Food inspections

The Florida Department of Health releases its inspection reports for Charlotte, DeSoto and Sarasota counties each week, highlighting the restaurants with the most violations in the past 30 days.

Violations range from basic to intermediate to high-priority, with each based on the level of immediate threat to diners’ safety, according to state inspection criteria.

The following key can be used as a guide:

High-priority: Could contribute directly to a food-borne illness or injury.

Examples: Handwashing, correct heating/cooling temperatures, separation of raw animal foods, missing vacuum breaker (to prevent backflow), evidence of pests and live roaches.

Intermediate: If not addressed, could lead to risk factors that contribute to food-borne illness or injury.

Examples: Personnel training, documentation, record keeping and labeling, ice machine mold and stained cutting boards.

Basic: Best practices to implement.

Examples: Broken ceiling tiles, soiled floor, open dumpster lid, gouged cutting boards, hair not restrained during food preparation and dead roaches.

Sarasota County (Nokomis, Venice)

11 out of 54 restaurants did not pass the first inspection.

VALENTI’S RISTORANTE, 1200 E. Venice Ave, Venice: 26 VIOLATIONS

Seven high-priority violations and 19 basic violations found during May 17 inspection.12 dead, large roaches were found in the dry storage area and unidentifiable rotted foods were found in the walk-in freezer, which the owner said has been “out of service for two months.”A stop sale was issued due to evidence of adulteration, the deliberate altering or addition of food ingredients to modify different properties of food products for economic advantage.A mandated follow-up inspection on May 20 resulted in only nine basic violations

MAMA LEONE’S, 2300 Tamiami Trail N, Nokomis: 20 VIOLATIONS

Three high-priority violations, three intermediate violations and 14 basic violations found during May 10 inspection.Among the highest code violations were two counts of cross contamination, two counts of garbage mismanagement and two counts of unclean food-contact surfaces like the soda gun “soiled with a slime-like substance.”

DeSoto County

1 out of 6 restaurants did not pass the first inspection. Restaurants received more than two violations for an expired license.

Charlotte County (Port Charlotte, Charlotte)

3 out of 13 restaurants did not pass the first inspection.

THE CHEFS THAI SUSHI BAR & GRILL, 2150 Tamiami Trail, No. 22-24, Port Charlotte: 15 VIOLATIONS

Two high-priority violations, four intermediate violations and nine basic violations were found during May 22 inspection.Report noted 10 dead flying insects on top of prep tables in the kitchen and five live, flying insects around beer taps and unsanitary food-contact surfaces observed with “mold-like substance or slime.”A mandated follow-up inspection on May 23 resulted in repeated violations for black mold, mold-like substance and slime on food-contact surfaces.

TOKYO ENDLESS HIBACHI & SUSHI, 19451 Cochran Blvd, Unit 700-900, Charlotte: 12 VIOLATIONS

Two high-priority violations, two intermediate violations and eight basic violations were found during June 5 inspection.Violations included three counts of food-contact surfaces with leftover food debris on cutting boards, one count of an inaccessible employee handwashing station and a stop sale for dented and rusted cans of food.