The regulatory question is simple: Statewide read: Tampa Bay's chronic density is 39% below the Florida average. Tampa Bay posts 299 recent high-priority hits. Mix: 1 BBQ, 1 Brunch, 1 Korean, and 1 Seafood. 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 identified 200 chronic listings across Tampa Bay. CEDARS GRILL in St. Petersburg leads this group of worst offenders. Other high-violation sites include FAYS DELI AND SUBS in St. Petersburg and EARLY BIRD in Pinellas Park. These results stem from routine inspections, which are the primary tool for ensuring compliance with Florida health standards. This list of chronic operators remains steady compared to previous records. These findings reflect a repeat pattern of failure within the DBPR inspection window.
- CEDARS GRILLSt. Petersburg2 INT13 BASScore 33last visit 2026-03-11
- FAYS DELI AND SUBSStpetersburg5 BASScore 5last visit 2026-03-10
- EARLY BIRDPinellas Park5 INT13 BASScore 63last visit 2026-03-30
- BROKE N BOARDRedington Shores1 HP5 INT6 BASScore 156last visit 2026-01-20
- NEW YORK SEAFOOD MARKET & RESTAURANTSt. Petersburg1 HP1 INT4 BASScore 114last visit 2026-04-29
+195 more in this section on the live site.
Red Alert — Emergency Orders
52 records this window
Restaurants closed by DBPR emergency order in the last 90 days.
Inspectors ordered 52 kitchens shut under emergency orders in Tampa Bay in the 90-day window. HONG KONG in South Pasadena, DISCOVERY INDIAN CUISINE in Palm Harbor and MANATEE PUB in Homosassa drew the most severe citations. These immediate closures represent the most critical regulatory signals because they bypass slower administrative actions or corporate dissolutions to stop a public health threat on the spot. The Red Alert cohort includes 1 Chinese restaurant, 1 Diner, 1 Pub, and 1 Sushi establishment. Emergency-order volume remains steady compared to the last public cut. Under Florida law, these immediate closures are reserved for imminent threats to safety that cannot wait for a standard hearing.
- HONG KONGSouth Pasadena4 HP3 INT5 BASPestScore 485last visit 2026-05-14
- DISCOVERY INDIAN CUISINEPalm Harbor2 HP4 INT9 BASPestScore 299last visit 2026-05-13
- MANATEE PUBHomosassa1 HP4 BASScore 104last visit 2026-05-12
- BLUEFIN SUSHIWesley Chapel1 HPScore 100last visit 2026-05-11
- MOMOZ LLCTampa1 HP5 INT9 BASPestScore 209last visit 2026-05-11
+47 more in this section on the live site.
Distressed Licenses (admin lapse + IFLAL + near-expiry + annual gap)
868 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.
[868 restaurants flagged in this dimension — see the live briefing for the current card-by-card context.]
- ROCK STAR CAFETarpon Springs
- FOODIE LABSSt. Petersburg
- URBAN EATSBrandon
- 4 KINGS SEAFOODTampa
- D & M VENDING LLCPlant City
+863 more in this section on the live site.
Chronic Offenders — 11-Year Systemic Violations
261 records this window
Repeat offenders with 2+ emergency closures over the last 3 years — systemic non-compliance going back through the full inspection record.
An investigation into long-term regulatory patterns reveals 261 historical bad actors in Tampa Bay over an 11-year window. This list of chronic offenders is led by DELHI PALACE and PHO KIEN GIANG.
- DELHI PALACEClearwaterlast visit 07/23/2025
- PHO KIEN GIANGPinellas Parklast visit 03/31/2026
- SUPER BUFFET ST PETESt. Petersburglast visit 03/17/2026
- FARANDULA PIZZA AND RESTAURANTTampalast visit 01/06/2026
- TACO MIENDO ST PETESt. Petersburglast visit 04/20/2026
+256 more in this section on the live site.
Most Improved — sustained 12-month turnaround
4 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: CAPONE'S BISTRO AND BILLIARDS in Spring Hill, TACOS EL CARNAL 2 in Clearwater and VETTURE PIZZERIA in Palm Harbor put the sharpest marks on Tampa Bay's list. 4 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. CAPONE'S BISTRO AND BILLIARDS in Spring Hill dropped HP+Critical counts from 4 to 1 across the two 12-month windows (75.0% better). That is not atmosphere; it is a compliance record.
- CAPONE'S BISTRO AND BILLIARDSSpring Hill3 INT1 BASScore 31
- TACOS EL CARNAL 2Clearwater1 INT1 BASScore 11
- VETTURE PIZZERIAPalm Harbor1 HP1 INT6 BASPestScore 166
- CRACKER BARREL #357Brooksville
Closures — what just stopped operating
169 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: TASO ITALIANO in New Port Richey, POMPEY SEAFOOD in Clearwater and OFF THE RIVER in Port Richey put the sharpest marks on Tampa Bay's list. 169 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: 12 fast-food spots, 9 bars, 8 hotels, and 8 pizza spots. 129 standalone restaurants and 12 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.
- TASO ITALIANONew Port Richey
- POMPEY SEAFOODClearwaterclosure score 5
- OFF THE RIVERPort Richeyclosure score 5
- TUTI E PAPITampaclosure score 5
- PILOT HOUSETarpon Springsclosure score 5
+164 more in this section on the live site.
Ghost Licenses — 180+ Days Uninspected
205 records this window
Active on paper but no DBPR inspection in 180+ days. Off-cadence under Florida statute 61C-1.002.
[205 restaurants flagged in this dimension — see the live briefing for the current card-by-card context.]
- ROCK STAR CAFETarpon Springs
- FOODIE LABSSt. Petersburg
- URBAN EATSBrandon
- 4 KINGS SEAFOODTampa
- D & M VENDING LLCPlant City
+200 more in this section on the live site.
Change of Ownership — Last 30 Days
47 records this window
DBPR ownership-change records — "Approve Change Owner Request" actions.
This is the part operators cannot wave away: COURTYARD CAFE in Palm Harbor, (THE) TWISTED VEGAN in Tampa and OOUCHA in Pinellas Park carried the front of this Tampa Bay file. 47 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.
- COURTYARD CAFEPalm Harbor
- (THE) TWISTED VEGANTampa
- OOUCHAPinellas Park
- SABLE & SOL CAFETampa
- DON JOSE'S MEXICAN GRILLSeffner
+42 more in this section on the live site.
Openings — fresh licenses and new rooms
78 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.
Trajectory tells the truth statistics hide: Total for Tampa Bay: 78 opening signals. 3 announced via FB/news/operator signal; 81 DBPR-new license records still awaiting outside confirmation. Current names include COPPER INDIAN RESTAURANT in Tampa, STILLWATERS TAVERN in Land O' Lakes and BIMBIMGO & MOCHINUT in Lutz.
- COPPER INDIAN RESTAURANTTampaconfirmed open
- STILLWATERS TAVERNLand O' Lakes
- BIMBIMGO & MOCHINUTLutz
- ALES CHARCUTERIE BOARDS LLCTampa
- HOWARD & PLATTTampa
+73 more in this section on the live site.
Chain Activity — brand-level rollup
152 records this window
Multi-location chain brands flagged via aggregated signals across all locations.
Cross-reference Sunbiz dissolution against DBPR active status — the gap matters: 152 chain brands surface in Tampa Bay’s rollup, covering 554 locations between them: 177 FSQ-confirmed closures, 57 lapsed licenses. Leading brands: Subway, Dunkin', McDonald's. That is not atmosphere; it is a compliance record.
- SubwayFlorida94 flagged locations
- Dunkin'Florida107 flagged locations
- McDonald'sFlorida52 flagged locations
- Florida Franchise Partners LlcFlorida7 flagged locations
- Sub Tenn LlcFlorida17 flagged locations
+147 more in this section on the live site.
Clean Plates — Spotless This Quarter
332 records this window
Restaurants with multiple inspections in the current quarter and zero high-priority or intermediate violations.
332 licensees in Tampa Bay maintained consistent compliance through multiple inspections in the second quarter of 2026. This group includes PHO KIEN GIANG in Tampa, AROMA INDIAN CUISINE AND BAR in Tampa, and MONSTAH LOBSTAH IRB in Indian Shores. These results are not based on a single lucky visit but represent repeat inspections with zero high-priority or intermediate violations. PHO KIEN GIANG in Tampa has now extended its run to 8 inspections without a high-priority violation over approximately 2 years.
- PHO KIEN GIANGPinellas Park
- AROMA INDIAN CUISINE AND BARLargo
- MONSTAH LOBSTAH IRBIndian Rocks Beach
- THE GETAWAYSt. Petersburg
- BANGKOK SUSHILutz
+327 more in this section on the live site.
Near Miss — High-Priority Citations
299 records this window
Inspections in the last 30 days that posted high-priority violations but were not shut down.
ALOHA TO GO in Palm Harbor, ONE FAMILY KOREAN RESTAURANT in Tampa, and MR & MRS CRAB in Pinellas Park racked up the worst marks in Tampa Bay recently. Inspectors posted 299 high-priority citations across the region in a 30-day window. None of these specific failures resulted in an emergency-order closure. These operators are now on the near-miss watch list, meaning they drew significant inspector attention but stayed open. These kitchens remain at risk for follow-up inspections to ensure compliance. The cited patterns were flagged as HP and INT violations.
- ALOHA TO GOPalm Harbor5 HP3 INT6 BASPestScore 586last visit 2026-02-27
- ONE FAMILY KOREAN RESTAURANTTampa5 HP4 INT3 BASPestScore 593last visit 2026-04-17
- MR & MRS CRABPinellas Park4 HP2 INT2 BASScore 422last visit 2026-02-06
- LOS COMPADRES MEXICAN GRILLInverness3 HP2 INT4 BASPestScore 374last visit 2025-11-05
- TEMAK HOUSE SUSHI FUSIONTampa6 HP5 INT6 BASScore 656last visit 2025-04-09
+294 more in this section on the live site.