The culinary landscape across Tampa Bay is currently experiencing a bout of regulatory indigestion, with 231 recent high-priority hits staining the local food safety record. While the region's chronic density sits at 39% below the Florida average—a statistic that suggests a lower frequency of habitual offenders than the rest of the state—the sheer volume of recent failures remains a significant concern for those who prefer their dinner without an accompanying side of litigation. The wreckage of these inspections left a diverse trail of debris across the metro area, including 2 bars, 1 Buffet, 1 Seafood, and 1 Sushi establishment that failed to meet basic standards. It is a sprawling tally of failures that serves as a stark reminder that when you sit down for a meal, you are trusting more than just the seasoning on the plate.
Emergency Orders
49 records this window
Restaurants closed by DBPR emergency order in the last 90 days.
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation doesn't usually move with the urgency of a hurricane, but their emergency orders have been landing like heavy rain across Tampa Bay recently. ROUEN THAI RESTAURANT in Tampa, EL LUNCH LATINO in Clearwater, and CAFE BICH NGA in Pinellas Park drew some of the loudest scorecards in the region during this period. These establishments were part of a cohort of 49 emergency-order shutdowns in the 90-day window, where inspectors ordered the kitchens closed on the spot to stop the bleeding of public health. These red alerts are the most actionable signals in the state's regulatory ecosystem, moving faster than administrative paperwork, license cancellations, or corporate dissolutions. The current list of emergency-order volume includes a diverse menu of failures: 2 diners, 1 Cafe, 1 Jamaican, and 1 Sushi spot. While the trend line for these immediate shutdowns remains steady against the last public cut, it serves as a blunt reminder that when the state pulls the plug, they aren't just filing a report—they are clearing the floor.
- ROUEN THAI RESTAURANTTampa1 HP1 BASPestScore 151last visit 2026-06-03
- EL LUNCH LATINOClearwater1 HP1 INT4 BASPestScore 164
- CAFE BICH NGAPinellas Park9 HP6 INT11 BASPestScore 1021last visit 2026-06-04
- DISCOVERY INDIAN CUISINEPalm Harbor2 HP2 BASPestScore 252last visit 2026-06-02
- KEYS JAM-ROCK GRILLTarpon Springs1 HP1 INT1 BASPestScore 161last visit 2026-05-28
+44 more in this section on the live site.
Near Miss
231 records this window
Inspections in the last 30 days that posted high-priority violations but were not shut down.
Only in Florida does this read like routine paperwork: THAI LANNA 2 in Port Richey, MOLLY MALONE'S IRISH PUB in Tampa and EL CAP INC in St. Petersburg carried the front of this Tampa Bay file. 231 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 INT. The swamp, for once, is not the problem.
- THAI LANNA 2Port Richey4 HP5 INT8 BASPestScore 508last visit 2026-03-19
- MOLLY MALONE'S IRISH PUBTampa3 HP4 INT3 BASScore 343last visit 2026-03-25
- EL CAP INCSt. Petersburg3 HP3 INT2 BASPestScore 382last visit 2026-01-23
- TROPICSTarpon Springs3 HP3 INTScore 330last visit 2025-06-30
- SEA WORTHY FISH BARTierra Verde4 HP8 INT5 BASPestScore 535last visit 2025-10-29
+226 more in this section on the live site.
Worst Offenders
230 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.
Down here, the inspector's clipboard reads like fiction: 230 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. The swamp, for once, is not the problem.
- 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
- KAWA JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE & SUSHINew Port RicheyActive bad actorlast visit 06/05/2026
+225 more in this section on the live site.
Closures
85 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.
UMAI SUSHI in Largo, POMPEY SEAFOOD in Clearwater and Church's Chicken #464 in Clearwater served as the primary appetizers for this Tampa Bay report. In the 90-day public window, 85 restaurants have displayed one or more defunct-indicator signals, ranging from the quietude of a silent inspector to licenses that have flatlined or corporations that have dissolved into the Florida ether. This cohort of closure signals includes 13 sandwiches, 6 bars, 5 pizza spots and 4 fast-food spots, comprised of 68 standalone establishments and 17 chain locations. The volume of these closure signals remains steady against the last public cut, maintaining a consistency that suggests a persistent state of culinary entropy. These entries are not all confirmed permanent closures; only those with a Closure Score 4/4 carry third-party verification, while lower scores suggest locations that are merely likely, probable, or DBPR-flagged-inactive.
- UMAI SUSHILargoclosure score 5
- POMPEY SEAFOODClearwaterclosure score 5
- Church's Chicken #464Clearwaterclosure score 5
- Ihop 36-207New Port Richeyclosure score 5
- ABC Seafood RestaurantSt. Petersburgclosure score 5
+80 more in this section on the live site.
New Owners
48 records this window
DBPR ownership-change records in the last 30 days — "Approve Change Owner Request" actions.
Somewhere between the mop sink and the mangroves, the facts arrived: HER BAR in Oldsmar, COURTYARD CAFE in Palm Harbor and EMPIRE COFFEE & DELI in Land O' Lakes put the sharpest marks on Tampa Bay's list. 48 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.
- HER BAROldsmar
- COURTYARD CAFEPalm Harbor
- EMPIRE COFFEE & DELILand O' Lakes
- ASTON GARDENS AT THE COURTYARDSSun City Center
- THAI AM @ CLEARWATERClearwater
+43 more in this section on the live site.
Chain Activity
115 records this window
Multi-location chain brands flagged via aggregated signals across all locations.
Florida files this kind of thing under 'Tuesday': Bay has recently been mapped by a sprawling archipelago of corporate franchises. A total of 115 chain brands have surfaced in the local rollup, spanning an impressive 466 locations that appear to operate with the mechanical precision of a Florida hurricane. This multi-location expansion comes with a heavy regulatory tail. The data reveals 162 FSQ-confirmed closures and 33 lapsed licenses among these entities. Leading the charge into these murky waters are Subway, Dunkin', and Sub Tenn Llc.
- SubwayFlorida96 flagged locations
- Dunkin'Florida116 flagged locations
- Sub Tenn LlcFlorida16 flagged locations
- KfcFlorida26 flagged locations
- Dunkin'Florida14 flagged locations
+110 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.
If you squint past the palm trees, the report is plain: PF CHANG'S CHINA BISTRO in Brandon, 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. PF CHANG'S CHINA BISTRO in Brandon dropped HP+Critical counts from 3 to 1 across the two 12-month windows (66.7% better). The inspectors merely wrote down the punchline.
- PF CHANG'S CHINA BISTROBrandon1 INT12 BASPestScore 72
- TACOS EL CARNAL 2Clearwater1 INT1 BASScore 11
- CRACKER BARREL #357Brooksville
Openings
139 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.
South of the I-4 corridor, the violations get colorful: Bay is currently undergoing a tectonic shift, with 139 opening signals suggesting a boom in local dining that would make even a Florida man blush. While 13 of these newcomers have already announced their presence via news outlets and social media, another 87 DBPR-new license records are sitting in the queue, waiting for the outside world to confirm they actually exist or are merely culinary mirages. Among the names currently floating into the public consciousness are GOOD DAY CAFE in Safety Harbor, TITO'S LATIN KITCHEN in Tampa, and ALL CHEF'S KITCHEN in Tampa. These establishments are preparing to join the local ecosystem of hot plates and high hopes, provided they can navigate the treacherous waters of state inspection without becoming another cautionary tale in the Florida food safety ledger.
- HER BAROldsmarconfirmed open
- GOOD DAY CAFESafety Harborconfirmed open
- TITO'S LATIN KITCHENTampaconfirmed open
- ALL CHEF'S KITCHENTampaconfirmed open
- VN PHOSpring Hillconfirmed open
+134 more in this section on the live site.
Clean Plates
479 records this window
Restaurants with multiple inspections in the current quarter and zero high-priority or intermediate violations.
The menu did not mention this part, naturally: 479 Tampa Bay licensees ran a clean Q2 2026 ledger across multiple inspections — PHO KIEN GIANG, TACOS GONE MOBILE, CAPTAIN JACK'S WATERFRONT GRILLE among them. These are repeat visits with zero high-priority or intermediate violations — the operators rewarded for consistency, not one lucky inspection. PHO KIEN GIANG stretched a high-priority-free run to 33 inspections covering roughly 8.2 years. The inspectors merely wrote down the punchline.
- PHO KIEN GIANGPinellas Park
- TACOS GONE MOBILETampa
- CAPTAIN JACK'S WATERFRONT GRILLETarpon Springs
- THE REEFMadeira Beach
- CHINA TASTEBrooksville
+474 more in this section on the live site.