VOLUSIA COUNTY, FL. A New Smyrna restaurant was cited for eleven high-severity violations in a single inspection last week, including food sourced from unapproved suppliers, no employee health policy, no illness reporting system, inadequate handwashing facilities, and improper handwashing technique — all at the same address, all at the same time.
That restaurant, Limoncello South on East 3rd Avenue, tied with a DeLand buffet for the worst inspection result in Volusia County during the week of April 18 through April 24, 2026. Inspectors conducted 70 inspections across 60 facilities. Twelve of those facilities came away with two or more high-severity violations.
The Worst of the Week
Limoncello South's eleven high-severity citations covered nearly every layer of food safety. Inspectors flagged no person in charge performing duties, no written employee health policy, employees not reporting illness symptoms, inadequate handwashing facilities, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved or unknown sources, food in poor condition or adulterated, and inadequate shell stock identification records. That last citation is specific to shellfish: oysters, clams, and mussels sold without proper tags cannot be traced if a customer gets sick.
Sakura Buffet on East International Speedway Boulevard in DeLand also reached eleven high-severity violations, with five intermediate citations on top of that. The buffet's record included no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, inadequate shellfish traceability records, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, time as a public health control not properly used, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods.
Beacon Restaurant on Flagler Avenue in New Smyrna Beach drew ten high-severity violations. Inspectors cited the absence of an employee health policy, no illness reporting, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, unsanitized food contact surfaces, improper use of time as a public health control, no consumer advisory for raw foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled near food.
Chart House on South Beach Street in Daytona Beach accumulated eight high-severity violations, including no person in charge present and performing duties, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing facilities, food from unapproved sources, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored.
Avanu on Flagler, also on Flagler Avenue in New Smyrna Beach, was cited for eight high-severity violations. Those included no person in charge performing duties, improper handwashing technique, food from unapproved sources, unsanitized food contact surfaces, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, no consumer advisory, and two separate citations for toxic substances, one for improper storage and labeling and one for improper identification and use.
Flagler Avenue Pizza Company on Flagler Avenue in New Smyrna Beach was cited for seven high-severity violations, including no person in charge, employees not reporting illness, improper handwashing, food in poor condition, unsanitized food contact surfaces, improperly stored chemicals, and no allergen awareness demonstrated by staff. The pizza shop also had an intermediate citation for improper sewage or wastewater disposal.
Ruthy's Kozy Kitchen on West Canal Street in New Smyrna Beach drew seven high-severity violations: no employee health policy, no illness reporting, improper handwashing technique, food contaminated by chemical or physical hazards, improper time controls, no consumer advisory, and toxic substances improperly identified or stored.
The Oyster Pub on Seabreeze Boulevard in Daytona Beach was cited for six high-severity violations, including no person in charge, employees not reporting illness, improper handwashing technique, food not cooked to required minimum temperature, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored chemicals. Inspectors also documented improper sewage or wastewater disposal and multi-use utensils not properly cleaned.
Merk's Bar and Grill on North Causeway in New Smyrna Beach was cited for six high-severity violations, including no employee health policy, inadequate handwashing by food employees, inadequate shell stock identification records, improper time controls, no consumer advisory, and improperly stored chemicals. An intermediate citation for improper sewage disposal was also recorded.
Village Cafe on Orange Camp Road in DeLand drew six high-severity violations: no person in charge, no employee health policy, employees not reporting illness, inadequate handwashing by food employees, inadequate shellfish traceability records, and parasite destruction procedures not followed. The cafe also had citations for improper sewage disposal and multi-use utensils not properly cleaned.
Mama Foo Foo on Basin Street in Daytona Beach was cited for four high-severity violations, including improper handwashing technique, parasite destruction procedures not followed, no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
Halifax River Yacht Club on South Beach Street in Daytona Beach drew two high-severity violations, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned and no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods, along with intermediate citations for improper sewage disposal and inadequate ventilation and lighting.
What These Violations Mean
The single most common thread running through this week's inspections in Volusia County was the collapse of employee illness controls. Limoncello South, Sakura Buffet, Beacon Restaurant, Chart House, Ruthy's Kozy Kitchen, Flagler Avenue Pizza Company, The Oyster Pub, and Village Cafe were all cited for employees not reporting illness symptoms, and most of those same locations also lacked any written employee health policy. Norovirus, the most frequent cause of multi-victim restaurant outbreaks, spreads most efficiently when a sick worker handles food without reporting symptoms. A written policy is the mechanism that creates accountability for that disclosure.
The food from unapproved sources citations at Limoncello South, Sakura Buffet, Beacon Restaurant, Chart House, and Avanu on Flagler represent a specific traceability problem. When a restaurant buys from a supplier not licensed or inspected by state or federal regulators, there is no chain of documentation to follow if customers become ill. That gap makes outbreak investigations significantly harder and can delay a public health response.
Shellfish citations at Limoncello South, Sakura Buffet, Merk's Bar and Grill, and Village Cafe point to a concentrated risk. Oysters, clams, and mussels are typically eaten raw or lightly cooked, and they filter large volumes of water, concentrating whatever pathogens or toxins are present in the harvest area. Shell stock tags are the mechanism that allows health officials to pull a specific harvest lot if illness is reported. Without them, that recall becomes impossible.
Two restaurants, Village Cafe and Mama Foo Foo, were cited for failing to follow parasite destruction procedures. For certain fish and pork products served raw or undercooked, proper freezing at specific temperatures for specific durations is the only reliable method to kill parasites including Anisakis in fish and Trichinella in pork. When that step is skipped, the risk passes directly to the customer.
The Longer Record
New Smyrna Beach accounted for five of the twelve worst-performing facilities this week, with Limoncello South, Beacon Restaurant, Avanu on Flagler, Flagler Avenue Pizza Company, and Ruthy's Kozy Kitchen all landing on the list. The concentration of serious violations on and around Flagler Avenue is notable. Avanu on Flagler and Flagler Avenue Pizza Company are within four addresses of each other on the same street, and both were cited for absent or non-functional management oversight, the person in charge not present or not performing duties.
Chart House on South Beach Street in Daytona Beach carried eight high-severity violations this week, including inadequate handwashing facilities, a structural deficiency that cannot be corrected during a shift. The Oyster Pub, also in Daytona Beach, added to the city's tally with six high-severity violations, one of which was food not cooked to required minimum temperature, a direct pathogen survival risk.
Sakura Buffet's profile is particularly concerning for a high-volume operation. Buffet-format service means food spends extended time in the temperature danger zone between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit. The citation for time as a public health control not properly used, combined with no consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items and food from unapproved sources, represents compounding risks at a facility that serves a large number of customers per service period.
Village Cafe in DeLand combined six high-severity violations with three intermediate citations, including improper sewage disposal and multi-use utensils not properly cleaned. The sewage citation there and at Flagler Avenue Pizza Company, The Oyster Pub, and Merk's Bar and Grill points to a recurring infrastructure problem across the county that week, one that creates fecal contamination risk independent of how carefully employees handle food.