License No. 5105801|Public Food Service Establishment|Manatee County, FloridaInspected Jul 30, 2026

State of Florida Inspection Record

BAJA FRESH MEX

5477 FACTORY SHOPS BLVD, ELLENTON, FL 34222

BAJA FRESH MEX has a mixed inspection record — 7 violations in the past year, including 2 high-priority. Not alarming, but worth knowing before you order. The trailing-year record shows 7 violations, including 2 high-priority and 0 Emergency Orders of Closure.

Spotty

69.1

Trailing year of inspections

How this kitchen compares

Against ELLENTON

Scores higher than 56% of the 36 inspected restaurants in ELLENTON on the trailing-year record.

69.1

Lowest scoreCity median · 58.4Highest score

Against Manatee County

2 high-priority violations on the trailing-year record — above the Manatee County average of 1.8.

This kitchen2

County average1.8

Above 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

9 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

Handwashing & employee habits

Repeat — 2nd time

Hands not washed or gloves not changed when required, or employees eating, drinking, or smoking in food areas.

High-priority

Equipment & surface condition

Repeat — 3rd time

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

Basic

Dirty food-contact surfaces

Surfaces that touch food — cutting boards, ice bins, dish racks — soiled or not sanitized.

Basic

Single-service articles

Repeat — 2nd time

Single-use items (cups, straws, to-go containers) stored or handled improperly.

Basic

Source: State of FloridaState inspection document

Visit 02 — Food-Licensing Inspection

Mar 9, 2026

Disposition

Inspection Completed - No Further Action

No violations on record for this visit

This visit closed with no further action required.

Source: State of FloridaState inspection document

Earlier history — outside the scoring window

Visit 03 — Routine - Food

Sep 29, 2025

Disposition

Follow-up - Admin. complaint recommended

Thermometers

Repeat — 4th time

Missing or inaccurate food and equipment thermometers.

Intermediate×2

License current & displayed

Repeat — 5th time

The establishment's license expired, not obtained, or not properly displayed.

Basic

Source: State of FloridaState inspection document

Visit 04 — Routine - Food

Jul 25, 2025

Disposition

Administrative complaint recommended

Thermometers

Repeat — 3rd time

Missing or inaccurate food and equipment thermometers.

Intermediate×2

Employee health

Repeat — 3rd time

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

Intermediate×2

Single-service articles

Single-use items (cups, straws, to-go containers) stored or handled improperly.

Basic

License current & displayed

Repeat — 4th time

The establishment's license expired, not obtained, or not properly displayed.

Basic

Source: State of FloridaState inspection document

Visit 05 — Routine - Food

Jan 9, 2025

Disposition

Inspection Completed - No Further Action

Thermometers

Repeat — 2nd time

Missing or inaccurate food and equipment thermometers.

Intermediate

Dishwashing facilities & test kits

Repeat — 3rd time

Dish machine or sinks not set up or working properly, or missing sanitizer test kit and gauges.

Intermediate

Water source & pressure

Repeat — 2nd time

Water not safe, or hot (100°F) and cold water not available under pressure.

Intermediate

Handwash sinks & supplies

Repeat — 2nd time

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

Intermediate

Hair restraints & clean clothes

Repeat — 2nd time

Missing hair or beard restraint, dirty work clothes, jewelry, or painted/artificial fingernails during food prep.

Basic

License current & displayed

Repeat — 3rd time

The establishment's license expired, not obtained, or not properly displayed.

Basic

Other sanitary & safe operation

Other conditions related to sanitary and safe operation.

Basic

Source: State of FloridaState inspection document

Visit 06 — Routine - Food

Aug 7, 2024

Disposition

Administrative complaint recommended

Handwashing & employee habits

Hands not washed or gloves not changed when required, or employees eating, drinking, or smoking in food areas.

High-priority

Employee health

Repeat — 2nd time

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

Intermediate×2

Thermometers

Missing or inaccurate food and equipment thermometers.

Intermediate

Dishwashing facilities & test kits

Repeat — 2nd time

Dish machine or sinks not set up or working properly, or missing sanitizer test kit and gauges.

Intermediate

Hair restraints & clean clothes

Missing hair or beard restraint, dirty work clothes, jewelry, or painted/artificial fingernails during food prep.

Basic×2

License current & displayed

Repeat — 2nd time

The establishment's license expired, not obtained, or not properly displayed.

Basic×2

Equipment & surface condition

Repeat — 2nd time

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

Basic

Cleaning equipment

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

Basic

Source: State of FloridaState inspection document

Visit 07 — Routine - Food

Nov 30, 2023

Disposition

Inspection Completed - No Further Action

Handwash sinks & supplies

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

Intermediate×2

Employee health

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

Intermediate

Water source & pressure

Water not safe, or hot (100°F) and cold water not available under pressure.

Intermediate

Equipment & surface condition

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

Basic

Floors, walls & ceilings

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

Basic

Source: State of FloridaState inspection document

Visit 08 — Routine - Food

Oct 18, 2023

Disposition

Follow-up inspection · Compliance recordedCall Back - Complied

No violations on record for this visit

This visit closed with no further action required.

Source: State of FloridaState inspection document

Visit 09 — Routine - Food

Aug 15, 2023

Disposition

Warning Issued

Dishwashing facilities & test kits

Dish machine or sinks not set up or working properly, or missing sanitizer test kit and gauges.

Intermediate

Manager certification & training

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

Intermediate

License current & displayed

The establishment's license expired, not obtained, or not properly displayed.

Basic

Source: State of FloridaState inspection document

What the violations mean

Violation categories, explained

4 violations · 4 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.

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.

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. 5105801 — you can read the original documents yourself and compare.

License on file

5105801

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