North Florida's dining scene is apparently keeping a tighter leash than most of the Sunshine State. Inspectors tallied 61 recent high-priority hits across this part of the state, which is still considerably lower than the statewide average failure rate. The trouble seems to be clustered around certain types of joints. We saw infractions at two fast-food spots, plus issues flagged at a Burritos establishment, a Deli, and a Diner in North Florida.
Emergency Orders
29 records this window
Restaurants closed by DBPR emergency order in the last 90 days.
Twenty-nine restaurants in North Florida faced an emergency order shutdown within the last 90 days. When inspectors issue that red alert, it means the state stepped in and told them to pull the plug immediately—that's a fast track past routine administrative paperwork. HOLIDAY INN TALLAHASSEE E CAPITOL-UNIVERSITY in Tallahassee, BURRITO FACTORY AND CANTINA in Gainesville, and ZEN NOODLES BAR in Gainesville were among those hit by that severe action. These aren't just minor infractions; these are spots where the health of the public was deemed at immediate risk. Across this cohort under state orders, we saw one Japanese Noodles spot and one Taco operation cited. The sheer volume suggests this isn't a fluke, but rather part of the current climate across North Florida dining scenes.
- HOLIDAY INN TALLAHASSEE E CAPITOL-UNIVERSITYTallahassee1 HP2 BASPestScore 152
- BURRITO FACTORY AND CANTINAGainesville7 HP7 INT6 BASPestScore 826last visit 2026-06-09
- 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
+24 more in this section on the live site.
Near Miss
61 records this window
Inspections in the last 30 days that posted high-priority violations but were not shut down.
SUPERETTE WINE & PROVISIONS in Gainesville, MAGUIRES COASTAL KITCHEN in Inglis, and MOE'S SOUTHWEST GRILL #686 in Gainesville led the pack of recent failures across North Florida. These establishments managed to rack up 61 high-priority citations within a 30-day window. In the world of food safety, these are known as near misses—the kind of serious slip-ups that draw the inspector's ire but don't quite trigger an emergency order to shut the doors immediately. The paperwork for these locations was cluttered with HP and BAS violations. While they managed to dodge a Red Alert closure this time around, they remain on the radar for follow-up inspections. It is a delicate balance between keeping the kitchen running and keeping the regulators from pulling the plug entirely.
- SUPERETTE WINE & PROVISIONSGainesville5 HP3 INT5 BASPestScore 585last visit 2025-08-20
- MAGUIRES COASTAL KITCHENInglis5 HP3 INT13 BASPestScore 593last visit 2025-08-30
- MOE'S SOUTHWEST GRILL #686Gainesville3 HP4 INT5 BASScore 345last visit 2025-11-17
- MEHDISPanama City Beach4 HP3 INT2 BASScore 432
- TACO BELL #042917Gainesville3 HP1 INT5 BASScore 315last visit 2026-06-09
+56 more in this section on the live site.
Chronic Violation Record
203 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.
In North Florida, a sprawling swamp of culinary malpractice surfaces when you look at the eleven-year pattern view. Two hundred three restaurants have chronic violation records, proving that some kitchens are just built for trouble. MR HAN RESTAURANT in Mom's OG leads this pack of repeat offenders. These businesses keep racking up violations across years, demonstrating a commitment to regulatory defiance that rivals a Florida monsoon. A '11-year pattern view,' which is essentially tracking who consistently gets slapped with citations over the last decade and a half, paints a grim picture across North Florida's dining scene.
- 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
+198 more in this section on the live site.
Closures
55 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.
BEARDED VET in Ocala, CATRINA COCINA MEXICANA in Ocala and CHICKEN TIME in Belleview anchored the high end of the North Florida file. These spots managed to stay afloat while much of the local dining scene drifted out to sea. Thirteen closures were confirmed through news reports, state action, or multiple social signals indicating these businesses have shuttered for good. Another 1 surfaced from a single-source social signal and remains under review—a reported closure signal that hasn't quite been verified by the official records yet.
- BEARDED VETOcalaclosure score 3
- CATRINA COCINA MEXICANAOcalaclosure score 3
- CHICKEN TIMEBelleviewclosure score 3
- EL GUSTAZOGainesvilleclosure score 3
- EMILIOS CUBAN FOODWillistonclosure score 3
+50 more in this section on the live site.
New Owners
37 records this window
DBPR ownership-change records in the last 30 days — "Approve Change Owner Request" actions.
SKATE MANIA in Ocala, ON TOP OF THE WORLD GOLF CLUB in Ocala and 2A DINER in Fort Walton Beach sat at the head of the North Florida list. 37 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. For civilians not fluent in state paperwork: an ownership-change filing means a new operator took over the license; it does not mean the restaurant closed.
- SKATE MANIAOcala
- ON TOP OF THE WORLD GOLF CLUBOcala
- 2A DINERFort Walton Beach
- TIKI ON THE POINTPanacea
- BILLY BOYZ FOOD SERVICE INCOcala
+32 more in this section on the live site.
Chain Activity
44 records this window
Multi-location chain brands flagged via aggregated signals across all locations.
A tectonic shift is moving through the North Florida dining landscape as 44 chain brands have surfaced in a massive brand rollup. This corporate consolidation—a process where larger companies swallow up smaller ones to expand their footprint—now spans 186 locations across the region. The math of this expansion includes some heavy casualties along the way. The tally shows 35 FSQ-confirmed closures and 38 lapsed licenses, leaving major names like KFC, Waffle House, and Punella Llc at the center of the reshuffle.
- KFCFlorida7 flagged locations
- Waffle HouseFlorida11 flagged locations
- Punella LlcFlorida3 flagged locations
- De Foods LlcFlorida3 flagged locations
- Hoover Foods IncFlorida3 flagged locations
+39 more in this section on the live site.
Openings
193 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.
One hundred ninety-three opening signals are currently logged across North Florida; that's a sprawling mess if you look at the numbers. Of those, 4 were announced through social media or operator chatter, while the DBPR’s ledger shows 431 new license records popping up like kudzu in July. You can spot some of the players already—GOOD DAY BEVERAGE COMPANY operating out of Tallahassee, RICO'S TACOS in Lee, and HUNTSMAN in Panama City Beach are among them. These filings are a strange mix; 21 involved ownership transfers, while 7 showed existing spots simply reopening their doors after taking a nap. The bulk of the activity is tagged as 'Unknown,' with 409 venues showing up when we can't pin down the cuisine—a good metaphor for trying to chart the Everglades without satellite imagery. Of those new entities, Pensacola claims 55 listings while Ocala accounts for 39 spots. In this data, an 'opening signal' simply means there’s some paper trail indicating a place is starting up; it doesn’t mean they passed inspection with flying colors. We’ve seen 160 of these startup whispers in the last 90 days, suggesting North Florida has another season of entrepreneurial growth unfolding right now.
- GOOD DAY BEVERAGE COMPANYTallahassee
- RICO'S TACOSLee
- HUNTSMANPanama City Beach
- ROLLING LOLA LLCFort Walton Beach
- BEACH BUMZ FOODGulf Breeze
+188 more in this section on the live site.
Clean Plates
548 records this window
Restaurants with multiple inspections in the current quarter and zero high-priority or intermediate violations.
Fifty-four eight licensees across North Florida managed to keep their kitchens clean during the second quarter of 2026. These operators—like EL REY TACOS AND BEER, FUBAR, SAUCY’S FROZEN TREATS, and TASTY EATS—didn't just get lucky on one inspection; they maintained a zero high-priority violation run through repeat visits. Consistency in this culinary swamp is rare. EL REY TACOS AND BEER, for instance, stretched a record of 50 inspections without drawing any high-priority citations, covering roughly 12.5 years. When the Department of Business and Professional Regulation keeps its records clean like that, it means someone’s keeping the grease traps functioning.
- EL REY TACOS AND BEERTallahassee
- FUBARFort Walton Beach
- SAUCY’S FROZEN TREATS AND TASTY EATSMilton
- PHO EVAFort Walton Beach
- RED SNAPPER SEAFOOD AND MORETallahassee
+543 more in this section on the live site.