What stands out
How to read this briefing
HP means high-priority, INT intermediate, and BAS basic violations. Pest identifies a pest-related inspection signal. The RiskyEats score is a derived comparison index—not an official DBPR grade. Counts use the timeframe stated in each section and may differ from lifetime ledger totals. Full definitions and methodology.
Carl Sawgrass’s take
In the Florida picture: the Tampa Bay area's chronic density is 39% below the Florida average. the Tampa Bay area shows 126 recent high-priority hits. Mix: 2 American spots, 1 Bagels, 1 Hotel, and 1 Japanese. For civilians not fluent in state paperwork: a 90-day window means the recent inspection stretch, not a verdict on every kitchen in the county.
🔥 Alerts
Emergency Orders
94 records this window
Emergency Orders
94 records this windowRestaurants closed by DBPR emergency order in the last 90 days.
- FARANDULERO PIZZERIATampa1 HP1 INTScore 110latest inspection 2026-07-16 (emergency-order date not available)
- DENNY'SSt. Petersburg4 HP3 INT13 BASPestScore 493order issued 2026-07-21
- DUNKIN DONUTS/BASKIN ROBBINSTampa2 HP1 BASPestScore 251order issued 2026-07-21
Closed/Delinquent
394 records this window
Closed/Delinquent
394 records this windowTwo tiers: confirmed closures (owner-validated posts, news, and external places data that say service has stopped) and DBPR delinquent/inactive licenses (Primary Status Code 45/46) — a regulatory state, not by itself a confirmed closure.
Correspondent’s take
Down here, the inspector's clipboard reads like fiction: KUNG FU TEA in Pinellas Park, SANDWISHY in Dade City and CARRIE'S KITCHEN LLC in Pinellas Park owned the top of the the Tampa Bay area board. 19 closures confirmed via news, state action, or multiple agreeing social signals. Another 60 surfaced from single-source social signals and remain under review — reported, not confirmed. Main evidence reasons: 381 DBPR inactive/cancelled status (45/46) and 340 social or silence signal. Confidence mix: 376 suspected and 351 confirmed. Velocity check: 79 closure-evidence records in the last 90 days, 64 in the last 30. Dated closure signals run from 2009-11-19 to 2027-02-01. For civilians not fluent in state paperwork: a closure signal is evidence a place may have gone dark; only verified tier-4 records are confirmed permanent closures. The swamp, for once, is not the problem.
- KUNG FU TEAPinellas Parkclosure score 1
- SANDWISHYDade Cityclosure score 1
- CARRIE'S KITCHEN LLCPinellas Parkclosure score 1
⚠️ Caution
Near Miss
126 records this window
Near Miss
126 records this windowA RiskyEats category for open venues whose inspections crossed the severe-violation threshold in the latest 60-day window without receiving an emergency closure order; not an official DBPR designation.
Correspondent’s take
Even the alligators in the parking lot have seen better: AJISAI SUSHI in Tampa, DOC FORD'S RUM BAR & GRILLE in St. Petersburg and JIMMYS TACOS STP in St. Petersburg sat at the head of the the Tampa Bay area list. 126 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 BAS. For civilians not fluent in state paperwork: a high-priority violation is the state saying the risk can touch food safety right now. The inspectors merely wrote down the punchline.
- AJISAI SUSHITampa5 HP4 INT10 BASPestScore 600last visit 2026-04-09
- DOC FORD'S RUM BAR & GRILLESt. Petersburg4 HP8 INT6 BASScore 486last visit 2026-04-01
- JIMMYS TACOS STPSt. Petersburg4 HP4 INT6 BASPestScore 496last visit 2026-01-13
Chronic Violation Record
169 records this window
Chronic Violation Record
169 records this windowActive enforcement targets and repeat offenders: restaurants carrying emergency-order history, chronic 11-year systemic violation patterns, or cross-flag enforcement tiers.
Correspondent’s take
The menu did not mention this part, naturally: 169 restaurants with chronic violation records surface in the Tampa Bay area on the 11-year pattern view, led by WINGHOUSE BAR + GRILL, PIEROGI GRILL & STEAKHOUSE. The full repeat-offender record sits below. For civilians not fluent in state paperwork: chronic violation record is our shorthand for an 11-year repeat-offender pattern, not a verdict on the operator. The inspectors merely wrote down the punchline.
- WINGHOUSE BAR + GRILLClearwater7 HP3 INT10 BASScore 740Current repeated high-risk patternlast visit 05/06/2026
- PIEROGI GRILL & STEAKHOUSEClearwater12 HP7 INT29 BASScore 1299Current repeated high-risk patternCurrently Activelast visit 06/30/2026
- FIVE BUCKS DRINKERYSt. Petersburg10 HP5 INT18 BASScore 1068Current repeated high-risk patternlast visit 03/16/2026
✨ Trusted
Most Improved
38 records this window
Most Improved
38 records this windowRestaurants whose recent-window violation count is at least 50% lower than the prior window, with the most recent inspection clean.
Correspondent’s take
Somewhere between the mop sink and the mangroves, the facts arrived: LA GUANTANAMERA RESTAURANT in Seffner, LICENSED TO CHILL in Brooksville and MARGARITAS AUTHENTIC MEXICAN RESTAURANT in Clearwater sat at the head of the the Tampa Bay area list. 38 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. LA GUANTANAMERA RESTAURANT in Seffner dropped HP+Critical counts from 12 to 2 across the two 12-month windows (83.3% better). For civilians not fluent in state paperwork: most improved means the recent record got materially cleaner than the prior-year pattern.
- LA GUANTANAMERA RESTAURANTSeffner1 INT4 BASScore 14
- LICENSED TO CHILLBrooksville
- MARGARITAS AUTHENTIC MEXICAN RESTAURANTClearwater1 INTScore 10
Clean Plates
136 records this window
Clean Plates
136 records this windowRestaurants with multiple inspections in the current quarter and zero high-priority or intermediate violations.
Correspondent’s take
Tropical storm or no, the citations keep landing: 136 the Tampa Bay area licensees ran a clean Q3 2026 ledger across multiple inspections — EL GLACIAR, HOT BOX PIZZA TRUCK INC, CHECKER'S #5233 among them. These are repeat visits with zero high-priority or intermediate violations — the operators rewarded for consistency, not one lucky inspection. EL GLACIAR stretched a high-priority-free run to 11 inspections covering roughly 2.8 years. For civilians not fluent in state paperwork: a clean plate means the recent inspection record stayed quiet where the state was looking.
- EL GLACIARClearwater1 BASScore 1last visit not available
- HOT BOX PIZZA TRUCK INCBrooksvillelast visit not available
- CHECKER'S #5233Brandon1 BASScore 1last visit not available
🆕 New
New Owners
18 records this window
New Owners
18 records this windowDBPR ownership-change records in the last 30 days — "Approve Change Owner Request" actions.
Correspondent’s take
Only in Florida does this read like routine paperwork: The ownership-change feed topped the the Tampa Bay area ledger this round. 18 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. The swamp, for once, is not the problem.
Openings
49 records this window
Openings
49 records this windowNew DBPR licenses plus confirmed opening signals: the places that just joined the map and still need their first public-record track record.
Correspondent’s take
If you squint past the palm trees, the report is plain: the Tampa Bay area count: 49 opening signals. 6 announced via FB/news/operator signal; 7099 DBPR/event-ledger new-license records. Current names include SMALLS SLIDERS #10154 in Lutz, LIN POKE in Clearwater and PICCOLO'S PIZZA in Lake Panasoffkee. Ledger type mix: 7099 new-license records and 6 announcement-led records. Cuisine/venue mix: 4623 Unknown and 197 Pizza. Area concentration: 2067 TAMPA and 524 ST. PETERSBURG. Velocity check: 109 opening signals in the last 90 days, 31 in the last 30. Dated opening signals run from 2016-07-01 to 2026-07-29. 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. For civilians not fluent in state paperwork: an opening signal starts with licensing or source-confirmed evidence, not wishful ribbon-cutting. The inspectors merely wrote down the punchline.
- SMALLS SLIDERS #10154Lutz
- LIN POKEClearwater
- PICCOLO'S PIZZALake Panasoffkee
Sources, definitions, and corrections
Inspection and license facts come from Florida DBPR public records. Social, news, and places signals are supporting evidence and are labeled separately from regulatory findings.
DBPR inspection records · RiskyEats methodology · Search Tampa records · Report a correction
Correspondent’s take
Before the cocktail hour, the auditors did their rounds: FARANDULERO PIZZERIA in Tampa, DENNY'S in St. Petersburg and DUNKIN DONUTS/BASKIN ROBBINS in Tampa led the board in the Tampa Bay area. 94 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 diners, and 1 Cafe. Trend line: emergency-order volume is steady against the last public cut. For civilians not fluent in state paperwork: an emergency order means DBPR ordered service stopped until a callback inspection clears it. The swamp, for once, is not the problem.