8 Lake County restaurants cited for high-priority violations
You can use the database to search by county or by restaurant name.
Florida's restaurant owners are not required to post restaurant inspection results where guests can see them. So every week, we provide that information for you.
For a complete list of local restaurant inspections, including violations not requiring warnings or administrative action, visit our Lake County restaurant inspections site.
Here's the breakdown for recent health inspections in Lake County for the week of Jan. 29-Feb. 4, 2024. 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.
For full restaurant inspection details, visit our Lake County restaurant inspection site.
Which Lake County restaurants had high priority violations?
Brooklyn Water Bagel
514 N. U.S. 441, Lady Lake
Complaint Inspection on Jan. 31
Follow-Up Inspection Required: Violations require further review, but are not an immediate threat to the public.
10 total violations, with 1 high-priority violation
High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter 62f. Less than 4 hours. Advised to rapid chill. **Warning**
El Conquistador
10400 County Road 48, Howey in The Hills
Routine Inspection on Feb. 2
Follow-Up Inspection Required: Violations require further review, but are not an immediate threat to the public.
5 total violations, with 2 high-priority violations
High Priority - Raw animal food stored over/not properly separated from ready-to-eat food. Raw beef over cooked beef. **Corrected On-Site** **Warning**
High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Cooked potatoes 52f, Pineapple salsa 50f. Less than 4 hours. Chef placed on ice. French onion 52f. Was set out for prep and placed back in cooler. **Corrective Action Taken** **Warning**
Hacienda
10400 CR 48, Howey in The Hills
Routine Inspection on Feb. 2
Follow-Up Inspection Required: Violations require further review, but are not an immediate threat to the public.
12 total violations, with 3 high-priority violations
High Priority - Raw animal food stored over or with ready-to-eat food in a freezer - not all products commercially packaged. Raw beef over cooked sausage. **Corrected On-Site** **Warning**
High Priority - Roach activity present as evidenced by live roaches found. -1 live below prep cooler. **Warning**
High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Sausage 61f, less than 4 hours. Chef discarded. **Corrective Action Taken** **Warning**
Hardee's #1500724
301 E. Burleigh Blvd., Tavares
Complaint Inspection on Feb. 1
Follow-Up Inspection Required: Violations require further review, but are not an immediate threat to the public.
24 total violations, with 2 high-priority violations
High Priority - Stop Sale issued on time/temperature control for safety food due to temperature abuse. **Warning**
High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. - milk for milk shakes 55°. Cold holding unit broken . Operator discarded. **Warning**
Highland St Cafe (The)
185 S. Highland St., Mount Dora
Routine Inspection on Feb. 2
Follow-Up Inspection Required: Violations require further review, but are not an immediate threat to the public.
25 total violations, with 5 high-priority violations
High Priority - Dented/rusted cans present. See stop sale. Tomato
High Priority - Employee failed to wash hands before putting on gloves to initiate a task working with food. Employee touched soiled dishes and out on gloves without washing hands
High Priority - Stop Sale issued due to adulteration of food product. Commercially processed reduced oxygen packaged fish bearing a label indicating that it is to remain frozen until time of use no longer frozen and not removed from reduced oxygen package. Salmon
High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Per operator less than 4 hours butter (63F - Cold Holding) cooked potatoes (45F - Cold Holding) **Corrective Action Taken**
High Priority - Toxic substance/chemical improperly stored. Cleaning stored on prep table located in server area.
Jamaican Jerk Hut & Island Scoops
2468 U.S. 441, Fruitland Park
Routine Inspection on Jan. 30
Follow-Up Inspection Required: Violations require further review, but are not an immediate threat to the public.
8 total violations, with 2 high-priority violations
High Priority - Raw animal food stored over/not properly separated from ready-to-eat food. Raw chicken over honey mustard. **Corrected On-Site** **Warning**
High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food, other than whole meat roast, hot held at less than 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Chicken 124f. Less than 4 hours. Advised to reheat. Operator turned up heat. **Corrective Action Taken** **Warning**
Sparkys Place
24646 SR 40, Astor
Complaint Inspection on Feb. 2
Follow-Up Inspection Required: Violations require further review, but are not an immediate threat to the public.
12 total violations, with 3 high-priority violations
High Priority - Employee touching ready-to-eat food with their bare hands - food was not being heated as a sole ingredient to 145 degrees F or immediately added to other ingredients to be cooked/heated to the minimum required temperature to allow bare hand contact. Establishment has no approved Alternative Operating Procedure. **Warning**
High Priority - Shell eggs not stored at an ambient air temperature of 45 degrees Fahrenheit or less. -flats of eggs at cookline. Operator moved to cooler. **Corrected On-Site** **Corrected On-Site** **Warning**
High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. -Sliced cheese at 44°f. Advised operator to not place cheese above fill line. -all foods in walk in cooler between 43°f and 45°f in walk in cooler: gravy 45°f, mashed potatoes 45°f, ground beef 44°f, bacon 45°f, cheese 45°f, fish 43°f Operator turned down temperature in walk in cooler. **Corrective Action Taken** **Repeat Violation** **Warning**
Vincents Italian Restaurant
5914 N. Orange Blossom Trail, Mount Dora
Routine Inspection on Feb. 2
Follow-Up Inspection Required: Violations require further review, but are not an immediate threat to the public.
25 total violations, with 6 high-priority violations
High Priority - Container of medicine improperly stored. -Medicine stored above cooks line. **Warning**
High Priority - Dented/rusted cans present. See stop sale. **Warning**
High Priority - Dishmachine chlorine sanitizer not at proper minimum strength. Discontinue use of dishmachine for sanitizing and set up manual sanitization until dishmachine is repaired and sanitizing properly. **Warning**
High Priority - Raw animal food stored over/not properly separated from ready-to-eat food. - raw shell eggs stored over ready to eat sauces in walk-in cooler. **Corrected On-Site** **Warning**
High Priority - Time/temperature control for safety food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. prepared lasagna (48F - Cold Holding); raw chicken wings (49F - Cold Holding); breaded egg plant (49F - Cold Holding); cooked pasta (49F - Cold Holding) Operator discarded. **Warning**
High Priority - Toxic substance/chemical improperly stored. - several bottles of spray cleaner store on prep tables throughout the kitchen area. - sanitizer stored on shelf above pizza station. - rubbing alcohol stored next to oil on bottom shelf at the prep table. **Corrected On-Site** **Warning**
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 Daily Commercial: Leesburg area restaurant /food truck inspections: Jan. 29-Feb. 4, 2024
