MIAMI, FL. Back in March 2026, a state inspector walked into a Westar convenience store in Miami and found the business operating without a valid food permit, raw shell eggs stored on a shelf directly above ready-to-eat foods in the reach-in cooler, and not a single probe thermometer anywhere on the premises.
The inspection, conducted March 10, 2026 by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, turned up 11 total violations. One was classified as a priority violation, the most serious category under state food safety rules.
What Inspectors Found
The priority violation involved the reach-in cooler. The inspector found raw shell eggs sitting on a shelf above containers of ready-to-eat foods. The eggs were moved to an appropriate location during the inspection, but the problem existed long enough for a state inspector to document it.
The store had no paper towels at the handwash sink when the inspector arrived. That was corrected on site. A spoon handle was found resting in a container of sugar next to the coffee machine, a violation of rules requiring utensil handles to stay out of food contact during breaks in service. That, too, was corrected during the visit.
What was not corrected during the inspection tells a different story. The store had no probe thermometer available anywhere on the premises, meaning employees had no way to check whether hot or cold foods were being held at safe temperatures. There were no sanitizer test strips to verify that the cleaning solution being used actually worked. And the ware wash sink had a direct connection between its drain line and the sewage system, a plumbing configuration that creates a path for contamination to travel back into food prep areas.
The establishment also had no written procedures for employees to follow in the event of a vomiting or diarrhea incident on the premises, and no employee health policy. Guidance documents were emailed to the business during the inspection.
Operating Without a Permit
The inspection itself was triggered by a specific concern: the store was operating without a valid food permit, a violation of Florida Statute 500.12. The inspector noted that an application had been submitted, and that the establishment was required to remit payment of the appropriate fee within 10 days.
Running a food establishment without a valid permit is not a paperwork technicality. A permit is what connects a business to state oversight. Without one, there is no formal record of the establishment being cleared to operate, and no guarantee that the space has met the baseline standards the state requires before a food business opens to the public.
The inspection was classified as an "Operating Without a Valid Food Permit, Met Sanitation Inspection," meaning the store was allowed to continue operating after the visit.
What These Violations Mean
The raw egg storage violation is among the most direct food safety risks inspectors document in retail food settings. Raw shell eggs can carry Salmonella on their shells and inside, and storing them above ready-to-eat items, such as prepared foods, deli items, or beverages, means any drip or crack could contaminate food that will not be cooked before a customer eats it. The fact that it was corrected on site does not change that the condition existed.
The absence of a probe thermometer matters because temperature is the primary tool food workers use to verify that food is safe. Without one, there is no way to confirm that cold foods in the reach-in cooler are staying at or below 41 degrees, or that any food being reheated has reached a safe internal temperature. At Westar, inspectors found no such device anywhere in the store.
The direct sewage connection at the ware wash sink is a structural concern, not a behavior one. When a drain line connects directly to a sewage system without an air gap, wastewater and sewage gases can backflow into equipment being cleaned. That is not something that can be corrected by telling an employee to be more careful.
The missing employee health policy and the missing vomiting and diarrhea response procedures both point to a gap in the store's foundational food safety framework. An employee health policy tells workers when they are required to report illness and when they cannot handle food. Without one, a sick employee has no formal guidance telling them to stay away from food service duties.
The Longer Record
The March 10, 2026 inspection is the record on file for this Westar location. The data does not include prior inspection counts for this facility, which means the March visit cannot be placed against a longer pattern of documented violations.
What the single inspection does show is a convenience store that, at the time of the visit, lacked several basic operational tools, including a thermometer, sanitizer test strips, an employee health policy, and a valid food permit. None of the five priority-foundation violations were marked as repeat citations, but several, including the sewage connection and the missing thermometer, were not resolved during the inspection itself.
The store was permitted to remain open. The sewage line connection at the ware wash sink remained unresolved when the inspector left.