We sent the State of Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation (Website) the following questions and got the following responses:
- A diner may or may not be able to grade the restaurant after one inspection, but they can grade the inspection. So why does the State not provide a grade and label the grade as "Most Recent Inspection Grade"? It's fair to the restaurant owner and Floridians. As I mentioned previously, anyone can look up recent inspections of any public food service establishment on the DBPR website or by downloading the DBPR mobile app. Additionally, per Chapter 509.101(1), Florida Statutes, all food service establishments are also required to provide their most recent inspection report to consumers upon request.
- To say an inspection may not be a way to judge a restaurant's "long-term conditions at an establishment" is as true as saying that it may. Why is that a reason to not use a grading system? As I noted in my previous email, DBPR’s Division of Hotels and Restaurants uses a science-based, three-tier category system for food safety and sanitation inspections. This system allows the Department to better communicate with licensees and consumers by providing the public with the exact results of an inspection. The Department conducts regular inspections to assure long-term compliance with all state sanitation and safety laws.
- Why is a grading system ok for one of the top dining cities in the World: New York City, but not Florida? Each inspection report completed is a "snapshot" of conditions present at the time of the inspection. On any given day, an establishment may have fewer or more violations than noted in their most recent inspection. This system better defines violation information for operators and consumers, making the process easier to understand.
- Is the State protecting restaurant owners at the expense of educating Floridians? No; DBPR communicates with licensees and the public to ensure transparency by uploading the most recent restaurant inspections which are available on the DBPR website and DBPR mobile app. By doing so, this enables consumers to make the most educated decisions about where to have their next meal.