NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FL. Back in February 2026, state inspectors walked into the Target #1038 on North Miami Beach and found a case of packaged raw chicken sitting directly above cases of ready-to-eat hot dogs inside the walk-in meat cooler. It was not the first time inspectors had documented that exact problem at this location.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services conducted the inspection on February 17, 2026. The visit turned up four violations, including one priority violation and one repeat citation. None were corrected on site before inspectors left.
What Inspectors Found
The raw chicken finding was the most serious of the four. The inspector's notes read: "Backroom Area: Observed a case of packaged raw chicken stored above cases of ready to eat hotdogs inside walk-in meat cooler." Staff moved the chicken to the correct location during the inspection, but the state's records mark the violation as a repeat, meaning inspectors had flagged the same storage problem at this location before.
The second significant finding involved hand-washing sinks in both unisex restrooms serving employees and customers. Inspectors found no hot water available at either sink. The inspection report gave the store 30 calendar days to restore hot water at those sinks, with a warning that failure to comply would trigger a required re-inspection.
Two additional violations rounded out the report. Inspectors noted visible gaps along the bottom of the receiving doors in the backroom, an opening that state food safety rules require to be sealed against insects and rodents. A trash receptacle inside the employee unisex restroom also lacked a cover, a basic sanitation requirement for any facility used by females.
What These Violations Mean
The raw chicken storage violation carries the most direct food safety consequence for shoppers. Raw poultry contains pathogens including Salmonella and Campylobacter. When raw chicken is stored above ready-to-eat products like hot dogs, any drip or leak from the packaging can contaminate food that will never be cooked again before a customer eats it. That contamination path is direct and does not require any additional handling error to cause illness.
The fact that this is a repeat violation makes it harder to treat as an isolated mistake. A single occurrence can be an oversight. A documented recurrence means the correct storage procedure was not retained as standard practice between inspections.
The missing hot water at hand-washing sinks is a different category of concern. Hand-washing with cold water is significantly less effective at removing pathogens than washing with water at or above the required temperature of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. In a grocery environment where employees handle food products, produce and packaged goods throughout their shifts, non-functional hand-washing stations reduce a basic layer of contamination control. The violation affected both restrooms available to employees, not just one.
The gaps along the receiving doors are a structural vulnerability. Openings at the base of exterior doors are an entry point for insects and rodents, and a backroom receiving area is where incoming food inventory is staged. Pest activity near incoming product creates contamination risk before items ever reach the sales floor.
The Longer Record
The inspection history at this Target location is short. State records show one prior FDACS inspection on file, a focused inspection conducted on April 29, 2024, which found zero violations.
That clean 2024 record makes the repeat designation on the raw chicken violation notable. A focused inspection is narrower in scope than a full sanitation inspection, so the 2024 visit may not have examined the same areas or practices. But the repeat flag in the February 2026 report indicates that inspectors had previously documented the improper raw-over-ready-to-eat storage arrangement at this facility, even if that prior citation does not appear in the publicly available FDACS inspection history shown here.
With only two inspections on record, there is not enough history to establish a long-term pattern. What the record does show is a facility that passed a focused inspection in 2024 and then accumulated four violations, including a repeat priority finding, during its next documented visit less than two years later.
Status of Violations
Of the four violations cited on February 17, 2026, the raw chicken storage issue was addressed during the inspection itself, with staff relocating the product while the inspector was present. The remaining three violations, including the lack of hot water at both hand-washing sinks, the gaps at the receiving doors, and the uncovered restroom receptacle, were not corrected on site.
The inspection was classified as "Met Sanitation Inspection Requirements, Check Back Needed," meaning the store was not ordered closed but remained under follow-up scrutiny. The hot water violation carried an explicit 30-day compliance deadline, after which inspectors indicated a re-inspection would be required.
As of the inspection date, both restroom hand sinks at Target #1038 had no hot water.