The culinary landscape in Duval County is currently exhibiting a level of chronic failure that sits 18% above the Florida average, a statistic that suggests the local food safety ecosystem is less a pristine oasis and more a swampy thicket where bacteria thrives like invasive sawgrass. State regulators have recently identified 97 high-priority hits across the county, creating a culinary bingo card of misery. The recent wreckage includes exactly one Asian establishment, one brunch spot, one hotel dining room, and one pizza joint that failed to meet the state's basic requirements for human habitation—or at least, for safe eating. These four venues have collectively decided that standard sanitation is merely a suggestion rather than a requirement of the trade.
Emergency Orders
45 records this window
Restaurants closed by DBPR emergency order in the last 90 days.
Only in Florida does this read like routine paperwork: DUNKIN DONUTS in Middleburg, ROYALE CAFE in Jacksonville and PHILLY BOYZ FERNANDINA in Yulee drew the loudest scorecard in Duval County. 45 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 cafes, and 1 Seafood. Trend line: emergency-order volume is steady against the last public cut. The swamp, for once, is not the problem.
- DUNKIN DONUTSMiddleburg1 HP1 BASScore 101last visit 2026-03-04
- ROYALE CAFEJacksonville3 HP2 INTScore 320last visit 2025-10-24
- PHILLY BOYZ FERNANDINAYulee2 HP1 INT3 BASPestScore 263last visit 2026-06-04
- THE HIDDEN CRABFernandina Beach3 HP1 BASPestScore 351last visit 2026-06-01
- NERO’S CAFE/TINI MARTINI BARSt. Augustine1 HPPestScore 150last visit 2026-05-29
+40 more in this section on the live site.
Near Miss
97 records this window
Inspections in the last 30 days that posted high-priority violations but were not shut down.
In a local ecosystem where the culinary humidity can turn a simple meal into a swampy endeavor, 97 high-priority citations were posted in Duval County during the 30-day window. These infractions represent a gathering of near-misses—establishments that drew enough inspector heat to warrant a formal warning but managed to dodge an emergency order and remain open for business. They occupy a precarious middle ground, lingering on a watch list where any subsequent inspection could be the final blow to their operational status. PANDAN LEAVES in Jacksonville, RINCON EL GUAJIRO in Palm Coast, and KEKE'S BREAKFAST CAFE 304115 in Jacksonville led the board of disappointments. These venues racked up violations labeled as HP and INT, proving that while they haven't been tossed into the regulatory Everglades just yet, they are navigating some very murky waters.
- PANDAN LEAVESJacksonville4 HP1 INT4 BASPestScore 464last visit 2026-01-05
- RINCON EL GUAJIROPalm Coast5 HP6 INT4 BASPestScore 614last visit 2025-05-29
- KEKE'S BREAKFAST CAFE 304115Jacksonville6 HP2 INT9 BASPestScore 679last visit 2026-02-26
- TEQUILAS MEXICAN RESTAURANTJacksonville4 HP1 INTScore 410last visit 2026-03-31
- O C WHITESSt. Augustine3 HP1 INT9 BASPestScore 369last visit 2025-11-21
+92 more in this section on the live site.
Worst Offenders
225 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.
Somewhere between the mop sink and the mangroves, the facts arrived: County has produced a recurring cast of characters who seem to treat health codes as mere suggestions rather than mandates. Over an 11-year pattern, 225 historical bad actors have surfaced, creating a rap sheet longer than a humid afternoon in the Everglades. CASA DORA ITALIAN CAFE and GRILLED CHEESE GALLERY lead this parade of repeat offenders, proving that some establishments are more committed to their violations than to their secret recipes.
- CASA DORA ITALIAN CAFEJacksonvilleActive bad actorlast visit 01/26/2026
- GRILLED CHEESE GALLERYSt. AugustineActive bad actorlast visit 02/20/2026
- CASA MARINA HOTEL & RESTAURANTJacksonville BeachActive bad actorlast visit 03/26/2026
- RED LANTERNJacksonvilleActive bad actorlast visit 01/13/2026
- RAMADA BY WYNDHAM JAX HOTEL AND CCJacksonvilleActive bad actorlast visit 04/27/2026
+220 more in this section on the live site.
Closures
19 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.
If you squint past the palm trees, the report is plain: Mr Shark Crab Shack in Jacksonville, HOT DIGGITY DAWGS AND MORE in Jacksonville and JIM'S PLACE in St. Augustine carried the front of this Duval County file. 19 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 seafood spots, 1 Ice Cream, 1 Italian, and 1 Marina. 18 standalone restaurants and 1 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.
- Mr Shark Crab ShackJacksonvilleclosure score 5
- HOT DIGGITY DAWGS AND MOREJACKSONVILLEclosure score 2
- JIM'S PLACESt. Augustineclosure score 3
- NESBITT DREAMETTESaint Johnsclosure score 3
- RUBY PLACESAINT AUGUSTINEclosure score 2
+14 more in this section on the live site.
New Owners
22 records this window
DBPR ownership-change records in the last 30 days — "Approve Change Owner Request" actions.
The menu did not mention this part, naturally: HABANA TRADITIONS CUBAN BAKERY in Orange Park, SISTA SMOKE BBQ in Jacksonville and REDLINE in Keystone Heights carried the front of this Duval County file. 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. The inspectors merely wrote down the punchline.
- HABANA TRADITIONS CUBAN BAKERYOrange Park
- SISTA SMOKE BBQJacksonville
- REDLINEKeystone Heights
- CHINA ONE RESTAURANTPalm Coast
- LITTLE CAESARSOrange Park
+17 more in this section on the live site.
Chain Activity
61 records this window
Multi-location chain brands flagged via aggregated signals across all locations.
South of the I-4 corridor, the violations get colorful: County is currently being mapped by a sprawling corporate migration that would make a real estate developer blush. A roll-up of 61 chain brands now dominates the local scenery, casting a shadow over 397 locations across the county. It is a dense thicket of commercial interests where Rrg Of Jacksonville, Llc, Taco Bell, and Compassmsp stand as the primary architects of the local dining ecosystem. The machinery of these empires has ground to a halt in several instances, leaving behind a trail of administrative debris. The data reveals 141 FSQ-confirmed closures and 4 lapsed licenses scattered throughout the metro area like driftwood after a hurricane. While some brands continue to expand their footprint, others are quietly receding into the Florida scrub of regulatory non-compliance.
- Rrg Of Jacksonville, LlcFlorida22 flagged locations
- Taco BellFlorida29 flagged locations
- CompassmspFlorida11 flagged locations
- Jimmy John'sFlorida10 flagged locations
- Hardee'sFlorida13 flagged locations
+56 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.
Down here, the inspector's clipboard reads like fiction: County is currently a theater of varying hygiene standards, where some kitchens are achieving redemption and others remain entrenched in the weeds. While much of the metro area continues to shuffle through the revolving door of regulatory scrutiny, STONER'S PIZZA JOINT PALM COAST in Palm Coast has managed a feat of statistical alchemy. The establishment survived the sustained-improvement test by securing at least 4 inspections over a 12-month window while slashing its high-priority and critical violation counts from 6 to 1 across two consecutive years—an 83.3% improvement that would make even an apex predator blink in admiration. The narrative of progress is shared by 2 other restaurants that met the rigorous criteria for improvement, joining a small club of operators who managed to trim their high-priority and critical violations by 50% or more while maintaining active licenses. These three establishments stand as outliers against a backdrop where KFC # L518069 in Jacksonville and CHEF CE’TIA in Jacksonville continue to cast long shadows on the county's inspection ledger. In this Florida ecosystem, some are learning to navigate the regulatory currents with grace, while others are still struggling to keep their kitchens from becoming a swamp of violations.
- STONER'S PIZZA JOINT PALM COASTPalm Coast
- KFC # L518069Jacksonville1 BASPestScore 51
- CHEF CE’TIAJacksonville3 BASScore 3
Openings
57 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 local culinary ecosystem is expanding with a frantic, Florida-style velocity. Duval County recorded 57 opening signals recently, creating a sprawling map of new places to risk a meal for the sake of a good review. While 1 was officially announced via media channels, another 45 DBPR-new license records are currently lingering in the system, awaiting outside confirmation like a batch of dough left out in the humidity. The roster of newcomers is already gathering some dust on the official ledger. Current names include ATHENA RESTAURANT in St. Augustine, COL.MUSTARD’S PHABULOUS SMASH BURGERS in Atlantic Beach, and OCEAN STREET TACOS / THE CIRCUIT in Jacksonville.
- ATHENA RESTAURANTST AUGUSTINEconfirmed open
- COL.MUSTARD’S PHABULOUS SMASH BURGERSATLANTIC BEACHconfirmed open
- OCEAN STREET TACOS / THE CIRCUITJACKSONVILLEconfirmed open
- JIM'S PLACESAINT AUGUSTINEconfirmed open
- PANDA HOUSEJACKSONVILLEconfirmed open
+52 more in this section on the live site.
Clean Plates
188 records this window
Restaurants with multiple inspections in the current quarter and zero high-priority or intermediate violations.
In the bureaucratic ballet of Duval County food safety, 188 licensees managed to navigate the second quarter of 2026 without tripping over a single regulatory wire. These operators functioned with a level of consistency that would make a lighthouse keeper blush, maintaining a clean ledger across multiple inspections. Among these survivors were BY DESIGN CATERING, SONAPA GRILLE, and FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON JACKSONVILLE BEACHFRONT, all of whom successfully avoided the state’s favorite adjectives for filth. These are not the lucky few who dodged a single inspector on a Tuesday; these are the residents of the culinary Everglades who have mastered the art of avoiding any high-priority or intermediate violations over time. BY DESIGN CATERING, in particular, managed to stretch a high-priority-free run across 34 inspections covering roughly 8.5 years. It is a marathon of sanitation, a steady heartbeat of compliance that suggests they know exactly where the line is drawn and have chosen to live well away from it.
- 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
+183 more in this section on the live site.