In Duval County, the food safety situation seems to be cultivating a specific kind of gastronomic hazard, with chronic failure density sitting 25% above the Florida average. The state inspectors recently drew 121 recent high-priority hits across the metro area. This collection of operational failures includes one Bar, one Cafe, one Fast Food establishment, and one Italian restaurant, illustrating that the blight has seeped into every corner of the local dining landscape.
Worst Offenders — enforcement tiers + chronic violations
224 records this window
Active enforcement targets: restaurants carrying EOR history, chronic violation patterns, or cross-flag RENAME/PEST/RL4 enforcement tiers.
If you squint past the palm trees, the report is plain: runs deep: 224 businesses are currently marked as chronic offenders. This isn't a momentary stumble; it’s a foundational problem suggesting that somewhere in the metropolitan swamps of Jacksonville Beach, CASA MARINA HOTEL & RESTAURANT continues its slow slide into institutional neglect. Among those carrying this heavy mantle of failure are also TEQUILAS D' ORO MEXICAN RESTAURANT in Jacksonville and WASABI JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE in Jacksonville, all ranked among the worst performers. The inspection board has shown that while these kitchens might feel like islands of relative safety amid the sprawling chaos of Florida dining, the data suggests a persistent swamp ecosystem where failure breeds faster than cypress knees. These are not isolated incidents; this chronic list maintains its steady volume against previous public cuts. Ultimately, we must remember what this means: the 224 listings represent a pattern, an entrenched cycle of poor hygiene that exists irrespective of whether or not they were recently swept up by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation inspectors.
- CASA MARINA HOTEL & RESTAURANTJacksonville Beach3 HP2 INT9 BASPestScore 379last visit 2026-03-26
- TEQUILAS D' ORO MEXICAN RESTAURANTJacksonvillelast visit 2026-04-17
- WASABI JAPANESE STEAKHOUSEJacksonville2 HPScore 200last visit 2026-04-23
- GYROS KINGJacksonville1 HPScore 100last visit 2026-04-08
- JAX FISH SHRIMP AND CHICKENJacksonville1 HP1 INTScore 110last visit 2026-04-03
+219 more in this section on the live site.
Red Alert — Emergency Orders
116 records this window
Restaurants closed by DBPR emergency order in the last 90 days.
The menu did not mention this part, naturally: RENEGADES ON THE RIVER in Crescent City, DAIRY QUEEN in Fernandina Beach and THE CAJUN BEACH SAINT AUGUSTINE in St. Augustine led the board in Duval County. 116 emergency-order shutdowns in the 90-day window — DBPR ordered the kitchen closed on the spot. These are the most actionable signals: faster than admin actions, faster than license cancellation, faster than corporate dissolution. Across the Red Alert cohort: 1 Bar, 1 Fast Food, 1 Restaurant, and 1 Sushi. Trend line: emergency-order volume is steady against the last public cut. The inspectors merely wrote down the punchline.
- RENEGADES ON THE RIVERCrescent City4 HP2 INT6 BASPestScore 476last visit 2025-09-25
- DAIRY QUEENFernandina Beach1 HP1 BASScore 101last visit 2026-05-12
- THE CAJUN BEACH SAINT AUGUSTINESt. Augustine3 HP2 INT5 BASScore 325last visit 2026-05-05
- BO SUSHIJacksonville5 HP3 INT12 BASPestScore 592last visit 2026-04-28
- NONA BLUEPonte Vedra Beach1 HPScore 100last visit 2026-04-20
+111 more in this section on the live site.
Distressed Licenses (admin lapse + IFLAL + near-expiry + annual gap)
968 records this window
Trouble brewing — DBPR Status 45/46 admin grace, Sunbiz IFLAL late filing, license expiring within 60 days, or 365+ days since last inspection.
[968 restaurants flagged in this dimension — see the live briefing for the current card-by-card context.]
- WHATCHA COOKINGJacksonville
- SUNDECKPonte Vedra
- DUNKIN DONUTSSt. Augustine
- CHANNEL SIDEPalm Coast
- HOT DOG HOT DOGJacksonville
+963 more in this section on the live site.
Chronic Offenders — 11-Year Systemic Violations
520 records this window
Repeat offenders with 2+ emergency closures over the last 3 years — systemic non-compliance going back through the full inspection record.
Florida files this kind of thing under 'Tuesday': 520 historical bad actors surface in Duval County on the 11-year pattern view, led by CASA DORA ITALIAN CAFE, GRILLED CHEESE GALLERY. The full repeat-offender record sits below.
- CASA DORA ITALIAN CAFEJacksonvillelast visit 01/26/2026
- GRILLED CHEESE GALLERYSt. Augustinelast visit 02/20/2026
- EL SOL DE MEXICOJacksonvillelast visit 03/25/2026
- AHAN THAI KITCHENFernandina Beachlast visit 02/19/2026
- CLARKE BROS SUBSJacksonvillelast visit 01/08/2026
+515 more in this section on the live site.
Repeat Offenders (RDAR) — Restaurants with multiple formal disciplinary actions
9 records this window
Operators with 3+ DBPR formal Restaurant Disciplinary Action Reports (RDAR) in the last 24 months. Formal admin complaints with charges + fines.
[9 restaurants flagged in this dimension — see the live briefing for the current card-by-card context.]
- CASA DORA ITALIAN CAFEJacksonville
- AHAN THAI KITCHENFernandina Beach
- RAMADA BY WYNDHAM JAX HOTEL AND CCJacksonville
- MIS DELICIAS LATINASJacksonville
- GRILLED CHEESE GALLERYSt. Augustine
+4 more in this section on the live site.
Most Improved — sustained 12-month turnaround
7 records this window
Restaurants whose recent-window violation count is at least 50% lower than the prior window, with the most recent inspection clean.
Out where the heat melts the rules, here is the count: STONER'S PIZZA JOINT PALM COAST in Palm Coast, VERNON'S RESTAURANT in Ponte Vedra Beach and MR FRIED in Jacksonville carried the front of this Duval County file. 7 restaurants met the sustained-improvement test: at least four inspections in each 12-month window, recent HP+Critical counts cut by 50% or more, and an active license. STONER'S PIZZA JOINT PALM COAST in Palm Coast dropped HP+Critical counts from 6 to 1 across the two 12-month windows (83.3% better). The swamp, for once, is not the problem.
- STONER'S PIZZA JOINT PALM COASTPalm Coast
- VERNON'S RESTAURANTPonte Vedra Beach
- MR FRIEDJacksonville
- SAKURA BUFFETJacksonville2 INT5 BASPestScore 75
- CHINA 1Jacksonville1 INTScore 10
+2 more in this section on the live site.
Closures — what just stopped operating
194 records this window
The closed-door file: confirmed shutdowns, owner-validated closure posts, DBPR status signals, and external places data that say service has stopped.
The hurricane shutters are up; the inspections kept going: BO GATOR'S in Palm Coast, JIM'S PLACE in St. Augustine and SLEEP INN & SUITES OF PALATKA in Palatka drew the loudest scorecard in Duval County. 194 restaurants carry one or more defunct-indicator signals (silent inspector, license inactive, corp dissolved, or third-party verifier confirmation) in the 90-day public window. Across the closure-signal cohort: 24 fast-food spots, 21 burgers, 13 American spots, and 11 sandwiches. 115 standalone restaurants and 79 chain locations. Trend line: closure-signals volume is steady against the last public cut. These are signals, not all confirmed permanent closures — Closure Score 4/4 = third-party verified; lower scores = likely / probable / DBPR-flagged-inactive. The inspectors merely wrote down the punchline.
- BO GATOR'SPalm Coastclosure score 3
- JIM'S PLACESt. Augustineclosure score 3
- SLEEP INN & SUITES OF PALATKAPalatkaclosure score 3
- EL RINCON DE NERI'SJacksonvilleclosure score 3
- CLASSIC CATERINGJacksonvilleclosure score 3
+189 more in this section on the live site.
Ghost Licenses — 180+ Days Uninspected
105 records this window
Active on paper but no DBPR inspection in 180+ days. Off-cadence under Florida statute 61C-1.002.
[105 restaurants flagged in this dimension — see the live briefing for the current card-by-card context.]
- WHATCHA COOKINGJacksonville
- SUNDECKPonte Vedra
- CHANNEL SIDEPalm Coast
- HOT DOG HOT DOGJacksonville
- PRINCIPAL'S OFFICEFernandina Beach
+100 more in this section on the live site.
Change of Ownership — Last 30 Days
23 records this window
DBPR ownership-change records — "Approve Change Owner Request" actions.
South of the I-4 corridor, the violations get colorful: REHAB SPORTS BAR in Bunnell, TUNIS in Jacksonville and RUSH BOWLS in Middleburg put the sharpest marks on Duval County's list. 23 ownership-change filings posted in the 30-day window. Trend line: ownership-change volume is even with the last public cut. These are operator turnovers — a new owner-of-record on an existing license — not closures, cancellations, or revocations. The inspectors merely wrote down the punchline.
- REHAB SPORTS BARBunnell
- TUNISJacksonville
- RUSH BOWLSMiddleburg
- CHILLIN' WITH MY DAWGS LLCKeystone Heights
- BANG'N BAGEL COJacksonville
+18 more in this section on the live site.
Openings — fresh licenses and new rooms
38 records this window
New DBPR licenses plus confirmed opening signals: the places that just joined the map and still need their first public-record track record.
Before the cocktail hour, the auditors did their rounds: new eatery seems poised to challenge the established order of the local dining ecosystem, regulators have spotted 38 different signals indicating potential openings. Among those navigating the labyrinth of paperwork is one announced via a social media post or operator signal, while another 41 records are still awaiting outside confirmation from the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Current names popping up on this volatile food landscape include ZION WATER ICE in Jacksonville, LOCHSIDE FLORIDA in Crescent City, and DAVO'S CHEESESTEAKS in Jacksonville.
- ZION WATER ICEJacksonville
- LOCHSIDE FLORIDACrescent City
- DAVO'S CHEESESTEAKSJacksonville
- GS CARIBBEAN CUISINEJacksonville
- BUOYJacksonville
+33 more in this section on the live site.
Chain Activity — brand-level rollup
93 records this window
Multi-location chain brands flagged via aggregated signals across all locations.
Even the alligators in the parking lot have seen better: 93 chain brands surface in Duval County’s rollup, covering 409 locations between them: 130 FSQ-confirmed closures, 3 lapsed licenses. Leading brands: Burger King, Taco Bell Of America Llc, Jimmy John's.
- Burger KingFlorida33 flagged locations
- Taco Bell Of America LlcFlorida16 flagged locations
- Jimmy John'sFlorida10 flagged locations
- Hardee'sFlorida13 flagged locations
- Compass Group Usa IncFlorida9 flagged locations
+88 more in this section on the live site.
Clean Plates — Spotless This Quarter
119 records this window
Restaurants with multiple inspections in the current quarter and zero high-priority or intermediate violations.
Down here, the inspector's clipboard reads like fiction: 119 Duval County licensees ran a clean Q2 2026 ledger across multiple inspections — BLUE WATER BAY, COLUMBIA RESTAURANT OF ST AUG, ELEVEN SOUTH among them. These are repeat visits with zero high-priority or intermediate violations — the operators rewarded for consistency, not one lucky inspection. BLUE WATER BAY stretched a high-priority-free run to 8 inspections covering roughly 2 years. The swamp, for once, is not the problem.
- BLUE WATER BAYMelrose
- COLUMBIA RESTAURANT OF ST AUGSt. Augustine
- ELEVEN SOUTHJacksonville Beach
- KEKES BREAKFAST CAFESt. Augustine
- PALM COAST LANESPalm Coast
+114 more in this section on the live site.
Near Miss — High-Priority Citations
121 records this window
Inspections in the last 30 days that posted high-priority violations but were not shut down.
Somewhere between the mop sink and the mangroves, the facts arrived: JERSEY MIKE'S SUBS in Ponte Vedra Beach, JAX BEACH BAR AND GRILL in Jacksonville Beach and STAMPEDES in Bunnell put the sharpest marks on Duval County's list. 121 high-priority citations posted in the 30-day window — none of these resulted in an emergency-order closure (those are in Red Alert). They are the near-miss watch list: restaurants that drew inspector attention but stayed open. Any of them could receive a follow-up inspection. The recurring violation labels were HP and BAS.
- JERSEY MIKE'S SUBSPonte Vedra Beach3 HP2 INT3 BASPestScore 373last visit 2025-03-12
- JAX BEACH BAR AND GRILLJacksonville Beach4 HP3 INT5 BASScore 435
- STAMPEDESBunnell3 HP3 INT3 BASScore 333last visit 2025-06-12
- WICKED BAOFernandina Beach3 HP2 INT4 BASScore 324last visit 2026-02-18
- V PIZZA AND FLASK & CANNONSt. Augustine3 HP2 INT1 BASScore 321last visit 2025-11-17
+116 more in this section on the live site.