TAMPA, FL. Florida Cracker Fish Company on Ehrlich Road drew seven high-severity citations during the week of September 3, including a failure to follow parasite destruction procedures and missing shellfish identification records, two violations that inspectors consider among the most dangerous a seafood operation can accumulate.
Parasite destruction requires that fish served raw or undercooked be frozen to specific temperatures for specific durations before it reaches a customer. Without documentation that the process was followed, there is no way to confirm that Anisakis or tapeworm larvae in the fish were killed before service. The inspector also found no consumer advisory on the menu alerting diners that raw or undercooked items carry additional risk, and cited improper handwashing technique among staff. An intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal rounded out a citation list that covered nearly every layer of the kitchen's safety infrastructure.
The Violations
Mi Tierra Latina on West Hillsborough Avenue tied Florida Cracker Fish Company for the week's highest violation count at seven high-severity citations. The inspector found no person in charge present or performing duties, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces that had not been properly cleaned or sanitized, and toxic chemicals stored or labeled improperly. The restaurant was also cited for failing to use time as a public health control correctly and for posting no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked menu items.
Taco Dirty on West Platt Street collected six high-severity violations, among them inadequate shell stock identification records and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. The inspector also noted that the restaurant lacked proper time-as-public-health-control documentation and that no person in charge was present. Intermediate violations included improperly cleaned multi-use utensils and inadequate cooling or cold-holding equipment, a combination that creates compounding risk when food cannot be kept cold and the surfaces it touches are not clean.
Sal y Mar on Midtown Drive was cited for six high-severity violations including food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, no employee health policy, no handwashing facilities adequate for the operation, and employees not reporting illness symptoms. Undercooked food is among the most direct pathways to a Salmonella or Campylobacter outbreak, and the simultaneous absence of a health policy and inadequate handwashing infrastructure means the conditions for transmission were layered.
Funky Sweets at Citrus Park Drive drew six high-severity citations, including food from an unapproved or unknown source, toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff. The shell stock identification violation stands out at a dessert operation, suggesting shellfish-derived ingredients may be in use without proper sourcing documentation.
Sweetwater Franchise Group LLC on North Dale Mabry Highway was cited for five high-severity violations including food from an unapproved or unknown source, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. An intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal was also documented.
Woody's Greek Salads on South Dale Mabry had five high-severity violations, two of them related to chemicals: toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled, and toxic substances improperly identified, stored, or used. The inspector also found no allergen awareness demonstrated, a significant gap at a restaurant where ingredients like tree nuts or dairy in dressings and toppings are common.
Penthouse Club on North Westshore Boulevard collected five high-severity violations including inadequate shell stock identification records, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, no consumer advisory, and no allergen awareness. Intermediate violations included improper sewage or wastewater disposal and inadequate or improperly maintained toilet facilities.
Urban Indian on North Dale Mabry Highway was cited for four high-severity violations including food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated, improper handwashing technique, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned. Nawabi Hyderabad House Biryani Place on Amberly Drive drew four high-severity citations including inadequate shell stock identification records, employees not reporting illness symptoms, and food contact surfaces not properly cleaned.
Besito Mexican at Westshore Plaza, Tomo Sushi Inc. on East Bearss Avenue, Villa Rina Pizza of Tampa on East Adamo Drive, PF Chang's China Bistro at Tampa International Airport, and Sake House on Amberly Drive each drew three high-severity violations. Tomo Sushi and Villa Rina Pizza both had shell stock identification failures alongside missing consumer advisories, a pairing that matters at operations where raw fish is central to the menu. Sake House was flagged for food from an unapproved source and no employee health policy. PF Chang's, operating inside the main terminal at Tampa International, had no employee health policy and improperly stored or labeled toxic chemicals.
What These Violations Mean
The most consequential cluster this week involves illness reporting and employee health policies. Mi Tierra Latina, Florida Cracker Fish Company, Taco Dirty, Sal y Mar, Sweetwater Franchise Group, Woody's Greek Salads, Penthouse Club, and Nawabi Hyderabad House all drew citations for employees not reporting illness symptoms, no employee health policy, or both. Food workers who do not report symptoms of illness are the primary transmission route for Norovirus, which causes roughly 20 million cases of foodborne illness in the United States each year. When there is no written health policy, there is no mechanism to remove a sick worker before they contaminate food or surfaces.
Parasite destruction failures at Florida Cracker Fish Company represent a separate and specific danger. Fish served raw or undercooked, including sushi, ceviche, and lightly seared preparations, must be frozen to kill parasites before service. Without records showing that process was completed, there is no confirmation it happened. Anisakis larvae, which survive in undercooked fish, cause acute gastrointestinal illness and in some cases require surgical removal.
Shell stock identification violations appeared at Florida Cracker Fish Company, Taco Dirty, Funky Sweets, Penthouse Club, Nawabi Hyderabad House, Tomo Sushi, and Villa Rina Pizza. When shellfish arrive without proper tags, there is no way to trace them back to a harvest location if customers become ill. Oysters and clams are filter feeders that concentrate whatever pathogens are present in the water they were harvested from, and Vibrio contamination in particular can cause life-threatening illness within 24 hours.
Food from unapproved sources, cited at Funky Sweets, Sweetwater Franchise Group, Villa Rina Pizza, and Sake House, means those ingredients bypassed USDA and FDA inspection entirely. There is no way to verify the cold chain was maintained, that the product was handled safely, or where it originated.
The Longer Record
Nawabi Hyderabad House Biryani Place has 36 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility cited this week, and still drew four high-severity violations including handwashing failures and food contact surface deficiencies. Thirty-six inspections represent years of regulatory contact. Violations in the same foundational categories after that volume of oversight are a pattern, not an anomaly.
Besito Mexican has 32 prior inspections and Woody's Greek Salads has 26. Both drew violations in categories that appear repeatedly across their inspection histories: chemical storage and handwashing at Besito, chemical handling and allergen awareness at Woody's. Mi Tierra Latina's 29 prior inspections and this week's seven high-severity citations, including the absence of a person in charge, place it among the week's most concerning repeat records.
Funky Sweets is a different kind of concern. With only two prior inspections on record, it is among the newest operations in this week's data, and it already accumulated six high-severity violations including food from an unapproved source and no allergen awareness. A dessert shop sourcing ingredients outside the approved supply chain and with staff unable to identify allergens is a significant risk to customers with food allergies, who have no way of knowing what they are actually eating.
Urban Indian has six prior inspections and drew four high-severity violations including adulterated or mislabeled food. That finding at a relatively new operation suggests the problems documented this week are not the residue of old habits but are present at the ground level.
Sake House on Amberly Drive, with 26 prior inspections, was cited for food from an unapproved source this week. The two Amberly Drive restaurants, Sake House and Nawabi Hyderabad House, sit on the same block and together account for seven high-severity violations. Whether that food sourcing citation at Sake House has been resolved is not reflected in this week's inspection record.
