The regulatory question is simple: Statewide read: Duval County's chronic density is 18% above the Florida average. Duval County posts 108 recent high-priority hits. Mix: 2 sushi bars, 1 American Steak, 1 Bakery, and 1 Diner. That is not atmosphere; it is a compliance record.
Emergency Orders
41 records this window
Restaurants closed by DBPR emergency order in the last 90 days.
This is the part operators cannot wave away: NERO’S CAFE/TINI MARTINI BAR in St. Augustine, THE CAJUN BEACH in Flagler Beach and LAS DELICIAS DE JUANCHO in Jacksonville led the board in Duval County. 41 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 American Steak, 1 Fast Food, 1 Seafood, and 1 Tiki Bar. Trend line: emergency-order volume is steady against the last public cut.
- NERO’S CAFE/TINI MARTINI BARSt. Augustine1 HPScore 100last visit 2026-03-09
- THE CAJUN BEACHFlagler Beach2 HP1 INT1 BASScore 211last visit 2026-05-13
- LAS DELICIAS DE JUANCHOJacksonville3 HP1 BASScore 301last visit 2026-05-18
- RENEGADES ON THE RIVERCrescent City4 HP2 INT6 BASPestScore 476last visit 2026-05-20
- DAIRY QUEENFernandina Beach1 HP1 BASScore 101last visit 2026-05-12
+36 more in this section on the live site.
Near Miss
108 records this window
Inspections in the last 30 days that posted high-priority violations but were not shut down.
FORD'S GARAGE in St. Augustine, THE DOUGH SHOW in Jacksonville and OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE #1034 in St. Augustine led the board for high-priority violations in Duval County. Inspectors posted 108 high-priority citations in the 30-day window. None of these specific cases resulted in an emergency-order closure. These operators are now on a near-miss watch list. They drew significant inspector attention but stayed open. With recurring HP and BAS violation labels, any of them could receive a follow-up inspection to ensure compliance with state safety standards.
- FORD'S GARAGESt. Augustine4 HP2 INT6 BASPestScore 476last visit 2026-05-05
- THE DOUGH SHOWJacksonville3 HP2 INTPestScore 370last visit 2026-05-22
- OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE #1034St. Augustine3 HP1 INT3 BASPestScore 363last visit 2025-12-10
- THE METRO DINERSt. Augustine6 HP5 BASScore 605last visit 2026-05-11
- KAZU SUSHI BURRITOJacksonville5 HP3 INT13 BASPestScore 593last visit 2025-12-16
+103 more in this section on the live site.
Worst Offenders
253 records this window
Active enforcement targets and repeat offenders: restaurants carrying emergency-order history, chronic 11-year systemic violation patterns, or cross-flag enforcement tiers.
A regulatory look at the 11-year pattern reveals 253 historical bad actors in Duval County. Leading that list of repeat offenders are CASA DORA ITALIAN CAFE in Jacksonville and GRILLED CHEESE GALLERY in Jacksonville.
- CASA DORA ITALIAN CAFEJacksonvilleActive bad actorlast visit 01/26/2026
- GRILLED CHEESE GALLERYSt. AugustineActive bad actorlast visit 02/20/2026
- RAMADA BY WYNDHAM JAX HOTEL AND CCJacksonvilleActive bad actorlast visit 04/27/2026
- EL SOL DE MEXICOJacksonvilleActive bad actorlast visit 03/25/2026
- 5TH ELEMENT TASTE OF INDIAJacksonvilleActive bad actorlast visit 05/18/2026
+248 more in this section on the live site.
Closures
54 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.
Florida statute 61C-1.002 sets the cadence; the inspectors honor it: Velchoffs Corner in Palatka, JIM'S PLACE in St. Augustine and J C PARKMAN in Yulee carried the front of this Duval County file. 54 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: 4 American spots, 4 Chinese spots, 4 hotels, and 3 burgers. 36 standalone restaurants and 18 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. That is not atmosphere; it is a compliance record.
- Velchoffs CornerPalatkaclosure score 5
- JIM'S PLACESt. Augustineclosure score 3
- J C PARKMANYuleeclosure score 3
- I NOODLE 2St. Johnsclosure score 3
- DJ'S BILLIARD ROOMPalatkaclosure score 3
+49 more in this section on the live site.
Off the Radar
316 records this window
Merged ghost + distressed licenses: active on paper but no DBPR inspection in 365+ days, or carrying administrative-lapse signals (status 45/46 grace, Sunbiz IFLAL, near-expiry).
Inspectors have left 316 licenses off the radar in Duval County this cycle. This includes 96 DBPR-active licenses that have not seen an inspector in 365+ days, a clear violation of Florida statute 61C-1.002 which dictates inspection cadence. Another 221 licenses show formal DBPR distress signals, including Status 45 or 46, IFLAL filings, and annual inspection gaps. There is a worrying overlap, as 96 licenses fall into both the uninspected and distressed categories. Six additional licenses have since been escalated to closures following stronger confirmation signals.
- MAMA KIMS ICE CREAM PARLORBunnell
- RIDICULOUS!Jacksonville
- GYPSY ROSE MOON BITES CATERINGSt. Augustine
- SUNDECKPonte Vedra
- CRAZY GOOD EATSPalm Coast
+311 more in this section on the live site.
New Owners
17 records this window
DBPR ownership-change records in the last 30 days — "Approve Change Owner Request" actions.
URBAN AIR ADVENTURE PARK JACKSONVILLE in Jacksonville, SWEET & SALTY SISTERS in Orange Park and EINSTEIN BROS BAGELS in Jacksonville racked up the most violations in Duval County. The data shows a pattern of poor sanitation and regulatory failure at these locations. Seventeen ownership-change filings were posted in the 30-day window. These are operator turnovers where a new owner-of-record takes over an existing license. They are not closures, cancellations, or revocations.
- URBAN AIR ADVENTURE PARK JACKSONVILLEJacksonville
- SWEET & SALTY SISTERSOrange Park
- EINSTEIN BROS BAGELSJacksonville
- SCRUFFYSPalm Coast
- REHAB SPORTS BARBunnell
+12 more in this section on the live site.
Chain Activity
72 records this window
Multi-location chain brands flagged via aggregated signals across all locations.
The inspection record spans eleven years; the pattern is clear: 72 chain brands surface in Duval County’s rollup, covering 442 locations between them: 140 FSQ-confirmed closures, 11 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
+67 more in this section on the live site.
Most Improved
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.
STONER'S PIZZA JOINT PALM COAST in Palm Coast, VERNON'S RESTAURANT in Ponte Vedra Beach and CHINA 1 in Jacksonville were the primary focuses of recent regulatory activity in Duval County. Six restaurants met a sustained-improvement test requiring at least four inspections in each 12-month window, an active license, and a reduction of high-priority and critical violations by 50% or more. STONER'S PIZZA JOINT PALM COAST in Palm Coast dropped its high-priority and critical counts from 6 to 1 across two 12-month windows, marking an 83.3% improvement.
- 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.
Openings
27 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.
Three years of inspection records tell this story: Total for Duval County: 27 opening signals. 1 announced via FB/news/operator signal; 29 DBPR-new license records still awaiting outside confirmation. Current names include REMYS FLAVORED ICE in Jacksonville, ANCHOR 28 in St. Augustine and FLORIDIAN RESTAURANT in St. Augustine. The numbers are the story.
- REMYS FLAVORED ICEJacksonville
- ANCHOR 28St. Augustine
- FLORIDIAN RESTAURANTSt. Augustine
- ZION WATER ICEJacksonville
- LOCHSIDE FLORIDACrescent City
+22 more in this section on the live site.
Clean Plates
142 records this window
Restaurants with multiple inspections in the current quarter and zero high-priority or intermediate violations.
142 operators in Duval County maintained consistent compliance across multiple inspections during the second quarter of 2026. Among those who stayed off the radar for violations were BLUE WATER BAY in St. Augustine, COLUMBIA RESTAURANT OF ST AUG in St. Augustine, and ELEVEN SOUTH in Jacksonville. These results represent a pattern of operational discipline rather than a single lucky visit. BLUE WATER BAY in St. Augustine has now completed 8 inspections over approximately 2 years without a single high-priority violation. This level of consistency is the benchmark for food safety in the region.
- BLUE WATER BAYMelrose
- COLUMBIA RESTAURANT OF ST AUGSt. Augustine
- ELEVEN SOUTHJacksonville Beach
- KEKES BREAKFAST CAFESt. Augustine
- PALM COAST LANESPalm Coast
+137 more in this section on the live site.