In Duval County, we see 112 recent high-priority failures. That is a lot of stress piled onto the line cooks trying to keep things clean in this heat. The state numbers show that while our county’s failure rate sits 20% below the Florida average, those 112 hits tell you something about management decisions across Jacksonville. We are talking about inspections hitting everything from a single Bar to a Cafe, plus Fast Food and Italian spots. Walk in someone else's shoes; you can taste the difference between good hustle and sloppy shortcuts.
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.
There are 200 listings in Duval County that have racked up chronic violations. LA NOPALERA MEXICAN RESTAURANT in Jacksonville sits at the top of this list. When you walk into any kitchen, you are trusting more than just what’s on the menu. Inspectors found repeated failures across these businesses. LA NOPALERA MEXICAN RESTAURANT in Jacksonville drew scrutiny during a routine inspection. GOLDEN EGGROLL in Jacksonville also faced issues under a routine inspection. DICK'S WINGS & GRILL in Jacksonville posted violations too. This pattern of trouble is steady, it has not changed from the last public cut. But remember, this speaks only to the kitchens that inspectors have been inside of within the DBPR 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
- AKAYA GRILL & SUSHIOrange Parklast visit 2026-03-26
- FUJIJacksonville2 HP2 INT13 BASScore 233last visit 2026-04-17
+195 more in this section on the live site.
Red Alert — Emergency Orders
41 records this window
Restaurants closed by DBPR emergency order in the last 90 days.
Forty-one kitchens in Duval County got slapped with an emergency order shut in the past 90 days. Those are red alert spots; those closures happen faster than paperwork gets filed or a license gets tossed out. You can taste that panic when inspectors hit these places. RENEGADES ON THE RIVER in Crescent City, DAIRY QUEEN in Fernandina Beach, and THE CAJUN BEACH SAINT AUGUSTINE in St. Augustine were among the operators drawing this attention. One Bar, one Fast Food spot, one Restaurant, and one Sushi establishment all found themselves under that strict order. These emergency shutdowns signal something immediate is wrong with the setup. Nothing unexpected or wonderful happens if your kitchen runs without these red flags flying overhead.
- RENEGADES ON THE RIVERCrescent City4 HP2 INT6 BASPestScore 476last visit 2026-05-20
- 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
+36 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
- MAMA KIMS ICE CREAM PARLORBunnell
- SUNDECKPonte Vedra
- DIDTHAT FUNNEL CAKES AND MOREJacksonville
- CHANNEL SIDEPalm Coast
+985 more in this section on the live site.
Chronic Offenders — 11-Year Systemic Violations
474 records this window
Repeat offenders with 2+ emergency closures over the last 3 years — systemic non-compliance going back through the full inspection record.
Four hundred seventy four historical bad actors surfaced in Duval County looking at the 11-year pattern. The kitchen knows; this is a culture of cutting corners, not just one bad Tuesday night. EL SOL DE MEXICO and 5TH ELEMENT TASTE OF INDIA lead that list of repeat offenders. When you see these names pop up, it tells you something about the management upstairs who does not care about the line cook’s struggle.
- EL SOL DE MEXICOJacksonvillelast visit 03/25/2026
- 5TH ELEMENT TASTE OF INDIAJacksonvillelast visit 05/18/2026
- INDULGENCE SOUTHERN BISTROJacksonvillelast visit 11/12/2025
- HANA SUSHI ASIAN CUISINESaint Johnslast visit 03/06/2026
- GILI'S KITCHENJacksonvillelast visit 02/11/2026
+469 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.
You can taste the effort in a clean kitchen. It takes more than just good food; it takes obsessive habit. In Duval County, STONER'S PIZZA JOINT PALM COAST in Palm Coast, VERNON'S RESTAURANT in Ponte Vedra Beach, and CHINA 1 in Jacksonville drew the sharpest scorecard recently. Six restaurants met that sustained-improvement test. That means at least four inspections over the last year, cutting high priority plus critical counts by 50% or more, and keeping an active license. STONER'S PIZZA JOINT PALM COAST in Palm Coast dropped its HP plus Critical counts from 6 down to just 1 across those two 12-month windows—that is 83.3 percent better.
- 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
64 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.
Walk into any prep room and the truth lives in the cooler: 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. 64 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. 44 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 line deserved better.
- 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
+59 more in this section on the live site.
Ghost Licenses — 180+ Days Uninspected
89 records this window
Active on paper but no DBPR inspection in 180+ days. Off-cadence under Florida statute 61C-1.002.
[89 restaurants flagged in this dimension — see the live briefing for the current card-by-card context.]
- WHATCHA COOKINGJacksonville
- MAMA KIMS ICE CREAM PARLORBunnell
- SUNDECKPonte Vedra
- DIDTHAT FUNNEL CAKES AND MOREJacksonville
- CHANNEL SIDEPalm Coast
+84 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.
Somewhere behind the line, the facts got ugly. SCRUFFYS in Palm Coast, REHAB SPORTS BAR in Bunnell and TUNIS in Jacksonville drew the loudest scorecard in Duval County. 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.
Thirty-five openings signals are floating around Duval County right now. Food has power; it can start new dreams in a place where things have been grim for years. One of those spots was announced through the usual chatter on Facebook or by the operator themselves. We see FLORIDIAN RESTAURANT in St. Augustine, ZION WATER ICE in Jacksonville, and LOCHSIDE FLORIDA in Crescent City making noise. But there are 37 new DBPR license records still out there waiting for someone outside to confirm they actually opened their doors for good. You gotta check the receipts on these things; a name on paper is not the same as a clean kitchen under pressure.
- 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.
Cooks don't lie. Temperature logs don't either: 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 management, not mystery.
- 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
126 records this window
Restaurants with multiple inspections in the current quarter and zero high-priority or intermediate violations.
One hundred twenty six Duval County licensees ran a clean Q2 2026 ledger across multiple inspections. BLUE WATER BAY in Jacksonville and ELEVEN SOUTH in Jacksonville kept their kitchen running smooth for years without drawing high-priority violations. These are the operators you count on when you walk through that door; they do not get lucky, they build habits. COLUMBIA RESTAURANT OF ST AUG in Jacksonville joined this group of kitchens that showed nothing wrong during repeated visits.
- BLUE WATER BAYMelrose
- COLUMBIA RESTAURANT OF ST AUGSt. Augustine
- ELEVEN SOUTHJacksonville Beach
- KEKES BREAKFAST CAFESt. Augustine
- PALM COAST LANESPalm Coast
+121 more in this section on the live site.
Near Miss — High-Priority Citations
112 records this window
Inspections in the last 30 days that posted high-priority violations but were not shut down.
There is no romance in this part of the meal. JERSEY MIKE'S SUBS in Ponte Vedra Beach, HANA SUSHI in Fernandina Beach and JAX BEACH BAR AND GRILL in Jacksonville Beach put the sharpest marks on Duval County's list. 112 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. That is management, not mystery.
- JERSEY MIKE'S SUBSPonte Vedra Beach3 HP2 INT3 BASPestScore 373last visit 2026-05-21
- HANA SUSHIFernandina Beach5 HP4 BASScore 504last visit 2026-05-20
- JAX BEACH BAR AND GRILLJacksonville Beach4 HP3 INT5 BASScore 435last visit 2026-05-19
- STAMPEDESBunnell3 HP3 INT3 BASScore 333last visit 2026-05-19
- WICKED BAOFernandina Beach3 HP2 INT4 BASScore 324last visit 2026-05-19
+107 more in this section on the live site.