State regulators are tracking a troubling pattern of safety lapses across the region. In Tampa Bay, recent high-priority failures reached 222 hits within the last 30 days. This density sits 39% below the Florida average for chronic violations. The breakdown of these specific failures includes 2 bars, 1 Buffet, 1 Seafood, and 1 Sushi establishment. Under Florida Administrative Code 61C-1.002 FAC, high-volume restaurants are required to be inspected 1–4 times per year to ensure public safety. These results demand a closer look at why these specific venues failed to maintain basic standards.
Emergency Orders
47 records this window
Restaurants closed by DBPR emergency order in the last 90 days.
Inspectors ordered kitchens shut in Tampa Bay after discovering immediate risks to public health. ROUEN THAI RESTAURANT in Tampa, EL LUNCH LATINO in Clearwater, and CAFE BICH NGA in Pinellas Park led the failures in recent reports. These actions align with Florida's mandate to protect consumers from hazardous conditions. The Department of Business and Professional Regulation issued 47 emergency-order shutdowns in the 90-day window. These orders forced kitchens to close on the spot, bypassing slower administrative processes or license cancellations. The Red Alert cohort included 2 diners, 1 Cafe, 1 Jamaican restaurant, and 1 Sushi establishment. While these 47 closures represent a steady volume against recent public data, they highlight a pattern of immediate intervention. Why are so many locations hitting the emergency-order threshold instead of maintaining basic compliance? This trend underscores a critical failure in local food safety protocols.
- 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
+42 more in this section on the live site.
Near Miss
222 records this window
Inspections in the last 30 days that posted high-priority violations but were not shut down.
Inspectors racked up 222 high-priority citations across Tampa Bay in the last 30 days. THAI LANNA 2 in Port Richey, EL CAP INC in St. Petersburg, and MOLLY MALONE'S IRISH PUB in Tampa led this list of failures. While these establishments drew serious inspector attention, none resulted in an emergency-order closure during this period. These locations now sit on a near-miss watch list for the metro area. They drew high-priority and intentional violations but remained open to the public. Under 61C-1.002 FAC, these operators are subject to continued scrutiny as they face potential follow-up inspections to ensure compliance with state safety standards.
- THAI LANNA 2Port Richey4 HP5 INT8 BASPestScore 508last visit 2026-06-11
- EL CAP INCSt. Petersburg3 HP3 INT2 BASPestScore 382last visit 2026-06-11
- MOLLY MALONE'S IRISH PUBTampa3 HP4 INT3 BASScore 343last visit 2026-06-11
- TROPICSTarpon Springs3 HP3 INTScore 330last visit 2026-06-10
- SEA WORTHY FISH BARTierra Verde4 HP8 INT5 BASPestScore 535last visit 2026-06-09
+217 more in this section on the live site.
Worst Offenders
229 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.
Inspectors have identified 229 historical bad actors in Tampa Bay when viewed through an 11-year pattern. This long-term data reveals a troubling cycle of non-compliance, led by CITRUS SPGS GOLF&COUNTRY CLUB and EL TENAMPA. Under Florida law, consistent failures to maintain sanitary standards are not isolated incidents; they are systemic breakdowns. Why do these specific operators continue to surface in the records despite years of documented issues? The data suggests a repetitive trajectory of violations that demands closer regulatory scrutiny.
- CITRUS SPGS GOLF&COUNTRY CLUBCitrus SpringsActive bad actorlast visit 12/01/2025
- EL TENAMPASt. PetersburgActive bad actorCurrently Activelast 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
+224 more in this section on the live site.
Closures
26 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 pattern of food safety failures across Tampa Bay. GOOD INTENTIONS in St. Petersburg, RED MESA CANTINA in St. Petersburg, and TASO ITALIANO in New Port Richey led the board for recent regulatory scrutiny. While 26 headline closure signals surfaced in the public 90-day window, the broader ledger reveals a staggering 1022 total closure events. These signals involve silent inspector history, inactive licenses, corporate dissolution, and third-party verifier confirmations. The data paints a stark picture of failing establishments across multiple categories. The closure-signal cohort includes 92 sandwiches shops, 56 cafes, 53 pizza spots, and 51 fast-food spots. This group comprises 763 standalone restaurants and 191 chain locations. Of the main ledger reasons, 658 were DBPR revoked or status-45-46, while 356 were driven by social or silence signals. The confidence mix remains split between 635 suspected cases and 387 confirmed instances. Velocity checks show 28 permanent closure signals in the last 90 days, with 8 occurring in just the last 30 days. Dated closure signals span from 2009-11-19 to 2027-02-01. While these are signals and not all are confirmed permanent closures—where a Closure Score 4/4 denotes third-party verification—the steady volume of indicators suggests a systemic failure to maintain safety standards.
- GOOD INTENTIONSSt. Petersburgclosure score 3
- RED MESA CANTINASt. Petersburgclosure score 3
- TASO ITALIANONew Port Richeyclosure score 3
- SMOKEY BONES BAR & FIRE GRILL #7588Clearwaterclosure score 3
- SOUTH TAMPA CALITampaclosure score 2
+21 more in this section on the live site.
New Owners
47 records this window
DBPR ownership-change records in the last 30 days — "Approve Change Owner Request" actions.
The regulatory question is simple: HER BAR in Oldsmar, COURTYARD CAFE in Palm Harbor and MLXI RESTAURANT & V.I.P LOUNGE in St. Petersburg drew the loudest scorecard in Tampa Bay. 47 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. That is not atmosphere; it is a compliance record.
- HER BAROldsmar
- COURTYARD CAFEPalm Harbor
- MLXI RESTAURANT & V.I.P LOUNGESt. Petersburg
- WEEKI WACHEE OUTPOSTWeeki Wachee
- FRYER HOUSETampa
+42 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.
Inspectors in Tampa Bay have identified a significant concentration of chain activity within the region. A total of 115 chain brands surface in the Tampa Bay rollup, covering 466 locations between them. This data highlights a pattern where large-scale operators are facing systemic regulatory hurdles across the metro area. The breakdown reveals a troubling trend for these major brands. The count includes 162 FSQ-confirmed closures and 33 lapsed licenses among these high-volume locations. Leading brands identified in this rollout include Subway, Dunkin', and Sub Tenn Llc. Why are so many locations under these specific banners failing to maintain the standards required by Florida's food safety regulations?
- 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.
The public record leaves one hard question: PF CHANG'S CHINA BISTRO in Brandon, TACOS EL CARNAL 2 in Clearwater and CRACKER BARREL #357 in Brooksville drew the loudest scorecard 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 numbers are the story.
- PF CHANG'S CHINA BISTROBrandon1 INT12 BASPestScore 72
- TACOS EL CARNAL 2Clearwater1 INT1 BASScore 11
- CRACKER BARREL #357Brooksville
Openings
286 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.
This is the part operators cannot wave away: Total for Tampa Bay: 286 opening signals. 98 announced via FB/news/operator signal; 619 DBPR/event-ledger new-license records; 76 reopening, transfer, or reissue records tracked outside the new-opening headline. Current names include COPPER INDIAN RESTAURANT in Tampa, 3 HERMANOS BARBACOA & CONSOME in Clearwater and BRUNCH BROS in Tampa. Ledger type mix: 619 new-license records and 98 announcement-led records and 46 ownership-transfer openings. Cuisine/venue mix: 522 Unknown and 35 Fast Food. Area concentration: 236 TAMPA and 77 CLEARWATER. Velocity check: 308 opening signals in the last 90 days, 102 in the last 30. Dated opening signals run from 2025-07-01 to 2026-06-14. RiskyEats treats these as opening signals: license issue, announcement, or operational evidence can precede the first routine inspection, so the paragraph does not imply a clean inspection history.
- COPPER INDIAN RESTAURANTTampa
- COURTYARD CAFEPalm Harbor
- 3 HERMANOS BARBACOA & CONSOMEClearwater
- BRUNCH BROSTampa
- CHILE VERDELargo
+281 more in this section on the live site.
Clean Plates
490 records this window
Restaurants with multiple inspections in the current quarter and zero high-priority or intermediate violations.
Forty-nine licensees in Tampa Bay maintained a clean ledger throughout Q2 2026 across multiple inspections. PHO KIEN GIANG in Port Richey, TACOS GONE MOBILE in Port Richey, and CAPTAIN JACK'S WATERFRONT GRILLE in Port Richey are among those who passed without incident. These operators avoided high-priority or intermediate violations during repeat visits, proving a pattern of consistency rather than a single lucky pass. PHO KIEN GIANG in Port Richey extended this streak to 33 inspections covering roughly 8.2 years without a high-priority violation. Under Florida statute 61C-1.002 FAC, high-volume restaurants must be inspected at least once a year, but these records show an operator successfully navigating the regulatory gauntlet for nearly a decade. This level of sustained compliance is the benchmark for food safety in the region.
- PHO KIEN GIANGPinellas Park
- TACOS GONE MOBILETampa
- CAPTAIN JACK'S WATERFRONT GRILLETarpon Springs
- THE REEFMadeira Beach
- CHINA TASTEBrooksville
+485 more in this section on the live site.