Inspectors in North Florida identified 70 recent high-priority hits across a variety of food service establishments. This cluster includes 2 fast-food spots, 1 Deli, 1 Diner, and 1 Filipino restaurant. While the regional failure rate currently sits at 58% below the Florida average, these specific hits demand scrutiny under 61C-1.002 FAC.
Emergency Orders
23 records this window
Restaurants closed by DBPR emergency order in the last 90 days.
The regulatory question is simple: ZEN NOODLES BAR in Gainesville, MAUI BUS STOP in Fort Walton Beach and MOSEY'S DOWTOWN in Panama City drew the loudest scorecard in North Florida. 23 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. Trend line: emergency-order volume is steady against the last public cut. That is not atmosphere; it is a compliance record.
- ZEN NOODLES BARGainesville6 HP3 INT11 BASPestScore 691last visit 2026-05-21
- MAUI BUS STOPFort Walton Beach2 HP1 BASPestScore 251
- MOSEY'S DOWTOWNPanama City1 HP2 INT3 BASPestScore 173
- ROSEMARY-N-THYME LLCPanama City3 HP3 INT1 BASPestScore 381
- DELICIOUS DONUTSPensacola2 HP2 INT5 BASPestScore 275
+18 more in this section on the live site.
Near Miss
70 records this window
Inspections in the last 30 days that posted high-priority violations but were not shut down.
Inspectors racked up 70 high-priority citations across North Florida in a recent 30-day window. MEHDIS in Panama City Beach, TACO BELL #042917 in Gainesville, and BACK PORCH MULBERRY in The Villages drew the sharpest marks on this list. While these locations stayed open and avoided emergency-order closures, they remain on the near-miss watch list for repeat violations of HP and BAS labels. Florida administrative code 61C-1.002 FAC requires high-volume restaurants to be inspected 1–4 times per year to ensure public safety. These citations signal a pattern that demands scrutiny: why did these specific operators fail to maintain baseline standards before the inspector arrived? Any of these establishments could face an immediate follow-up inspection to determine if they have corrected the identified failures or if they remain a risk to the public.
- MEHDISPanama City Beach4 HP3 INT2 BASScore 432
- TACO BELL #042917Gainesville3 HP1 INT5 BASScore 315last visit 2026-06-09
- BACK PORCH MULBERRYThe Villages3 HP1 INT4 BASScore 314last visit 2026-06-04
- MCDONALDS 20147Ocala3 HP1 INT3 BASPestScore 363last visit 2026-06-04
- BEEF O BRADY'S THE VILLAGES MULBERRYThe Villages3 HP1 INT4 BASPestScore 364last visit 2026-06-01
+65 more in this section on the live site.
Worst Offenders
202 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.
The public record leaves one hard question: 202 historical bad actors surface in North Florida on the 11-year pattern view, led by MR HAN RESTAURANT, MOM'S OG. The full repeat-offender record sits below. The numbers are the story.
- MR HAN RESTAURANTGainesvilleActive bad actorlast visit 05/21/2026
- MOM'S OGGainesvilleActive bad actorlast visit 01/29/2026
- TUPTIM THAI RESTAURANT & SUSHI BARGainesvilleActive bad actorCurrently Activelast visit 05/06/2026
- TIPSY COW BAR AND GRILLCedar KeyActive bad actorCurrently Activelast visit 04/15/2026
- FREDDY'S FROZEN CUSTARD & STEAKBURGERSOcalaActive bad actorlast visit 03/30/2026
+197 more in this section on the live site.
Closures
8 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.
Inspectors and records indicate a troubling trend across North Florida as several establishments have recently fallen out of compliance. CATRINA COCINA MEXICANA in Ocala, CHICKEN TIME in Belleview and EL GUSTAZO in Gainesville are among the prominent cases identified in recent filings. While 633 total closure events appear in the non-suppressed ledger pool, 8 headline closure signals have emerged within the public 90-day window. These signals are triggered by silent inspector histories, inactive license statuses, corporate dissolutions, or third-party verifier confirmations. The data reveals a concentrated pattern of failures across various dining categories. The closure-signal cohort includes 25 fast-food spots, 16 burger joints, 16 pizza houses, and 13 diners. This group consists of 526 standalone restaurants and 62 chain locations. Of these, 569 were flagged for DBPR revoked or status-45-46 actions, while 62 were marked by social or silence signals. Regulatory scrutiny reveals a distinct velocity in these transitions. There have been 15 permanent closure signals in the last 90 days, with 13 occurring in the last 30 days alone. These dated closure signals span from 2010-11-01 to 2026-06-01. While the volume of closure signals remains steady against the last public cut, it is important to distinguish between scores: only a Score 4/4 represents a third-party verified permanent closure, while lower scores indicate likely or probable DBPR-flagged-inactive statuses.
- CATRINA COCINA MEXICANAOcalaclosure score 3
- CHICKEN TIMEBelleviewclosure score 3
- EL GUSTAZOGainesvilleclosure score 3
- EMILIOS CUBAN FOODWillistonclosure score 3
- G VILLE SEAFOOD N CHICKEN 2 INCGainesvilleclosure score 3
+3 more in this section on the live site.
New Owners
38 records this window
DBPR ownership-change records in the last 30 days — "Approve Change Owner Request" actions.
CHICKPEA HOUSE in Pensacola, CAPTAIN D'S RESTAURANT in Pensacola and DBS 446 in Lake City drew the loudest scorecard in North Florida. While these establishments racked up significant violations, it is important to distinguish between regulatory failures and administrative shifts. These three locations represent some of the most severe sanitation lapses identified by state inspectors recently. The region saw 38 ownership-change filings posted in the 30-day window. This trend line shows that ownership-change volume remains even with the last public cut. These figures represent operator turnovers where a new owner-of-record took over an existing license, rather than any closures, cancellations, or revocations of those licenses.
- CHICKPEA HOUSEPensacola
- CAPTAIN D'S RESTAURANTPensacola
- CAPTAIN D'S RESTAURANTMilton
- CAPTAIN D'S RESTAURANTPensacola
- DBS 446Lake City
+33 more in this section on the live site.
Chain Activity
22 records this window
Multi-location chain brands flagged via aggregated signals across all locations.
This is the part operators cannot wave away: a significant concentration of chain activity across North Florida. The data shows 22 chain brands surfaced in the region's rollup, covering 108 locations between them. This includes prominent names like KFC, Waffle House, and De Foods Llc. The scrutiny reveals 35 FSQ-confirmed closures and 3 lapsed licenses among these entities. While Florida statutes like 61C-1.002 FAC require high-volume restaurants to be inspected 1–4 times per year, these numbers raise questions about oversight consistency for large-scale operators. Why are these specific patterns emerging now?
- KFCFlorida7 flagged locations
- Waffle HouseFlorida11 flagged locations
- De Foods LlcFlorida3 flagged locations
- Hoover Foods IncFlorida3 flagged locations
- DominosFlorida8 flagged locations
+17 more in this section on the live site.
Most Improved
2 records this window
Restaurants whose recent-window violation count is at least 50% lower than the prior window, with the most recent inspection clean.
FIREHOUSE SUBS #0049 in Ocala and CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL #793 in Gainesville headlined the recent North Florida enforcement data. These 2 restaurants met a sustained-improvement test requiring at least four inspections in each 12-month window while cutting recent HP+Critical counts by 50% or more. Under 61C-1.002 FAC, these high-volume establishments are required to maintain rigorous standards, and these operators showed a measurable trajectory toward compliance. FIREHOUSE SUBS #0049 in Ocala dropped its HP+Critical counts from 5 to 2 across the two 12-month windows. This represents a 60.0% improvement in safety metrics over the reporting period. The data confirms an active license for the location as it maintains this upward trend in regulatory adherence.
- FIREHOUSE SUBS #0049Ocala
- CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL #793Gainesville1 INT4 BASScore 14
Openings
181 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.
North Florida saw 181 opening signals in recent months. This activity includes 3 announced openings, 413 new-license records from the DBPR, and 23 reopening, transfer, or reissue records tracked outside the primary headline. New entries include LOCOHANA TROPICAL GRILL in Destin, COASTAL PANTRY in Pensacola, and EVERBOWL in Miramar Beach. Shows a mix of 413 new-license records, 19 ownership-transfer openings, and 4 reopenings. While the venue mix includes 6 Diner establishments, 386 remain classified as Unknown. Area concentration is heavy, with 53 locations in Pensacola and 35 in Ocala. Velocity checks show 153 opening signals in the last 90 days and 68 in the last 30 days. These dated opening signals run from 2025-07-01 to 2026-06-13. Because license issuance or operational evidence can precede a first routine inspection, these figures do not imply a clean inspection history under 61C-1.002 FAC.
- LOCOHANA TROPICAL GRILLDestin
- COASTAL PANTRYPensacola
- EVERBOWLMiramar Beach
- LOADED MAC COMPANYGainesville
- TOTALLY SMASHED-THE OASIS AT SHALIMARShalimar
+176 more in this section on the live site.
Clean Plates
544 records this window
Restaurants with multiple inspections in the current quarter and zero high-priority or intermediate violations.
Fifty-four and four North Florida licensees maintained a clean ledger across multiple inspections in Q2 2026. These operators stayed off the radar of regulators, with EL REY TACOS AND BEER, FUBAR, and SAUCY’S FROZEN TREATS AND TASTY EATS among those yielding zero high-priority or intermediate violations. Under 61C-1.002 FAC, these consistent results suggest a rigorous adherence to safety protocols rather than a lucky escape from the inspector's clipboard. EL REY TACOS AND BEER extended this high-priority-free run to a staggering 50 inspections over approximately 12.5 years. When an operator maintains such a trajectory for over a decade, it signals a systematic commitment to sanitation standards. Why did these specific establishments manage to avoid the common pitfalls that plague other North Florida kitchens during the same period?
- EL REY TACOS AND BEERTallahassee
- FUBARFort Walton Beach
- SAUCY’S FROZEN TREATS AND TASTY EATSMilton
- PHO EVAFort Walton Beach
- RED SNAPPER SEAFOOD AND MORETallahassee
+539 more in this section on the live site.