These Miami and Broward supermarkets with common owners keep failing state inspection

Besides violations such as in-use knives stored in filthy crevices and food adulterated by temperature abuse, the three Miami-Dade and Broward Key Food Supermarkets that have failed state inspection over the last year share something else: the same owners.

Officially, different companies own those Key Food Supermarkets. A check of state corporate records shows one name, Juan Diaz of Coral Springs, listed as president of those three companies and seven other South Florida Key Food store owners. Eight of the 10 companies list Weston’s Raifiz Vargas as a vice president or secretary.

“I think we run good stores,” Vargas said. “Some of them have had little problems, but we fixed them.”

Vargas said they usually have a former inspector go to their stores to peruse them with an inspector’s eye, and “whatever he finds, we take care of it.”

When actual Florida Department of Agriculture Inspectors Carolyn Dragone and Timothy O’Neil visited the Coconut Creek Key Food, 4301 W. Hillsboro Blvd., they found several things that needed to be taken care of by management. That’s why the store got “Re-Inspection Required,” the lowest rating on Ag Department inspections.

Among the problems:

▪ “Person in charge does not correctly respond to questions that relate to preventing transmission of foodborne disease by a food employee who has a disease or medical condition that may cause foodborne disease...”

▪ In the food service area, there was a “knife held between the wall and the cutting board by the steam table.”

▪ All the cheese in the reach-in display cooler got tossed after inspectors measured the cooler at 43 to 51 degrees. Cut watermelon in another display cooler, which needed to be at or under 41 degrees, measured 44 to 50 degrees. The cut melon in a walk-in cooler also measured too warm. The cut melon, the watermelon and and the cheese got hit with Stop Sales.

▪ The deli-sliced cheese and ham cut at 7 a.m. was still on the shelf in front of the deli window at 9 a.m. and measured 50 degrees. They got put under refrigeration to cool them down to under 41 degrees.

▪ Chicken, cheese, plantains, sausage and pork in the steam table should have been at 135 degrees or above. They measured 91 to 130 degrees. The empanadas in the glass heating case for two hours measured 116 to 120 degrees. All this food got reheated.

▪ When wiping cloths aren’t being used for wiping, they’re supposed to be in sanitizer. Instead, the food preparation area’s wiping clothes sat on the counter. The meat area’s wiping cloths rested on saws.

Juan Diaz-owned Key Food stores

In order of the most recent full inspection:

▪ Address: 4301 W. Hillsboro Blvd., Coconut Creek. Inspections: Failed a full inspection on Sept. 3. Owned by: 4301 Food Corp. Officer: President Juan Diaz.

▪ Address: 10301 Royal Palm Blvd., Coral Springs. Inspections: Failed inspection on Aug. 20., passed re-inspection Sept. 4. Owned by: 10301 Royal Palm Food. Officers: President Juan Diaz; Vice President Raifiz Vargas of Weston; and Secretary Alejandro Paulino of Boca Raton.

READ MORE: Dangerous chickens and dirty employees put a Broward supermarket in hot water

▪ Address: 8251 Sunset Strip, Sunrise. Inspections: Passed last full inspection, Aug. 1, 2023, failed full inspection June 15, 2022, and passed re-inspection June 30, 2022. Owned by: 8251 Sunset Corp. Officers: President/Treasurer/Director Juan Diaz; Vice President/Director Raifiz Vargas; and Secretary/Director Alejandro Paulino.

▪ Address: 10400 NW Seventh Ave., North Miami-Dade. Inspections: Failed inspection, June 13, 2023, passed re-inspection June 28, 2023. Owned by: 10400 Food Corp.. Officers: President Juan Diaz; Vice President Raifiz Vargas; and Secretary Alejandro Paulino.

READ MORE: Bugs in pasta, unsafe chicken and beef, exposed fish (still) at a Miami Key Food

▪ Address: 3025 Johnson St., Hollywood. Inspections: Passed last full inspection June 9, 2023. Owned by: Los Caidos de Johnson. Officers: President Juan Diaz; Vice President Ricky Rodriguez of Parkland; Secretary Maria Jimenez of Miami; Trustee Edward Gomez Martinez of Los Angeles; Treasurer Jose Espinal of Coral Springs; Treasurer Roman Jimenez of Miami.

▪ Address: 15860 W State Road 84, Sunrise. Inspections: Passed last full inspection, Feb. 2, 2023. Owned by: 158 West Gate Food Corp. Officers: President Juan Diaz, Vice President Raifiz Vargas; Secretary Maria Jimenez.

▪ Address: 6039A Kimberly Blvd., North Lauderdale. Inspections: Passed full inspection Nov. 14, 2022. Owned by: Jr 6001 Kimberly Inc. Officers: President/Treasurer/Director Juan Diaz; Vice President/Director Raifiz Vargas; and Secretary/Director Alejandro Paulino.

▪ Address: 1701 NW 119th St, North Miami-Dade. Inspections: Passed last full inspection, March 16, 2022. Owned by: 1701 NW Food Corp. Officers: President Juan Diaz and Secretary Raifiz Vargas.

▪ Address: 6819 Miramar Pkwy., Miramar. Inspections: Passed last full inspection Sept. 3, 2021. Owned by: J R 6819A Miramar. Officers: President/Treasurer/Director Juan Diaz; Vice President/Director Raifiz Vargas; and Secretary/Director Alejandro Paulino.

▪ Address: 1627 N. State Rd. 7, Lauderhill. Inspections: Failed inspection Feb. 4, 2021, passed re-inspection Feb. 18, 2021, not inspected since. Owned by: JRA 1621 Lauderhill Food Corp. Officers: President Juan Diaz; Vice President Raifiz Vargas of Weston; and Secretary Alejandro Paulino of Boca Raton.