How it works|State of Florida inspections|All 67 counties, FloridaOfficial State of Florida data, 2026

Open by design

How the report card works.

Every score on this site is computed from official State of Florida inspection records — no user reviews, no pay-to-play, no way to game it. This page explains the whole method, in plain language.

Scoring scale

0–100

Trailing year of inspections

01 · The data source

Official state data. Nothing else.

We continuously ingest restaurant inspection records from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), covering the entire state. Every violation count, date, and outcome you see traces directly to a public inspection report. 100% of the inputs come from state inspectors; 0% from user reviews; 0% from anyone paying to change their record.

02 · Severity weighting

Not all mistakes are equal.

A pile of smudged mirrors shouldn't carry the same weight as a rat in the flour. Each violation adds penalty points by severity, and the total is converted to a 0–100 score on an exponential curve — score = 100 × e^(−penalty ÷ 60) — so trouble compounds fast.

Basic

Minor maintenance — smudged mirrors, worn gaskets, dusty vents.

Intermediate

Sanitation concerns — missing logs, improper labeling, warewashing lapses.

High-priority

Direct health risks — temperature abuse, pests, contamination.

Emergency Order of Closure

A dated State of Florida closure order. Also overrides the tier for 90 days.

+40

A single high-priority violation carries 8× the penalty of a basic one.

Worked example — “Pizza Place”For illustration

1 high-priority (rodent activity)+8 penalty

2 basic (grease on floor)+2 penalty

Score = 100 × e^(−10 ÷ 60)≈ 85

TierSOLID

03 · Recency

Time heals some wounds.

The score looks at a trailing-year window — but yesterday's inspection matters more than one from 11 months ago. Violations from the last six months count at full weight; anything six to twelve months old counts at 60%. Past a year, it drops out entirely.

Violation impact over time

100%60%0%

Today · full weight6 mos · drops to 60%12 mos · drops out

04 · The five tiers

Five tiers. One glance.

The 0–100 score translates into five tiers, so a report card reads at a glance. The underlying violation counts and inspection dates are always shown alongside — the tier is a summary, never a substitute.

Spotless

95.0

Score 90 – 100 · zero high-priority violations

Impeccable records. A single high-priority violation disqualifies a kitchen from this tier, no matter the score.

Solid

82.0

Score 75 – 89

Generally clean with occasional routine violations handled quickly.

Spotty

61.5

Score 50 – 74

A pattern of intermediate concerns or isolated high-priority risks. Caution advised.

Serious

38.2

Score below 50

Repeat high-priority violations that endanger food safety.

Emergency Order

Order of Closure in the last 90 days

A State of Florida Emergency Order of Closure is recorded in the trailing window. Overrides the score entirely.

05 · Emergency Orders of Closure & the lists

When the state steps in.

History matters, but an Emergency Order of Closure overrides it. An order adds a 40-point penalty, and any order recorded within the last 90 days sets the tier to Emergency Order — regardless of previous standing.

Wall of Fame

The cleanest active establishments in the state, with near-perfect trailing records.

Wall of Shame

No recent Emergency Order of Closure appears in the available record, but the inspection history is severely compromised. Entries in the Emergency Order tier appear on their own list.

Emergency Orders of Closure

Dated State of Florida closure orders in the recent record, with follow-up dispositions shown when available.

06 · What the score is not

Read this before quoting a number.

I.The score is a trailing-year aggregate of a kitchen's full inspection record. It is never a score for a single inspection, and it is not the result a state inspector records on a visit.
II.A high score is a track record, not a guarantee. Conditions in any kitchen can change between inspections.
III.Violations noted on an inspection may have been corrected on site the same day. The report card always shows dates and outcomes so you can judge for yourself.
IV.We publish what the state records. We do not edit, remove, or accept payment to alter any establishment's history.

07 · The violation codes

What the codes mean.

Every violation on a report card carries a numbered State of Florida category. This is the full list, translated to plain language — the official wording follows Florida's current (2013) FDA Food Code numbering. Each category is shown at the priority level state inspectors most often cite it at; individual observations can be cited higher or lower.

The severity level — not the category itself — is what feeds the score, using the point weights in section 02.

Wondering why a kitchen with a long record has no Emergency Order of Closure? How inspections work →

Approved & safe source

Restaurants must buy food from licensed, inspected suppliers, keep it wholesome, and hold on to shellfish harvest tags that trace oysters and clams back to the waters they came from. Sourcing matters because food from outside the approved chain skips every safety control that normally happens before it reaches the kitchen.

High

Advisories, date marking & labeling

Menus must warn diners about raw or undercooked items, and ready-to-eat food must be labeled and date-marked so the kitchen knows how long it has been held. Inspectors check because food kept past its safe window can grow bacteria without any change in look or smell.

Interm.

Food at unsafe temperature

Cold food must stay at 41°F or below and hot food at 135°F or above, through receiving, holding, cooking, cooling, and reheating. The range in between is where bacteria multiply fastest, which is why temperature control is checked on nearly every visit.

High

Equipment can't hold temperature

Coolers and hot-holding equipment must be able to keep food at safe temperatures. A unit that cannot hold temperature puts everything stored in it at risk, not just one dish.

Interm.

Thermometers

Kitchens need working, accurate thermometers for food and equipment. Without one, there is no way to know food is being held at a safe temperature.

Interm.

Improper thawing

Frozen high-risk food like meat must be thawed under refrigeration, under running water, or as part of cooking. Thawing on a counter lets the outside reach bacteria-friendly temperatures while the center is still frozen.

Basic

Re-serving food

Once unwrapped food or food that needs temperature control has been served to one customer, it cannot be served to another. Re-serving moves whatever the first table left behind to the next one.

High

Raw-food separation & protection

Raw meat, poultry, and seafood must be kept away from ready-to-eat food, and all food must be protected during prep, storage, and display. Inspectors treat separation seriously because raw-food drips and splashes carry pathogens onto food that will not be cooked again.

High

Bare hand contact

Workers must use gloves, utensils, or deli paper when touching food that will not be cooked again. Bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food is one of the most direct routes for spreading illness.

High

In-use utensil storage

Scoops and other in-use utensils must be stored with handles up and out of the food. A handle buried in the product carries whatever the last hand left on it.

Basic

Employee health

Employees who are sick must not work with food, and staff must know which symptoms bar them from the kitchen. Ill workers are a leading cause of restaurant-linked outbreaks.

Interm.

Handwashing & employee habits

Hands must be washed and gloves changed at the required moments — after touching the floor, raw food, or anything unclean — and eating, drinking, or smoking is not allowed in food areas. Hands are the most common way pathogens reach food.

High

Hair restraints & clean clothes

Workers preparing food need hair and beard restraints, clean clothes, and bare, unpolished nails. These rules exist to keep hair, jewelry, and debris out of the food.

Basic

Equipment & surface condition

Equipment and work surfaces must be properly designed, constructed, and kept in good repair. Cracked, corroded, or makeshift surfaces cannot be cleaned properly and shed material into food.

Basic

Dishwashing facilities & test kits

Dish machines and three-compartment sinks must be set up with the right sanitizer concentration, and the kitchen needs test kits to verify it. Sanitizer that is too weak leaves dishes looking clean but not actually safe.

Interm.

Other sanitation item

A miscellaneous sanitation item recorded outside the current standard categories.

Basic

Wiping cloths & linens

Wiping cloths must be stored in sanitizer between uses, and soiled linens handled and laundered properly. A damp cloth left on the counter spreads bacteria to every surface it wipes.

Basic

Dirty food-contact surfaces

Cutting boards, ice bins, dish racks, sprayer hoses, and anything else that touches food must be cleaned and sanitized. A dirty food-contact surface transfers whatever is on it to every item prepared there.

Basic

Non-food surfaces dirty

Shelves, counters, equipment exteriors, and handles must be kept clean. These surfaces do not touch food directly, but hands move between them and food constantly.

Basic

Clean equipment storage

Clean equipment and utensils must be air-dried and stored in a clean, protected place. Wet nesting and dirty storage undo the washing that just happened.

Basic

Single-service articles

Single-use items — cups, straws, to-go containers — must be stored off the floor and protected from contamination, because they go straight to the customer without further cleaning.

Basic

Other equipment item

A miscellaneous equipment item recorded outside the current standard categories.

Basic

Water source & pressure

The establishment needs safe water, with hot water reaching at least 100°F and cold water under pressure. Everything from handwashing to dishwashing depends on the water supply.

Interm.

Sewage & wastewater

Sewage and wastewater must drain properly. A backup can contaminate the whole kitchen, and either can close a restaurant on the spot.

High

Plumbing & backflow

Plumbing must be installed and maintained — no leaks, a working mop sink, serviced water filters, and backflow prevention so dirty water can never siphon back into the clean supply.

Basic

Handwash sinks & supplies

Every kitchen must have accessible handwash sinks stocked with soap, towels, and the required sign — and the sink cannot double as a dump or prep sink. When the handwash sink is blocked or empty, workers wash less often.

Interm.

Bathrooms

Restrooms must be clean, stocked, and working. Restroom conditions track closely with how the rest of the building is kept.

Basic

Garbage & premises

Garbage must be kept in covered containers and removed often enough that it does not overflow, and the premises kept up. Accumulated garbage attracts the pests other parts of the inspection try to keep out.

Basic

Pests & outer openings

No live pests — roaches, rodents, flies — and no gaps that let them in: doors, screens, and outer openings must be protected. Pests move between waste areas and food-prep surfaces, carrying bacteria with them, which is why live activity is among the most serious findings on the form.

High

Floors, walls & ceilings

Floors, walls, ceilings, and attached equipment must be clean, in good repair, and properly vented. Damaged or dirty surfaces cannot be sanitized and give pests places to hide.

Basic

Lighting

Food-prep areas need adequate lighting with shatter shields over bulbs. Poor lighting hides dirt and pest evidence; an unshielded bulb can drop glass into food if it breaks.

Basic

Personal belongings

Employees need a place for personal items — jackets, phones, drinks — away from food and prep surfaces. Personal belongings in prep areas can carry contamination in from outside.

Basic

Chemicals & toxic substances

Cleaning chemicals and other toxic substances must be labeled and stored away from food and prep surfaces. A mislabeled or badly placed chemical can end up in food, which is why inspectors treat this as high-priority.

High

Cleaning equipment

Mops, brooms, and cleaning equipment must be stored so they can dry and cannot contaminate food areas. A sour mop spreads more than it cleans.

Basic

Separation from living areas

A commercial kitchen must be fully separated from any living or sleeping quarters, and people who do not work there stay out. The rules that govern the kitchen cannot be enforced in someone’s living space.

Interm.

Fire extinguishing equipment

Fire extinguishing and suppression equipment must be present and serviced. Findings here are referred to the local fire authority.

Basic

Exits blocked or locked

Emergency exits must stay unlocked and unblocked during operation. Findings here are referred to the local fire authority.

Basic

Electrical wiring

Electrical wiring and outlets must be in good repair. Exposed or makeshift wiring is both a fire risk and a sign of deferred maintenance.

Basic

Gas appliances & boiler

Gas appliances must be maintained and boilers must carry a current certificate.

Basic

Flammable materials

Flammable and combustible materials must be stored away from flames and cooking equipment.

Basic

License current & displayed

The license must be current, properly obtained, and displayed where diners can see it. Operating without a valid license means operating outside the inspection system entirely.

Basic

Other sanitary & safe operation

A catch-all for other conditions affecting sanitary and safe operation that do not fit a numbered category.

Basic

Misrepresentation

Food must be what the menu says it is — no substituting one species or product for another, and no misleading labels.

Interm.

Manager certification & training

Managers need current food-safety certification and employees need documented, state-approved training. Trained staff are the difference between rules on a poster and rules in practice.

Interm.

Clean Indoor Air Act

The Florida Clean Indoor Air Act restricts smoking and vaping in enclosed indoor workplaces, including restaurants.

Basic

Automatic gratuity notice

Restaurants that add an automatic gratuity must post notice of it where customers can see it before ordering.

Basic

Labels follow the State of Florida annual report's official category list. When in doubt, the linked official inspection report is always the authority.

Official inspection data from
State of Florida data — scores calculated by this site
The same method applies to every kitchen statewide