Critical violations of state sanitation and safety laws observed by inspectors at two South Florida restaurants last week prompted the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation to cite them.
Jimmy Johnson’s Big Chill Restaurant & Bar, 104000 Overseas Highway, Key Largo was temporarily closed and had its license briefly suspended on Oct. 5 after a health and safety inspector observed 21 critical violations, state records show. Those observations included: an employee engaged in food preparation and handled clean equipment or utensils without washing hands (eating and then serving food); flying insects in the bar area; no hand washing sign provided at a hand washing sink used by food employees in the bar; a current hotel and restaurant license was not properly displayed; raw oysters were stored over veggies; potentially hazardous garlic and oil mix was not held at 135 degrees Fahrenheit or above; an employee touched ready-to-eat food with bare hands and the establishment has no approved, alternative operating procedure; employees were scooping ice with cups without the use of gloves, scoops or tongs; bottles were stored in ice used for drinks; cooler gaskets and a microwave interior were soiled; cold chicken was held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit; there was a buildup of soiled material on a mixer head; more than 15 live roaches were found inside a cooler gasket in the inside kitchen cook line; more than 30 dry rodent droppings were found all around kitchen areas, on the floors, in dry storage rooms and on a can storage racks; food was stored on the floor of the walk-in freezer; soil residue was in storage containers; dented and rusted cans were observed and there was a buildup of slime in the interior of the ice machine.
Suspension of the restaurant’s license was lifted and it was allowed to re-open later that day after an inspector found the conditions that created a threat to public health and safety, including evidence of live roaches or rodent droppings, no longer existed and a pest control company had visited.
An employee reached at the restaurant hung up.
Tiki Beer and BBQ, 1508 Bay Road, North Tower Lobby, Miami Beach was closed Oct. 6 for operating an unlicensed facility. Other critical violations included not providing a required consumer advisor for raw/undercooked animal food; there were no walls because the restaurant was operating in a tiki hut; there was no hand-washing sink or sign provided for employees; a non-food grade garden hose was being used and did not meet the requirements of a public water supply; the inspector observed an employee switch from working with raw food to ready-to-eat food without washing hands; no three-compartment sink was provided and a sponge, detergent and garden hose were over the floor drain and not sanitized.
Tiki Beer remained closed as of Oct. 11, according to a state spokeswoman.
Operator Emma Calderon said it is closed and will remain so for awhile. “The rental apartment building where we are located is undergoing renovation,” Calderon said, “and we expect to have a real tiki with full outdoor kitchen in the future.”
The Crime & Safety blog reports on inspections of South Florida dining spots each week as the state pursues its goal to review Florida’s 45,000 licensed restaurants twice each year.
You can check out a restaurant on our searchable databases that have information provided by the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation.
For restaurants between Palm Beach County and Key West, bookmark this link:
For Central Florida/Orlando restaurants check here:
A state spokeswoman has said it is not the number of critical violations that will cause a restaurant to be temporarily shut down, but rather the nature of what an inspector finds that merits closing a business.
After a restaurant is shuttered, an inspector typically visits again within 24 hours and continues to visit until violations are resolved and the business can reopen. Repeat critical violations can lead to fines of $500 to $1,000 per instance in a future administrative complaint levied by the state.
If a bad dining experience makes you feel ill, it’s easy to complain to the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation by calling 850-487-1395 or by filing a report online at MyFloridaLicense.com.
But beware: this isn’t the place for personal vendettas. False reports can lead to misdemeanor charges.
And if you haven’t checked out a bistro’s inspection history online before making a reservation, state law requires restaurants to provide customers with a copy.
