Duval County is currently running a little hotter than the mid-August humidity. The county's chronic density sits at 18% above the Florida average, suggesting that kitchen mishaps are becoming a local ecosystem of their own. Inspectors recently pulled 105 high-priority hits across Duval County. The variety is as diverse as a roadside fruit stand, including 2 sushi bars, 1 American Steakhouse, 1 Diner, and 1 Mediterranean restaurant.
Emergency Orders
43 records this window
Restaurants closed by DBPR emergency order in the last 90 days.
The menu did not mention this part, naturally: THE HIDDEN CRAB in Fernandina Beach, NERO’S CAFE/TINI MARTINI BAR in St. Augustine and DUNKIN & BASKIN ROBBINS STORE 336447 in Jacksonville put the sharpest marks on Duval County's list. 43 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: 2 seafood spots, 1 American Steak, and 1 Cafe. Trend line: emergency-order volume is steady against the last public cut. The inspectors merely wrote down the punchline.
- THE HIDDEN CRABFernandina Beach3 HP1 BASScore 301last visit 2025-12-17
- NERO’S CAFE/TINI MARTINI BARSt. Augustine1 HPScore 100last visit 2026-05-29
- DUNKIN & BASKIN ROBBINS STORE 336447Jacksonville2 HP4 INT1 BASPestScore 291last visit 2026-05-27
- THE CAJUN BEACHFlagler Beach2 HP1 INT1 BASScore 211last visit 2026-05-26
- LAS DELICIAS DE JUANCHOJacksonville3 HP1 BASScore 301last visit 2026-05-18
+38 more in this section on the live site.
Near Miss
105 records this window
Inspections in the last 30 days that posted high-priority violations but were not shut down.
Somewhere between the mop sink and the mangroves, the facts arrived: COURTYARD AMELIA ISLAND in Fernandina Beach, THE BEACH CLUB AT SUMMER BEACH in Amelia Island and SLICE OAKLEAF in Jacksonville carried the front of this Duval County file. 105 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.
- COURTYARD AMELIA ISLANDFernandina Beach4 HP1 INT6 BASPestScore 466last visit 2026-05-04
- THE BEACH CLUB AT SUMMER BEACHAmelia Island3 HP1 INT5 BASScore 315last visit 2025-05-02
- SLICE OAKLEAFJacksonville5 HP1 INT4 BASPestScore 564last visit 2026-01-15
- FANCY SUSHIJacksonville4 HP5 INT7 BASPestScore 507last visit 2025-11-03
- THE OCEAN CLUBAmelia Island3 HP5 BASPestScore 355last visit 2026-02-06
+100 more in this section on the live site.
Worst Offenders
223 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.
South of the I-4 corridor, the violations get colorful: 223 historical bad actors surface in Duval County on the 11-year pattern view, led by CASA DORA ITALIAN CAFE, GRILLED CHEESE GALLERY. The full repeat-offender record sits below.
- 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 05/27/2026
- 5TH ELEMENT TASTE OF INDIAJacksonvilleActive bad actorlast visit 05/18/2026
+218 more in this section on the live site.
Closures
13 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.
Out where the heat melts the rules, here is the count: Velchoffs Corner in Palatka, JIM'S PLACE in St. Augustine and MR POTATO SPREAD in Jacksonville put the sharpest marks on Duval County's list. 13 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: 2 Mexican spots, 1 Hotel, 1 Pizza, and 1 Sports Bar. 10 standalone restaurants and 3 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 inspectors merely wrote down the punchline.
- Velchoffs CornerPalatkaclosure score 5
- JIM'S PLACESt. Augustineclosure score 3
- MR POTATO SPREADJacksonvilleclosure score 3
- ST AUGUSTINE HARLEY ANGELS DOG RESCUESt. Augustineclosure score 3
- TACOS EL BUEN PROGRESOJacksonvilleclosure score 3
+8 more in this section on the live site.
Distressed
65 records this window
Active status-20 licenses with a 365+ day coalesced DBPR inspection gap and proof-of-life from Google or Sunbiz.
The hurricane shutters are up; the inspections kept going: Distressed means active DBPR-licensed restaurants that still appear open but have not had a coalesced state inspection in 365+ days. 65 Duval County licenses fit that public-health blind spot: Google or Sunbiz still shows proof of life, while DBPR's inspection file has gone quiet.
- INDIGOFernandina Beach
- CITY EXPRESS BY MARRIOTT ST.AUGUSTINESt. Augustine
- MAYDAY ICE CREAMSt. Augustine
- BURLINGAME RESTAURANTFernandina Beach
- CARRERA WINE CELLARSt. Augustine
+60 more in this section on the live site.
New Owners
20 records this window
DBPR ownership-change records in the last 30 days — "Approve Change Owner Request" actions.
If you squint past the palm trees, the report is plain: FRITANGA NICA JAX in Jacksonville, AMELIA'S LATIN AMERICAN GRILL in Fernandina Beach and FORK YEAH! FAMILY GRILLE in St. Augustine drew the loudest scorecard in Duval County. 20 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 inspectors merely wrote down the punchline.
- FRITANGA NICA JAXJacksonville
- AMELIA'S LATIN AMERICAN GRILLFernandina Beach
- FORK YEAH! FAMILY GRILLESt. Augustine
- SYRIAN BITESJacksonville
- FUEGO SOCIAL TACOS & TEQUILAJacksonville Beach
+15 more in this section on the live site.
Chain Activity
71 records this window
Multi-location chain brands flagged via aggregated signals across all locations.
Even the alligators in the parking lot have seen better: 71 chain brands surface in Duval County’s rollup, covering 441 locations between them: 140 FSQ-confirmed closures, 11 lapsed licenses. Leading brands: Burger King, Taco Bell Of America Llc, Jimmy John's. The inspectors merely wrote down the punchline.
- 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
+66 more in this section on the live site.
Most Improved
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 files this kind of thing under 'Tuesday': STONER'S PIZZA JOINT PALM COAST in Palm Coast, CHICK-FIL-A MIDDLEBURG in Middleburg and KFC # L518069 in Jacksonville carried the front of this Duval County file. 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. 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). The swamp, for once, is not the problem.
- STONER'S PIZZA JOINT PALM COASTPalm Coast
- CHICK-FIL-A MIDDLEBURGMiddleburg1 INTScore 10
- KFC # L518069Jacksonville1 BASPestScore 51
- CHEF CE’TIAJacksonville3 BASScore 3
Openings
42 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.
Before the cocktail hour, the auditors did their rounds: Current Duval County tally: 42 opening signals. 1 announced via FB/news/operator signal; 44 DBPR-new license records still awaiting outside confirmation. Current names include SWEET ICE TREATS AND PEANUTS in Callahan, WAGYU BURGER JOINT in Jacksonville and OLE SCHOOL EATS in Jacksonville. The swamp, for once, is not the problem.
- SWEET ICE TREATS AND PEANUTSCallahan
- WAGYU BURGER JOINTJacksonville
- OLE SCHOOL EATSJacksonville
- DEJA BREW COFFEESt. Augustine
- TIME2EATJacksonville
+37 more in this section on the live site.
Clean Plates
168 records this window
Restaurants with multiple inspections in the current quarter and zero high-priority or intermediate violations.
Down here, the inspector's clipboard reads like fiction: 168 Duval County licensees ran a clean Q2 2026 ledger across multiple inspections — BY DESIGN CATERING, SONAPA GRILLE, FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON JACKSONVILLE BEACHFRONT among them. These are repeat visits with zero high-priority or intermediate violations — the operators rewarded for consistency, not one lucky inspection. BY DESIGN CATERING stretched a high-priority-free run to 34 inspections covering roughly 8.5 years. The swamp, for once, is not the problem.
- BY DESIGN CATERINGSt. Augustine
- SONAPA GRILLEJacksonville Beach
- FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON JACKSONVILLE BEACHFRONTJacksonville Beach
- SONNY`S REAL PIT BAR B QPalm Coast
- THE LANDING STRIP TAVERNPalm Coast
+163 more in this section on the live site.