TAMPA, FL. Inspectors cited Mi Tierra Latina on West Hillsborough Avenue for seven high-severity violations during the week of September 5, more than any other Tampa restaurant in the period, including toxic chemicals stored improperly near food and no person in charge present or performing duties during the inspection.
The violations at Mi Tierra Latina covered nearly every critical food safety category: employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and time used as a public health control without following required procedures. Inspectors also noted the restaurant was serving items that require a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods without posting one.
Fifteen Tampa restaurants drew high-severity citations that week. The full list runs from a Westchase pizza shop to a Water Street ramen chain to a juice bar on South Howard that had been inspected only twice before.
The Violations
Mr and Mrs Crab on Sheldon Road drew six high-severity violations, the second-highest count of the week. Inspectors cited the seafood restaurant for inadequate shell stock identification records, meaning there was no documentation to trace where its oysters, clams, or mussels came from. That citation appeared alongside violations for no consumer advisory, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, employees not reporting illness, and no manager present.
Bella Brava Midtown on Gramercy Lane picked up five high-severity violations, including one that inspectors cited only once across the full 15-restaurant list: food not cooked to the required minimum temperature. Undercooked poultry can carry Salmonella, which survives below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The restaurant also had no allergen awareness demonstrated, no employee health policy, and an intermediate violation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
Sweetwater Franchise Group on North Dale Mabry Highway was cited for food from an unapproved or unknown source, one of three restaurants that week to receive that citation. Food from unapproved sources bypasses federal safety inspections entirely. That violation was accompanied by improper sewage disposal and equipment in poor repair.
Steak n Shake on East Hillsborough Avenue drew five high-severity citations including toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled and single-use items being reused, an intermediate violation. Inspectors also noted inadequate cooling equipment, a finding that compounds the risk when management is absent, which was also cited.
The Cuban Sandwich Shop on North Florida Avenue was flagged for food from an unapproved source and for misusing time as a public health control, the same pairing that creates maximum uncertainty about whether food has been held safely. Inadequate toilet facilities rounded out the intermediate violations there.
Mity Nice Cafe on Benjamin Road had no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods alongside an inadequate shell stock identification record, meaning inspectors could not determine where the shellfish served there originated. Toxic chemicals were also improperly stored or labeled.
Three restaurants in the Westshore and airport corridor drew citations as well. Curry Leaves at Westshore Plaza was cited for no employee health policy, improperly cleaned food contact surfaces, toxic chemicals, and no consumer advisory. Wagamama on Water Street, a national chain, had no manager present, employees not reporting illness, and inadequate shell stock records alongside a violation for time as a public health control.
New York New York Pizza in Westchase was cited for parasite destruction procedures not followed, a violation that appeared at only two restaurants this week. Without proper freezing or cooking protocols, parasites in fish, including Anisakis and tapeworm species, can survive and infect customers. That citation appeared alongside inadequate shell stock records, which raises the question of where the fish being served came from.
India's Grill on West Kennedy Boulevard received five high-severity violations with no intermediates, including food from an unapproved source and no employee health policy. Buddy's Juice Bar on South Howard Avenue was cited for food in poor condition, mislabeled, or adulterated, food from an unapproved source, no employee health policy, no allergen awareness, and toxic substances improperly identified or stored.
Gao Restaurant on North Himes Avenue drew four high-severity and four intermediate violations, including improper waste disposal and improper use of wiping cloths. Urban Indian on North Dale Mabry Highway was cited for food in poor condition and improper waste disposal alongside handwashing and food contact surface violations. KFC/Taco Bell on Ehrlich Road received four high-severity citations including parasite destruction procedures not followed and inadequate shell stock records, notable for a fast-food location, plus improper sewage disposal.
What These Violations Mean
The most frequently cited high-severity violation this week, appearing at nine of the fifteen restaurants, was no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods. That posting requirement exists specifically to protect customers who are pregnant, elderly, immunocompromised, or managing chronic illness. Without it, those customers have no way of knowing they are ordering food that carries elevated risk.
The employee illness reporting violations at Mi Tierra Latina, Mr and Mrs Crab, Steak n Shake, Wagamama, and KFC/Taco Bell represent a direct transmission route. Norovirus, which causes the majority of foodborne illness outbreaks in restaurant settings, spreads through infected food workers handling ready-to-eat items. A worker who does not know they are required to report symptoms, or who is not asked, becomes an undetected source.
Food from unapproved sources, cited at Sweetwater Franchise Group, The Cuban Sandwich Shop, India's Grill, and Buddy's Juice Bar, matters for a specific reason: traceability. When a customer gets sick after eating at a restaurant using approved suppliers, investigators can trace the product back through the supply chain to identify a contamination event. When the source is unknown or unapproved, that chain does not exist.
The parasite destruction citations at New York New York Pizza and KFC/Taco Bell are worth reading carefully. Those violations mean that fish being served at those locations had not been subjected to the freezing protocols required to kill parasites before it was cooked or served. That is not a paperwork violation; it is a gap in a step that exists to prevent parasitic infection in customers.
The Longer Record
Steak n Shake on East Hillsborough has 38 prior inspections on record, the longest history of any facility flagged this week. That volume of inspections reflects years of state scrutiny, and this week's five high-severity violations, including no manager present and toxic chemicals near food, are not the record of a location encountering inspectors for the first time.
Mity Nice Cafe has 32 prior inspections, as does India's Grill. Both facilities drew five high-severity violations this week. At 32 inspections each, neither can claim unfamiliarity with what the state is looking for.
KFC/Taco Bell on Ehrlich Road has 37 prior inspections. The parasite destruction and shell stock citations there, combined with that inspection history, suggest those protocols have had ample opportunity to be corrected and documented.
Buddy's Juice Bar on South Howard had been inspected only twice before this week. It drew five high-severity violations on what is effectively its third encounter with state inspectors, including food in poor condition and food from an unapproved source. Whether those violations are corrected before the next inspection is not yet part of the record.
The Longer Pattern
Shellfish traceability was a thread running through five restaurants this week: Mr and Mrs Crab, Mity Nice Cafe, Wagamama, New York New York Pizza, and KFC/Taco Bell. Shell stock identification records exist so that, if a customer becomes ill after eating oysters or clams, investigators can identify the harvest location and pull product from distribution. Five restaurants in a single week without those records means five gaps in that system.
Mi Tierra Latina, with 29 prior inspections and seven high-severity violations this week, had the worst single-inspection result in the period. Its record of 29 inspections means state inspectors have visited that location dozens of times. The seven citations documented this week, including chemicals near food and no manager on duty, are what inspectors found on visit number 30.
