5 Okaloosa County restaurants get perfect scores; 1 fails inspection

Yoonserk Pyun, Northwest Florida Daily News
·5 min read

You can use the database to search by county or by restaurant name.

Each week we share the area restaurants — filed by state safety and sanitation inspectors — that aced their inspections, while also rounding up those that didn't pass muster.

For a complete list of local restaurant inspections, including violations not requiring warnings or administrative action, visit our Okaloosa County restaurant inspections site.

Here's the breakdown for recent health inspections in Okaloosa County, Florida, for the week of July 3-9, 2023. Please note that some more recent, follow-up inspections may not be included here.

Disclaimer: The Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation describes an inspection report as a 'snapshot' of conditions present at the time of the inspection. On any given day, an establishment may have fewer or more violations than noted in their most recent inspection. An inspection conducted on any given day may not be representative of the overall, long-term conditions at the establishment.

Please note that some more recent, follow-up inspections may not be included here.

Which Okaloosa County restaurants got perfect scores on their health inspections?

These restaurants met all standards during their July 3-9 inspections and no violations were found.

** Restaurants that failed an inspection and aced a follow-up inspection in the same week

Which Okaloosa County restaurants had high priority violations?

First Choice Buffet

4585 E. Hwy 20 Ste 150, Niceville

Complaint Inspection on July 6

Follow-Up Inspection Required: Violations require further review, but are not an immediate threat to the public.

18 total violations, with 5 high-priority violations

  • High Priority - Displayed food not properly protected from contamination. Buffet Dry noodles and chopped scallions uncovered on buffet line. Both items covered during the inspection **Corrected On-Site**

  • High Priority - Employee handled soiled equipment or utensils and then engaged in food preparation, handled clean equipment or utensils, or touched unwrapped single-service items without washing hands. Dish washer observed handling soiled dishes and clean dishes without hand washing. Discussion continued with operator reference hand washing requirements.

  • High Priority - Raw animal food stored over or with ready-to-eat food in the walk in freezer - not all products commercially packaged. Speed rack Repackaged raw chicken over uncooked dumplings

  • High Priority - Roach activity present as evidenced by live roaches found. One live roach observed in basin of ware wash hand wash sink. Roach killed and removed during the inspection. Sink cleaned and sanitized during the inspection. **Admin Complaint**

  • High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Storage shelf cook line - yellow rice 68/65F less than 2 hrs. , breaded chicken 48/49F less than 1 hr. Items moved to walk in cooler for rapid cooling during the inspection. Cook line make bar - cooked onions 57, mixed vegetables( peas and carrots ) 53 , chicken 53, beef 54/55, wantons 60, chicken 49F / glass door upright- egg rolls 56, chicken 44/59/47F Per operator less than 2 hrs . Advised operator to close cooler top and slide doors to facilitate cooling , and to ice if necessary. **Corrective Action Taken** **Warning**

First Choice Buffet

4585 E Hwy 20 Ste 150, Niceville

Complaint Inspection on July 7

Follow-Up Inspection Required: Violations require further review, but are not an immediate threat to the public.

3 total violations, with 2 high-priority violations

  • High Priority - - From initial inspection : High Priority - Roach activity present as evidenced by live roaches found. One live roach observed in basin of ware wash hand wash sink. Roach killed and removed during the inspection. Sink cleaned and sanitized during the inspection. **Admin Complaint** - From follow-up inspection 2023-07-07: Upon callback inspection 2 live roaches observed on floor next to the walk in freezer . Roaches killed and removed during the callback inspection. **Admin Complaint**

  • High Priority - - From initial inspection : High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Storage shelf cook line - yellow rice 68/65F less than 2 hrs. , breaded chicken 48/49F less than 1 hr. Items moved to walk in cooler for rapid cooling during the inspection. Cook line make bar - cooked onions 57, mixed vegetables( peas and carrots ) 53 , chicken 53, beef 54/55, wantons 60, chicken 49F / glass door upright- egg rolls 56, chicken 44/59/47F Per operator less than 2 hrs . Advised operator to close cooler top and slide doors to facilitate cooling , and to ice if necessary. **Corrective Action Taken** **Warning** - From follow-up inspection 2023-07-07: Upon call back inspection - Right side cook line Make bar - cooked chicken 45/46, cooked onions 47, mixed vegetables 48, roasted pork 46F ( all overnight ) see stop sale. / left side make bar - raw beef 43/43, raw chicken 42F Glass door upright- chicken 37/40/41/41F no egg rolls observed. No yellow rice or breaded chicken observed on make line storage table. **Admin Complaint**

What agency inspects restaurants in Florida?

Routine regulation and inspection of restaurants is conducted by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The Department of Health is responsible for investigation and control of food-borne illness outbreaks associated with all food establishments.

How do I report a dirty restaurant in Florida?

If you see abuses of state standards, report them and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation will send inspectors. Call the Florida DBPR at 850-487-1395 or report a restaurant for health violations online.

Get the whole story at our restaurant inspection database.

What does all that terminology in Florida restaurant inspections mean?

Basic violations are those considered against best practices.

A warning is issued after an inspector documents violations that must be corrected by a certain date or within a specified number of days from receipt of the inspection report.

An administrative complaint is a form of legal action taken by the division. Insufficient compliance after a warning, a pattern of repeat violations or existence of serious conditions that warrant immediate action may result in the division initiating an administrative complaint against the establishment. Says the division website: "Correcting the violations is important, but penalties may still result from violations corrected after the warning time was over."

An emergency order — when a restaurant is closed by the inspector — is based on an immediate threat to the public. Here, the Division of Hotels and Restaurants director has determined that the establishment must stop doing business and any division license is suspended to protect health, safety or welfare of the public.

A 24-hour call-back inspection will be performed after an emergency closure or suspension of license.

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Restaurant, food truck inspections: Fort Walton Beach/Destin area, July 3-9