Rodents show up in Polk County restaurant inspections for the first time in nearly a year

Nine Polk County food vendors failed to meet standards during inspections from Aug. 26 to Sept. 1, according to state reports .

For the first time in 2024, rodents showed up in one of the inspections. It was November 2023 the last time any Polk County establishments had violations related to rodents.

The Quality Inn - Econo Lodge at 5665 Cypress Gardens Blvd. in Winter Haven had a near-perfect inspection on Aug. 28 – just one violation. But that one violation was for five rodent droppings in the banquet room. The operator cleaned up the droppings and sanitized the area.

An administrative complaint was recommended and a follow-up required. As of Sept.3, no follow-up appeared in state reports.

The bugs are back: Polk restaurant closed for roaches and flies. 3 others cited for pests

Only one other restaurant had a violation related to insects. A spider was found in the women’s bathroom at Juicy Wing and Seafood in Winter Haven and quickly disposed of. The restaurant met standards.

To see inspection reports for any restaurant in Polk County, go to our searchable database at https://data.theledger.com/restaurant-inspections/polk .

Other restaurants that fell short – and why

• Schack's BBQ , 3000 Cypress Garden Road, Winter Haven: On Aug. 27, the restaurant had four violations. One was intermediate, for a soiled can opener blade. The other three were intermediate: a roof leak, hamburger patties stored in a tub on the floor of the freezer, and walk-in cooler shelves with rust.

In a follow-up inspection the next day, two violations remained: the roof leak and the rusty shelves. The time was extended to make repairs.

• El Buen Taco LLC , 3044 State Road 60 E., Lake Wales: On Aug. 27, the food truck had three violations. One was intermediate: lacking proof of required employee training. The other two were intermediate: a back panel of a reach-in cooler soiled with debris, and interior shelves also soiled.

Aug. 19-25: The bugs are back: Polk restaurant closed for roaches and flies. 3 others cited for pests

• Dusty's Tacos LLC , 333 EB St., Frostproof: On Aug. 27, the food truck had a single intermediate violation: the person in charge lacking food-manager certification. In a follow-up inspection the next day, the food truck met standards with zero violations.

• MJ's Pizza & Wings , 3062 Cypress Gardens Road, Winter Haven: On Aug. 27, the restaurant had five violations. Three were intermediate: a dirty can opener blade, no chemical test kit provided for using sanitizer in warewashing, and no sanitizer of any kind available for warewashing. The other two were basic: cardboard used to line shelves on the bottom of the prep table, and cases of chicken stored on the floor of the walk-in cooler.

• Dura Cast , 16160 U.S. 27, Lake Wales: On Aug. 27, this vending machine operator had two violations. One for operating with an expired license (high priority); the other for not having its license decal displayed.

• Oakley Transport- Main , 101 ABC Road, Lake Wales: Another vending machine, another two violations: operating with an expired license (high priority) and not having its license decal displayed (basic).

Ma Ma Dilos Deli , 93 S. 1st St., Winter Haven: On Aug. 29, the restaurant had one violation: operating with an expired Division of Hotels and Restaurants license.

• Caribbean Sazon , 2255 U.S. 17-92 N., Haines City: On Aug. 26, the food truck had one high-priority violation: operating with an expired Division of Hotels and Restaurants license.

Aug. 12-18: A whopping 17 Polk County food vendors fell short of standards in a single week. See why

Perfection

Thirteen Polk County vendors received the elusive perfect initial inspection from Aug. 26 to Sept. 1. An initial inspection is one that isn’t a follow-up required by previous violations.

• Paddywagon Irish Pub, 201 Ambersweet Way, Davenport
• The Smokin' Ox Premium BBQ, mobile vendor, 620 Lake Elizabeth Drive, Winter Haven
• Wendy's 597, 1520 Broadway Ave. N., Bartow
• My Chef Kitchen, 104 W. Central Ave., Winter Haven
• Veterans Barbecue, 28019 U.S. 27 Suite B, Dundee
• Taco Bell 9702, 5975 Cypress Gardens Blvd., Winter Haven
• Burger King #22451, 100 State Road 60 E., Lake Wales
• Lake Roy Beach Inn, 1823 Cypress Garden Blvd., Winter Haven
• Hungry Howies # 199, 4290 Alternate 27, Lake Wales
• Kulture On 1 ^st , 1780 1st St. N., Winter Haven
• Camp Mack River Resort, 14900 Camp Mack Road, Lake Wales
• Sabores De Michoacan LLC, 89 U.S. 17-92 N., Haines City
• DMCM Associates LLC, mobile vendor, 14900 Camp Mack Road, Lake Wales

Aug. 5-11: Why did these 11 Polk County food vendors fall short of inspection standards?

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: Rodents show up in Polk County restaurant inspections for the first time in nearly a year