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Ocala
Friday, March 29, 2024

Ocala food truck shut down over hand-washing issues and lack of water

An Ocala-based food truck was temporarily shut down this past Friday after a health inspector found 10 violations – three of which were considered high priority.

The inspector cited Smokey’s Real Grill Barbeque, with a listed address of 1606 NE 17th Terr., after an employee started working without first washing his or her hands. The employee was handling food, clean equipment/utensils or touching unwrapped single-service items, according to a report on file with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

A health inspector forced the temporary closure of the Ocala-based Smokey’s Real Grill Barbeque food truck after finding 10 violations – three listed as high priority – during an inspection last week.

The food truck’s owner also was cited for two other high-priority infractions – having no potable water available due to electrical issues and operating without a Division of Hotels and Restaurants license that expired on June 1.

The inspector also found four intermediate violations. Those included a stained/soiled cutting board, a hand-wash sink that wasn’t accessible for employee use at all times due to lack of water, a manager lacking proof of food manager certification and no proof of required state-approved employee training.

The three basic violations were for a cutting board that has cut marks and is no longer cleanable, a wet wiping cloth towel used under the cutting board and no copy of the latest inspection report available.

A follow-up inspection the same day showed no change on the expired license violation. The inspector also extended the time for the food truck owner to fix the cutting board issues and provide proof of food manager certification, required state-approved employee training and a copy of the latest inspection report.