License No. 3801211|Public Food Service Establishment|Highlands County, FloridaInspected Jul 30, 2026

State of Florida Inspection Record

MERLOS FRUTERIA

211 US HWY 27 S, SEBRING, FL 33870

MERLOS FRUTERIA has a mixed inspection record — 7 violations in the past year, including 1 high-priority. Not alarming, but worth knowing before you order. The trailing-year record shows 7 violations, including 1 high-priority and 0 Emergency Orders of Closure.

Spotty

69.8

Trailing year of inspections

How this kitchen compares

Against SEBRING

Scores higher than 48% of the 120 inspected restaurants in SEBRING on the trailing-year record.

69.8

Lowest scoreCity median · 71.2Highest score

Against Highlands County

1 high-priority violation on the trailing-year record — below the Highlands County average of 2.0.

This kitchen1

County average2.0

Below county average

Computed from the trailing-year records of all inspected restaurants in the same city and county. Official State of Florida inspection data — scores calculated by this site.

The Inspection Record

7 inspections

Full available history. The score uses only the most recent 365 days — older visits are shown for context, not counted.

Visit 01 — Routine - Food

Jul 30, 2026

Disposition

Inspection Completed - No Further Action

Chemicals & toxic substances

Cleaning chemicals or other toxic substances unlabeled or stored where they can reach food.

High-priority

Handwash sinks & supplies

Repeat — 3rd time

Handwash sink missing, blocked, or used for other purposes, or missing soap, towels, or the handwash sign.

Intermediate×3

Employee health

Repeat — 2nd time

A sick or symptomatic employee present, or staff unaware of when illness bars them from working with food.

Intermediate

Equipment & surface condition

Repeat — 4th time

Food-contact or nonfood-contact surfaces improperly designed, constructed, maintained, or located.

Basic

Fire extinguishing equipment

Repeat — 2nd time

Fire suppression or extinguishing equipment issue (referred to the fire authority).

Basic

Source: State of FloridaState inspection document

Visit 02 — Routine - Food

Oct 27, 2025

Disposition

Follow-up inspection · Compliance recordedCall Back - Complied

Cleaning equipment

Repeat — 3rd time

Mops, brooms, and other cleaning and maintenance equipment stored or maintained improperly.

Basic

Source: State of FloridaState inspection document

Earlier history — outside the scoring window

Visit 03 — Routine - Food

Aug 26, 2025

Disposition

Warning Issued

Handwash sinks & supplies

Repeat — 2nd time

Handwash sink missing, blocked, or used for other purposes, or missing soap, towels, or the handwash sign.

Intermediate

Equipment & surface condition

Repeat — 3rd time

Food-contact or nonfood-contact surfaces improperly designed, constructed, maintained, or located.

Basic

Garbage & premises

Repeat — 2nd time

Garbage overflowing or uncovered, or the premises not maintained.

Basic

Floors, walls & ceilings

Floors, walls, ceilings, or attached equipment dirty, damaged, or poorly vented.

Basic

Cleaning equipment

Repeat — 2nd time

Mops, brooms, and other cleaning and maintenance equipment stored or maintained improperly.

Basic

Fire extinguishing equipment

Fire suppression or extinguishing equipment issue (referred to the fire authority).

Basic

Other sanitary & safe operation

Other conditions related to sanitary and safe operation.

Basic

Source: State of FloridaState inspection document

Visit 04 — Food-Licensing Inspection

Apr 21, 2025

Disposition

Inspection Completed - No Further Action

Garbage & premises

Garbage overflowing or uncovered, or the premises not maintained.

Basic

Source: State of FloridaState inspection document

Visit 05 — Routine - Food

Apr 2, 2024

Disposition

Inspection Completed - No Further Action

Approved & safe source

Food from an unapproved supplier, unsafe or spoiled food, missing shellfish harvest tags, or raw fish without required parasite destruction.

High-priority

Clean equipment storage

Repeat — 2nd time

Clean equipment and utensils stored improperly or not air-dried.

Basic

Source: State of FloridaState inspection document

Visit 06 — Routine - Food

Nov 29, 2023

Disposition

Follow-up inspection · Compliance recordedCall Back - Complied

Equipment & surface condition

Repeat — 2nd time

Food-contact or nonfood-contact surfaces improperly designed, constructed, maintained, or located.

Basic

Bathrooms

Repeat — 2nd time

Restrooms not clean, stocked, or maintained as required.

Basic

Source: State of FloridaState inspection document

Visit 07 — Routine - Food

Sep 21, 2023

Disposition

Warning Issued

Advisories, date marking & labeling

Missing consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items, ready-to-eat food not date-marked, or food not properly labeled.

Intermediate

Employee health

A sick or symptomatic employee present, or staff unaware of when illness bars them from working with food.

Intermediate

Handwash sinks & supplies

Handwash sink missing, blocked, or used for other purposes, or missing soap, towels, or the handwash sign.

Intermediate

Manager certification & training

Missing or expired food manager certification, or employee food-safety training not documented.

Intermediate

Bathrooms

Restrooms not clean, stocked, or maintained as required.

Basic×2

Equipment & surface condition

Food-contact or nonfood-contact surfaces improperly designed, constructed, maintained, or located.

Basic

Wiping cloths & linens

Dirty wiping cloths not stored in sanitizer, or soiled linens handled improperly.

Basic

Clean equipment storage

Clean equipment and utensils stored improperly or not air-dried.

Basic

Cleaning equipment

Mops, brooms, and other cleaning and maintenance equipment stored or maintained improperly.

Basic

Source: State of FloridaState inspection document

What the violations mean

Violation categories, explained

8 violations · 6 categories

Every violation on this record falls into one of the state's standardized categories. Here is what each category covers and why inspectors check for it — in plain English, with the trailing-year count for this kitchen.

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.

On this record, the category appears in 1 of the 2 trailing-year inspections. The written details for each entry are in the state inspection documents linked above.

^† Item numbers refer to the State of Florida’s standardized inspection form; the same item recurring across visits indicates an unresolved problem. Severity groupings and the sanitation score are explained in How it works.

Check our work

The inspection record above comes straight from the state's files.

Dirty Dish List is built from public inspection data published by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The inspection dates, dispositions, and violations on this report card mirror what the state has on file for License No. 3801211 — you can read the original documents yourself and compare.

License on file

3801211

Inspected

Jul 30, 2026

Scoring

Trailing-year aggregate — How it works

Official State of Florida inspection records Opens myfloridalicense.com — the state's public inspection search

Official State of Florida inspection data — scores calculated by this site