FORT PIERCE, FL. State inspectors visiting Stoneys at 912 N. 25th Street on July 21 found food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, a violation that means no federal safety inspection trail exists for whatever was being served to customers that day.
That was one of six high-severity violations documented during the inspection. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
Beyond the sourcing violation, inspectors cited food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated. Combined with the unapproved sourcing citation, both violations appeared on the same inspection report.
Inspectors also found that food contact surfaces were not properly cleaned or sanitized, and that multi-use utensils had not been properly cleaned. On top of that, single-use items were being reused.
No person in charge was present or performing supervisory duties during the inspection. Inspectors also documented that food employees were not washing their hands adequately, and that those who did attempt handwashing were using improper technique.
Nine violations in total were recorded: six high-severity, three intermediate.
What These Violations Mean
Food from an unapproved or unknown source is one of the most serious supply-chain failures an inspector can cite. When food bypasses USDA or FDA inspection channels, there is no traceability if a customer becomes ill. Listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli outbreaks have all been traced to uninspected supply chains, and without documentation, public health officials have no starting point to work backward from.
The handwashing violations compound the risk. Inspectors cited both the frequency of handwashing and the technique employees used. Improper technique means pathogens remain on hands even when a wash attempt is made. Hands are the most direct transfer route between a kitchen worker and a customer's food.
Improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and multi-use utensils create a second contamination pathway. Bacteria develop protective biofilms on unclean surfaces within 24 hours, and those biofilms are resistant to standard cleaning products. Cutting boards, prep counters, and utensils that carry that buildup effectively re-contaminate every item that touches them.
The absence of a person in charge during the inspection is not a paperwork issue. CDC data links establishments without active managerial oversight to three times the rate of critical violations. At Stoneys on July 21, the full set of findings reflects exactly that pattern: no oversight, and failures at nearly every point in the food handling chain.
The Longer Record
The July 21 inspection was the ninth on record for Stoneys. Across those nine prior visits, the facility had accumulated 42 total violations before this inspection was added to the count.
The history shows an uneven pattern. Two inspections in 2024, in January and October, came back clean with zero high-severity violations. But that stretch did not hold. By November 2023, inspectors had already documented two high-severity violations, and the March 2026 inspection turned up four high-severity violations alongside three intermediate ones, a result that preceded the July visit by roughly four months.
The July 21 inspection, with six high-severity violations, is the worst single result in the facility's recorded history. The inspection conducted the following day, July 22, showed one high-severity and two intermediate violations, a reduction but not a clean bill.
Stoneys has never been emergency-closed. That fact stands against a record that now includes high-severity violations in six of its ten inspections on file.
Open for Business
Florida's emergency closure authority is triggered when an inspector determines that conditions pose an immediate threat to public health. On July 21, the conditions at Stoneys included food from an unknown source, food in poor condition, employees not washing their hands correctly, unclean food contact surfaces, and no manager present to correct any of it.
The restaurant was not closed.
The follow-up inspection the next day confirmed at least one high-severity violation was still present. Stoneys remained open through both visits.
