3 Polk County food vendors fall short of inspection standards. See who, and why

Three Polk County food vendors fell short of inspection standards from June 17 to 30, according to state inspection reports .

Of 26 total inspections logged during the two-week period, 23 met standards and 16 received the elusive perfect initial inspection, meaning an inspection that wasn’t a follow-up mandated by previous violations.

Among the three restaurants that fell short, there were six total violations. Of those, three were for clerical issues such as expired licenses or manager certifications.

June 3-16: 4 Polk County food vendors fall short of standards during inspections. See why

Only one restaurant had violations related to pests. P&J Farm 2 Fork at 33-35 S. Scenic Highway in Frostproof had a single violation on June 19: three dead roaches near the dish machine and three-compartment sink. The operator swept and sanitized the area and a pest control service visited on the same day. The restaurant met standards.

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation says an inspection report isn’t necessarily an indication of common conditions at a restaurant. On any day, a restaurant can have more or fewer violations. And even among the restaurants that fell short, not all violations are the type that would alarm the common diner. The Ledger details the violations of the food vendors that failed to meet standards so readers can decide.

To view inspection reports for any restaurant in the county, see The Ledger's searchable database at https://data.theledger.com/restaurant-inspections/polk .

The restaurants that fell short, and why

• Palace Italian Restaurant , 6120 U.S. 98 N., Lakeland: On June 17, the restaurant had four violations, including two high-priority violations. One was for a dish machine that that wasn’t mixing sanitizer. The dish machine was shut down and a manual dish washing station was set up until the machine was repaired. The other was for operating with a Division of Hotels and Restaurants license that expired on Feb. 1. There also were two basic violations: one for an accumulation of debris on the interior shield of an ice machine, and the other soiled gaskets in a salad flip-top unit at a service station. A warning was issued and a follow-up required. In a June 24 follow-up, the restaurant met standards with zero violations.

• Mamie’s Homestyle Kitchen , 1800 State Road 559, Polk City: On June 18, the food truck had one violation: the food manager’s certification expired in 2021 (intermediate). A warning was issued and a follow-up required. As of July 1, a follow-up had not been logged in state reports.

• Wiley On Wheels , 106 Parker Lane N.E., Winter Haven: On June 28, the food truck had a single violation: the food manager’s certification expired in 2018. A warning was issued and a follow-up inspection required. As of July 1, a follow-up had not been logged in state reports.

May 20 to June 3: 1 Polk County restaurant falls short of standards in recent inspections. See why

Perfection

The following 16 food vendors passed their initial inspections with zero violations. The list does not include restaurants that had zero violations in a follow-up inspection mandated by previous violations. Thirteen of the 16 are food trucks.

• Fruteria El Charro, mobile vendor, 14581 U.S. 27, Lake Wales
• Ann's Kitchen, mobile vendor, 300 N. 5th St., Haines City
• Sabor Ponceno 2, mobile vendor, 2255 U.S. 17-92 N., Haines City
• The Lakehouse Kitchen, mobile vendor, 695 Ave. K S.W., Winter Haven
• Pinchos Bombas, mobile vendor, 1100 U.S. 17-92 N., Haines City
• La Michoacana, mobile vendor, 2701 Swindell Road, Lakeland
• Field House Pool, 210 Cypress Gardens Blvd., Winter Haven
• Ripples, 312 4th St. S.W., Winter Haven
• El Toquesito Tun Tun, mobile vendor, 344 E. Main St., Haines City
• Peppers, mobile vendor, 3616 Harden Blvd. #161, Lakeland
• Krabqueenz, mobile vendor, 301 Commerce Court Unit 1, Winter Haven
• Drip Jar Café, 698 E. State Road 60 W., Lake Wales
• Delicias Ym Catrachitos, mobile vendor, 3975-3979 New Tampa Highway, Lakeland
• Rodriguez Grocery, mobile vendor, 3502 Mountain Lake Cutoff Road, Lake Wales
• Tspot, mobile vendor, 900 Ave O N.E., Winter Haven
• Fully Loaded Food, mobile vendor, 45000 U.S. 27 N., Davenport

May 13-19: 2 more Polk County food vendors fall short of standards. Four are perfect. See the reports

Keep in mind as you read

Remember that in some cases, violations are noted are technical issues not directly linked to hygiene or cleanliness. Remember, too, that broken refrigerators, chipped tiles or fast work may add up to unintended mistakes.

Regardless, if you notice abuses of state standards, report them and DBPR will send inspectors. Call 850-487-1395.

The terminology

What does all that terminology in state 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  and the establishment may reopen only after inspection shows that all high-priority violations that caused the suspension are corrected.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: 3 Polk County food vendors fall short of inspection standards. See who, and why