{"id":24425,"date":"2026-01-15T15:02:39","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T20:02:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/2026\/01\/15\/brownish-water-debris\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T15:02:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T20:02:41","slug":"brownish-water-debris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/2026\/01\/15\/brownish-water-debris\/","title":{"rendered":"Brownish Water &#038; Debris"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Brownish Water, Food Debris, and More: Restaurant Inspections in South Florida<\/h1>\n<p>The state of restaurant inspections in South Florida has raised concerns among residents and visitors alike. Last week, the state temporarily shut down two restaurants and one food truck due to various violations, including &quot;no potable running water,&quot; a soiled microwave, and &quot;brownish water with food debris backing up through floor drain.&quot; Employees were also seen touching their nose, trash bags, and cellphones without washing their hands afterward.<\/p>\n<h2>Introduction to Restaurant Inspections<\/h2>\n<p>The South Florida Sun Sentinel typically highlights restaurant inspections conducted by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation in Broward and Palm Beach counties. The inspections are conducted weekly, and the newspaper spotlights places ordered shut for violations such as improper food temperatures or dead cockroaches. Any restaurant that fails a state inspection must stay closed until it passes a follow-up inspection.<\/p>\n<h3>How to File a Complaint<\/h3>\n<p>If you spot a possible violation and wish to file a complaint, contact Florida DBPR. However, please note that the Sun Sentinel does not inspect restaurants and should not be contacted for this purpose.<\/p>\n<h2>Restaurant Closures in Palm Beach County<\/h2>\n<h3>Meraki Juice Kitchen (Food Truck)<\/h3>\n<p>In West Palm Beach, the Meraki Juice Kitchen food truck was ordered shut on January 7 due to seven violations, including six high-priority ones. The violations included:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&quot;No potable running water at hand wash sink or triple sink.&quot;<\/li>\n<li>Employees touching their nose, trash bags, and cellphones without washing their hands.<\/li>\n<li>Blender not sanitized at the triple sink.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The food truck reopened on January 8 after a follow-up inspection found no violations.<\/p>\n<h2>Restaurant Closures in Broward County<\/h2>\n<h3>Lakay Mama Restaurant<\/h3>\n<p>Lakay Mama Restaurant, located at 5572 W. Oakland Park Blvd. in Lauderhill, was ordered shut on January 6 due to 15 violations, including two high-priority ones. The violations included:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>About 48 dead roaches found in various areas of the kitchen.<\/li>\n<li>Brownish water with food debris backing up through the floor drain under the three-compartment sink.<\/li>\n<li>Microwave handle soiled with food debris, mold-like substance, or slime.<\/li>\n<li>No hot running water at the three-compartment sink.<\/li>\n<li>No probe thermometer provided to measure the temperature of food products.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The restaurant reopened on January 7 but required additional follow-up inspections due to ongoing violations.<\/p>\n<h3>Dunkin&#8217;<\/h3>\n<p>The Dunkin&#8217; location at 901 W. State Road 84 in Fort Lauderdale was ordered shut on January 7 due to six violations, including one high-priority one. The violations included:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>About six live roaches found on the floor behind the flip-top coolers.<\/li>\n<li>Food debris on the floor behind the donut stand.<\/li>\n<li>Accumulation of dust on the ceiling vents above the front counter.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The restaurant reopened on January 8 after a second inspection found two basic violations.<\/p>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>The recent restaurant closures in South Florida highlight the importance of regular inspections and adherence to health and safety protocols. It is crucial for restaurants to maintain a clean and safe environment for their customers to prevent the spread of illnesses and ensure a positive dining experience.<\/p>\n<h2>FAQs<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Q: How can I file a complaint about a restaurant?<br \/>\nA: Contact the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) to file a complaint.<\/li>\n<li>Q: What happens if a restaurant fails a state inspection?<br \/>\nA: The restaurant must stay closed until it passes a follow-up inspection.<\/li>\n<li>Q: How often are restaurant inspections conducted?<br \/>\nA: Restaurant inspections are conducted weekly by the Florida DBPR.<\/li>\n<li>Q: What are some common violations that can lead to restaurant closures?<br \/>\nA: Common violations include improper food temperatures, dead cockroaches, and lack of potable running water.<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<p>Food debris and water posed problems last week, causing the state to temporarily shut two South Florida restaurants and one food truck. Violations included \u201cno potable running water,\u201d a soiled microwave and \u201cbrownish water with food debris backing up through floor drain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Employees also were seen touching nose, trash bag and cellphone but not washing their hands afterward.<\/p>\n<p>The South Florida Sun Sentinel typically highlights restaurant inspections conducted by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation in Broward and Palm Beach counties. We cull through inspections that happen weekly and spotlight places ordered shut for violations such as improper food temperatures or dead cockroaches.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Any restaurant that fails a state inspection must stay closed until it passes a follow-up. If you spot a possible violation and wish to file a complaint, contact Florida DBPR. (But please don\u2019t contact us: The Sun Sentinel doesn\u2019t inspect restaurants.)<\/p>\n<h4>PALM BEACH COUNTY<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Meraki Juice Kitchen (food truck)<br \/><\/strong>West Palm Beach<strong><br \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Ordered shut:<\/strong> Jan. 7<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why:<\/strong> Seven violations (six high-priority), including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cNo potable running water at hand wash sink or triple sink.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cEmployee touched nose then handled clean utensil to serve food\u201d; \u201cobserved manager and employee touch trash bag, enter food truck, then began handling carton of liquid eggs from reach-in cooler,\u201d \u201cobserved employee enter food truck, then put gloves on, then \u2026 handle clean pans\u201d and \u201cemployee handled cellphone, then handled blender cup to prepare juice\u201d \u2014 all without washing hands.<\/li>\n<li>\u201cBlender cleaned but not sanitized at triple sink.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Status:<\/strong> Reopened Jan. 8 after a follow-up inspection found no violations.<\/p>\n<h4>BROWARD COUNTY<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Lakay Mama Restaurant<\/strong><br \/>5572 W. Oakland Park Blvd., Lauderhill<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ordered shut:<\/strong> Jan. 6<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why:<\/strong> 15 violations (two high-priority), including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>About 48 dead roaches \u201cinside hand washing sink at entrance to kitchen,\u201d \u201cin corner of wall next to hand wash sink,\u201d \u201con electrical circuit next to front counter entrance door,\u201d \u201con floor in corner of kitchen next to standing mixer,\u201d \u201cunder nonfunctional steam table in kitchen next to cans of sausage,\u201d \u201cstuck on nonfunctional oven door in kitchen\u201d and \u201con glue stick in heater room where dry goods are stored.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cObserved in kitchen, brownish water with food debris backing up through floor drain under three-compartment sink. When faucet is turned on, employee is collecting the dirty water in buckets.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cMicrowave handle soiled with food debris, mold-like substance or slime\u201d and \u201cdry storage ingredients rack soiled with food debris.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cNo hot running water at three-compartment sink.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cNo probe thermometer provided to measure temperature of food products.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Status:<\/strong> Reopened Jan. 7 after a second visit found nine violations (one high-priority). A Jan. 13 follow-up inspection, which was required, again yielded nine violations (one high-priority), and another follow-up inspection was required.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dunkin\u2019<\/strong><br \/>901 W. State Road 84, Fort Lauderdale<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ordered shut:<\/strong> Jan. 7<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why:<\/strong> Six violations (one high-priority), including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>About six live roaches \u201con floor behind left flip-top cooler at cook line\u201d and \u201con floor behind right flip-top cooler at cook line.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cObserved food debris on floor behind donut stand at front counter.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cObserved accumulation of dust on ceiling vents above front counter.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Status:<\/strong> Reopened Jan. 8 after a second inspection found two basic violations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Brownish Water, Food Debris, and More: Restaurant Inspections in South Florida The state of restaurant inspections in South Florida has raised concerns among residents and visitors alike. Last week, the state temporarily shut down two restaurants and one food truck due to various violations, including &quot;no potable running water,&quot; a soiled microwave, and &quot;brownish water [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":24427,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-24425","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dining"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.sun-sentinel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/7D5E52L6WRBERIVISLQVG5OHFA-3.webp?w=1400px&strip=all&w=780&resize=780,409&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24425"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24425"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24425\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24428,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24425\/revisions\/24428"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}