License No. 4608001|Public Food Service Establishment|Lee County, FloridaInspected Mar 2, 2026

State of Florida Inspection Record

THE WHALE

1249 ESTERO BLVD, FORT MYERS BEACH, FL 33931

THE WHALE has a mixed inspection record — 13 violations in the past year, including 0 high-priority. Not alarming, but worth knowing before you order. The trailing-year record shows 13 violations, including 0 high-priority and 0 Emergency Orders of Closure.

Spotty

73.3

Trailing year of inspections

How this kitchen compares

Against FORT MYERS BEACH

Scores higher than 52% of the 58 inspected restaurants in FORT MYERS BEACH on the trailing-year record.

73.3

Lowest scoreCity median · 71.5Highest score

Against Lee County

0 high-priority violations on the trailing-year record — below the Lee County average of 1.9.

This kitchen0

County average1.9

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

2 inspections

Visit 01 — Complaint Full

Mar 2, 2026

Disposition

Administrative complaint recommended

Chemicals & toxic substances

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

High-priority

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×2

Handwash sinks & supplies

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

Intermediate×2

Manager certification & training

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

Intermediate×2

Misrepresentation

Misrepresenting or misbranding food — e.g. selling one product as another.

Intermediate

Equipment & surface condition

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

Basic

Clean equipment storage

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

Basic

Personal belongings

Employee jackets, phones, drinks, or other personal items stored where they can contaminate food.

Basic

Source: State of FloridaState inspection document

Visit 02 — Food-Licensing Inspection

Nov 6, 2025

Disposition

Inspection Completed - No Further Action

Dishwashing facilities & test kits

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

Intermediate

Bathrooms

Restrooms not clean, stocked, or maintained as required.

Basic

Source: State of FloridaState inspection document

What the violations mean

Violation categories, explained

13 violations · 10 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. 4608001 — you can read the original documents yourself and compare.

License on file

4608001

Inspected

Mar 2, 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