The regulatory question is simple: Florida baseline first: Tampa Bay's chronic density is 39% below the Florida average. Tampa Bay counts 273 recent high-priority hits. Mix: 2 pizza spots, 1 American, 1 BBQ, and 1 Chinese. That is not atmosphere; it is a compliance record.
Emergency Orders
53 records this window
Restaurants closed by DBPR emergency order in the last 90 days.
ZAGORA CAFE in Tampa, HONG KONG in South Pasadena and DISCOVERY INDIAN CUISINE in Palm Harbor were the primary focus of this Tampa Bay report. Inspectors ordered 53 restaurants shut via emergency orders in the 90-day window. These closures are the most immediate regulatory actions available to the state, bypassing slower administrative processes or corporate dissolution. The Red Alert cohort includes one cafe, one Chinese restaurant, one diner and one pub. This volume of emergency orders remains steady compared to previous data.
- ZAGORA CAFETampa1 HPScore 100last visit 2026-04-07
- 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
+48 more in this section on the live site.
Near Miss
273 records this window
Inspections in the last 30 days that posted high-priority violations but were not shut down.
Inspectors cited CHINA CHEF in The Villages, FRESH BITES in Tampa and THE BROWNWOOD HOTEL AND SPA in The Villages in recent reports. Across Tampa Bay, restaurants racked up 273 high-priority citations in the 30-day window. None of these failures resulted in an emergency-order closure. These operators are now on a near-miss watch list after drawing inspector attention while remaining open. Each is subject to follow-up inspections to ensure compliance. The records show recurring violations labeled as HP and INT.
- CHINA CHEFThe Villages5 HP1 INT7 BASPestScore 567last visit 2025-10-16
- FRESH BITESTampa3 HP2 INT1 BASScore 321last visit 2026-02-03
- THE BROWNWOOD HOTEL AND SPAThe Villages5 HP3 INT3 BASPestScore 583last visit 2025-11-25
- WILLIE JEWELLS OLD SCHOOL BAR B QThe Villages4 HP2 INT3 BASScore 423last visit 2025-10-16
- OLIVIA'S SUBS & PIZZANew Port Richey3 HP3 INT2 BASScore 332last visit 2026-01-26
+268 more in this section on the live site.
Worst Offenders
267 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.
This is the part operators cannot wave away: 267 historical bad actors surface in Tampa Bay on the 11-year pattern view, led by CITRUS SPGS GOLF&COUNTRY CLUB, EL TENAMPA. The full repeat-offender record sits below.
- CITRUS SPGS GOLF&COUNTRY CLUBCitrus SpringsActive bad actorlast visit 12/01/2025
- EL TENAMPASt. PetersburgActive bad actorlast visit 01/13/2026
- ROCKING CRABSt. PetersburgActive bad actorlast visit 10/16/2025
- GREEN TEAPort RicheyActive bad actorlast visit 02/23/2026
- CHILE VERDESt. PetersburgActive bad actorlast visit 12/10/2025
+262 more in this section on the live site.
Closures
117 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: POMPEY SEAFOOD in Clearwater, OFF THE RIVER in Port Richey and TUTI E PAPI in Tampa drew the loudest scorecard in Tampa Bay. 117 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: 22 fast-food spots, 7 bars, 7 sandwiches, and 6 pizza spots. 88 standalone restaurants and 29 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.
- POMPEY SEAFOODClearwaterclosure score 5
- OFF THE RIVERPort Richeyclosure score 5
- TUTI E PAPITampaclosure score 5
- PILOT HOUSETarpon Springsclosure score 5
- EL MANJAR SABOR LATINO LLCTampaclosure score 3
+112 more in this section on the live site.
Off the Radar
921 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 921 licenses off the radar in Tampa Bay this cycle. That includes 175 DBPR-active licenses that have not seen an inspector in 365+ days, a direct violation of the inspection cadence required by Florida statute 61C-1.002 FAC. Another 398 licenses showed formal DBPR distress signals, including Status 45 or 46, IFLAL filings, or annual inspection gaps. There are 175 licenses appearing in both categories of neglect. An additional 49 licenses were escalated to closures following stronger confirmation signals.
- SLICEADELICTampa
- ASADOS SAN ANDRESTampa
- JAY J'S LLCSeffner
- ITALIAN WAGONGibsonton
- EL CONTADOR FOOD TRUCKTampa
+916 more in this section on the live site.
New Owners
40 records this window
DBPR ownership-change records in the last 30 days — "Approve Change Owner Request" actions.
The public record leaves one hard question: COURTYARD CAFE in Palm Harbor, LA MEZCLA DEL SABOR LATINO 2 in New Port Richey and RENZOS in Tampa put the sharpest marks on Tampa Bay's list. 40 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 numbers are the story.
- COURTYARD CAFEPalm Harbor
- LA MEZCLA DEL SABOR LATINO 2New Port Richey
- RENZOSTampa
- NAZS HALAL OF WC INCWesley Chapel
- DELICIAS EL PAISA RESTAURANT BAR & GRILLPort Richey
+35 more in this section on the live site.
Chain Activity
148 records this window
Multi-location chain brands flagged via aggregated signals across all locations.
Trajectory tells the truth statistics hide: 148 chain brands surface in Tampa Bay’s rollup, covering 555 locations between them: 177 FSQ-confirmed closures, 54 lapsed licenses. Leading brands: Subway, Dunkin', McDonald's. That is not atmosphere; it is a compliance record.
- SubwayFlorida95 flagged locations
- Dunkin'Florida108 flagged locations
- McDonald'sFlorida52 flagged locations
- Sub Tenn LlcFlorida17 flagged locations
- Florida Franchise Partners LlcFlorida6 flagged locations
+143 more in this section on the live site.
Most Improved
3 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 CRACKER BARREL #357 in Brooksville led the board in Tampa Bay. 3 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
- CRACKER BARREL #357Brooksville
Openings
74 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 Tampa Bay: 74 opening signals. 3 announced via FB/news/operator signal; 77 DBPR-new license records still awaiting outside confirmation. Current names include COPPER INDIAN RESTAURANT in Tampa, SLAP BURGER in Tampa and BACON EGG'N CHEESE II in Brandon.
- COPPER INDIAN RESTAURANTTampaconfirmed open
- SLAP BURGERTampa
- BACON EGG'N CHEESE IIBrandon
- SALT & GRILLTampa
- HOTDOGGERFEST 2Dade City
+69 more in this section on the live site.
Clean Plates
369 records this window
Restaurants with multiple inspections in the current quarter and zero high-priority or intermediate violations.
369 licensees in Tampa Bay maintained a record of zero high-priority or intermediate violations across multiple inspections in the second quarter of 2026. This group includes PHO KIEN GIANG in Tampa, AROMA INDIAN CUISINE AND BAR in Tampa, and SIJANG EATERY in Tampa. These operators are being recognized for consistent compliance rather than a single lucky visit. PHO KIEN GIANG in Tampa has maintained this standard over 8 inspections spanning roughly 2 years. This level of consistency is the benchmark for public safety in high-volume food service.
- PHO KIEN GIANGPinellas Park
- AROMA INDIAN CUISINE AND BARLargo
- SIJANG EATERYTampa
- MONSTAH LOBSTAH IRBIndian Rocks Beach
- LICENSED TO CHILLBrooksville
+364 more in this section on the live site.