The regulatory question is simple: Florida comparison: Duval County's chronic density is 18% above the Florida average. Duval County lands at 123 recent high-priority hits. Mix: 1 Bar, 1 Cafe, 1 Fast Food, and 1 Italian. That is not atmosphere; it is a compliance record.
Worst Offenders — enforcement tiers + chronic violations
200 records this window
Active enforcement targets: restaurants carrying EOR history, chronic violation patterns, or cross-flag RENAME/PEST/RL4 enforcement tiers.
Inspectors have flagged 200 chronic listings across Duval County. LA NOPALERA MEXICAN RESTAURANT in Jacksonville sits at the top of that list. Other repeat offenders include GOLDEN EGGROLL in Jacksonville and DICK'S WINGS & GRILL in Jacksonville, all cited during routine inspections. The number of chronic operators remains steady compared to the last public record. This is a pattern of repeated failures based on documented inspection history. These findings only reflect establishments that have been processed through the DBPR inspection window.
- LA NOPALERA MEXICAN RESTAURANTJacksonvillelast visit 2026-03-31
- GOLDEN EGGROLLJacksonville4 HP2 INT12 BASScore 432last visit 2026-04-15
- DICK'S WINGS & GRILLJacksonville2 HP1 INT14 BASScore 224last visit 2026-03-02
- LA NOPALERA MEXICAN RESTAURANTJacksonville4 HP8 INT13 BASScore 493last visit 2026-02-24
- AKAYA GRILL & SUSHIOrange Parklast visit 2026-03-26
+195 more in this section on the live site.
Red Alert — Emergency Orders
42 records this window
Restaurants closed by DBPR emergency order in the last 90 days.
Inspectors ordered 42 restaurants shut under emergency orders in Duval County during a recent 90-day window. RENEGADES ON THE RIVER in Crescent City, DAIRY QUEEN in Fernandina Beach and THE CAJUN BEACH SAINT AUGUSTINE in St. Augustine were among those cited. These immediate shutdowns represent the most urgent regulatory actions available to the state, moving faster than administrative complaints or license cancellations. The Red Alert group includes 1 Bar, 1 Fast Food, 1 Restaurant, and 1 Sushi establishment. This volume of emergency orders remains steady compared to previous records. When an inspector determines a risk is too high to continue, they don't wait for a hearing; they pull the plug on the spot.
- 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
+37 more in this section on the live site.
Distressed Licenses (admin lapse + IFLAL + near-expiry + annual gap)
990 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.
[990 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
+985 more in this section on the live site.
Chronic Offenders — 11-Year Systemic Violations
491 records this window
Repeat offenders with 2+ emergency closures over the last 3 years — systemic non-compliance going back through the full inspection record.
A regulatory review of an 11-year pattern reveals 491 historical bad actors in Duval County. This long-term trajectory of failure is led by EL SOL DE MEXICO in Jacksonville and 5TH ELEMENT TASTE OF INDIA in Jacksonville. The full repeat-offender record sits below.
- EL SOL DE MEXICOJacksonvillelast visit 03/25/2026
- 5TH ELEMENT TASTE OF INDIAJacksonvillelast visit 03/10/2026
- INDULGENCE SOUTHERN BISTROJacksonvillelast visit 11/12/2025
- HANA SUSHI ASIAN CUISINESaint Johnslast visit 03/06/2026
- GILI'S KITCHENJacksonvillelast visit 02/11/2026
+486 more in this section on the live site.
Most Improved — sustained 12-month turnaround
6 records this window
Restaurants whose recent-window violation count is at least 50% lower than the prior window, with the most recent inspection clean.
Florida statute 61C-1.002 sets the cadence; the inspectors honor it: STONER'S PIZZA JOINT PALM COAST in Palm Coast, VERNON'S RESTAURANT in Ponte Vedra Beach and CHINA 1 in Jacksonville carried the front of this Duval County file. 6 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). That is not atmosphere; it is a compliance record.
- STONER'S PIZZA JOINT PALM COASTPalm Coast
- VERNON'S RESTAURANTPonte Vedra Beach
- CHINA 1Jacksonville1 INTScore 10
- CHICK-FIL-A MIDDLEBURGMiddleburg1 INTScore 10
- KFC # L518069Jacksonville1 BASPestScore 51
+1 more in this section on the live site.
Closures — what just stopped operating
66 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.
Three years of inspection records tell this story: Velchoffs Corner in Palatka, JIM'S PLACE in St. Augustine and BO GATOR'S in Palm Coast carried the front of this Duval County file. 66 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: 5 hotels, 4 American spots, 4 burgers, and 4 Chinese spots. 46 standalone restaurants and 20 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 numbers are the story.
- Velchoffs CornerPalatkaclosure score 5
- JIM'S PLACESt. Augustineclosure score 3
- BO GATOR'SPalm Coastclosure score 3
- SLEEP INN & SUITES OF PALATKAPalatkaclosure score 3
- EL RINCON DE NERI'SJacksonvilleclosure score 3
+61 more in this section on the live site.
Ghost Licenses — 180+ Days Uninspected
107 records this window
Active on paper but no DBPR inspection in 180+ days. Off-cadence under Florida statute 61C-1.002.
[107 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
+102 more in this section on the live site.
Change of Ownership — Last 30 Days
22 records this window
DBPR ownership-change records — "Approve Change Owner Request" actions.
This is the part operators cannot wave away: SCRUFFYS in Palm Coast, REHAB SPORTS BAR in Bunnell and TUNIS in Jacksonville put the sharpest marks on Duval County's list. 22 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.
- SCRUFFYSPalm Coast
- REHAB SPORTS BARBunnell
- TUNISJacksonville
- RUSH BOWLSMiddleburg
- CHILLIN' WITH MY DAWGS LLCKeystone Heights
+17 more in this section on the live site.
Openings — fresh licenses and new rooms
35 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.
The inspection record spans eleven years; the pattern is clear: Total for Duval County: 35 opening signals. 1 announced via FB/news/operator signal; 37 DBPR-new license records still awaiting outside confirmation. Current names include FLORIDIAN RESTAURANT in St. Augustine, ZION WATER ICE in Jacksonville and LOCHSIDE FLORIDA in Crescent City.
- FLORIDIAN RESTAURANTSt. Augustine
- ZION WATER ICEJacksonville
- LOCHSIDE FLORIDACrescent City
- DAVO'S CHEESESTEAKSJacksonville
- GS CARIBBEAN CUISINEJacksonville
+30 more in this section on the live site.
Chain Activity — brand-level rollup
72 records this window
Multi-location chain brands flagged via aggregated signals across all locations.
Trajectory tells the truth statistics hide: 72 chain brands surface in Duval County’s rollup, covering 440 locations between them: 141 FSQ-confirmed closures, 12 lapsed licenses. Leading brands: Burger King, Taco Bell Of America Llc, Jimmy John's. That is not atmosphere; it is a compliance record.
- 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
+67 more in this section on the live site.
Clean Plates — Spotless This Quarter
122 records this window
Restaurants with multiple inspections in the current quarter and zero high-priority or intermediate violations.
122 licensees in Duval County maintained consistent compliance across multiple inspections during the second quarter of 2026. This group includes BLUE WATER BAY in Jacksonville, COLUMBIA RESTAURANT OF ST AUG in St Augustine, and ELEVEN SOUTH in Jacksonville. These are repeat visits with zero high-priority or intermediate violations, marking operators who prioritize consistency over a single lucky inspection. BLUE WATER BAY stretched its run to 8 inspections without a high-priority violation over roughly 2 years.
- BLUE WATER BAYMelrose
- COLUMBIA RESTAURANT OF ST AUGSt. Augustine
- ELEVEN SOUTHJacksonville Beach
- KEKES BREAKFAST CAFESt. Augustine
- PALM COAST LANESPalm Coast
+117 more in this section on the live site.
Near Miss — High-Priority Citations
123 records this window
Inspections in the last 30 days that posted high-priority violations but were not shut down.
JERSEY MIKE'S SUBS in Ponte Vedra Beach, HANA SUSHI in Fernandina Beach and JAX BEACH BAR AND GRILL in Jacksonville Beach drew the loudest scorecard in Duval County. Inspectors posted 123 high-priority citations across the county in the 30-day window. None of these specific incidents resulted in an emergency-order closure. These operators are now on the near-miss watch list. They drew significant inspector attention but stayed open despite racking up HP and BAS violations. The question remains why these specific failures did not trigger an immediate shut down, as any one of them could face a follow-up inspection to ensure compliance.
- JERSEY MIKE'S SUBSPonte Vedra Beach3 HP2 INT3 BASPestScore 373last visit 2025-03-12
- HANA SUSHIFernandina Beach5 HP4 BASScore 504last visit 2025-11-04
- JAX BEACH BAR AND GRILLJacksonville Beach4 HP3 INT5 BASScore 435
- WICKED BAOFernandina Beach3 HP2 INT4 BASScore 324last visit 2026-02-18
- STAMPEDESBunnell3 HP3 INT3 BASScore 333last visit 2025-06-12
+118 more in this section on the live site.