. Toxic chemicals were found improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances were found improperly identified, stored, or used. Both violations carry risk of acute chemical poisoning if a substance contaminates food or is mislabeled and mistaken for a food-safe product.
On the intermediate level, inspectors found single-use items being reused, wiping cloths being used improperly, and inadequate ventilation and lighting. Nine violations in total. The restaurant stayed open.
What These Violations Mean
Parasite destruction is not a procedural formality. Certain fish served raw or undercooked, along with pork and some game meats, can harbor live parasites including Anisakis roundworms and Trichinella. State and federal food codes require specific freezing temperatures or cooking thresholds to kill those organisms before food reaches a customer. When a kitchen skips or shortcuts that process, the parasites can survive into the finished dish.
The employee illness reporting violation is categorically different from a temperature or equipment citation. It is a human systems failure. When kitchen staff do not report symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, or jaundice, there is no mechanism to remove an infectious worker from food preparation. Norovirus, which spreads person-to-person and through contaminated surfaces, is the leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurant settings, and infected food workers are its primary vehicle.
The two chemical violations compound the picture at Palmetto. Improperly labeled or stored cleaning chemicals near food preparation areas create conditions where a substance can contaminate food directly or be confused with a food-safe product. The consequences can be immediate and acute, not the delayed symptoms associated with bacterial contamination.
Improper handwashing technique deserves its own sentence: washing hands incorrectly is not meaningfully different from not washing them. If the technique does not meet the standard, the pathogens remain.
The Longer Record
Sports Grill at Palmetto Golf Course: Recent Inspection History
September 1 was not a bad day at an otherwise clean kitchen. State records show 22 inspections on file for Sports Grill at Palmetto Golf Course, with 225 total violations accumulated across that history. The facility has never been emergency-closed.
High-severity violations have appeared in every single inspection on record going back to at least April 2023. The April 2023 visit produced seven high-severity citations. December 2023 produced six, the same count as September 1. The March 2026 inspection, six months before this one, found three high-severity violations.
The only inspection in the recent history that logged zero high-severity violations was January 2025, which found two intermediate citations. Every other inspection in the dataset included at least two high-priority findings.
That is eight consecutive inspections, spanning more than three years, in which state inspectors documented high-severity violations at this location. The restaurant has not been closed once.
After the September 1 inspection, with six high-severity violations on the books including parasite destruction failures, improper chemical storage, an employee illness reporting breakdown, and food contact surfaces that were not properly sanitized, Sports Grill at Palmetto Golf Course remained open for business.
