/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/IWQET3EIZNBVDI4GOIYICIEULA.JPG "Patrons are seen outside Tangra Nightclub in the early morning hours of Sunday, June 14, 2020 in the Ybor City area of Tampa")
With restaurants and bars under state and local health mandates meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus, many Floridians have gone to the state to complain about what they see as violations.
Since June 26, 171 complaints have been filed against restaurants and bars in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties, according to records the Tampa Bay Times obtained from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
Hillsborough County
June 26, Tampa - Employees, including the chefs, weren’t wearing masks. Complainant asked why, and was told it was a ‘private kitchen’ and could toss their food out if they are worried.
June 26, Tampa - Employees aren’t wearing masks or social distancing. Complainant saw one employee coughing while handling food and not washing their hands.
June 26, Sun City Center - The business is letting people in without a mask.
June 26, Tampa - No one was wearing masks or social distancing. Complainant was told by a manager the business is in the county so the laws don’t apply.
June 26, Tampa - This business scheduled an event expected to have more than 500 attendees Aug. 5 at the Florida State Fairground. Complainant asks to stop the event due to COVID-19.
June 27, Tampa - The business is over 50 percent capacity, not following social distancing and employees aren’t wearing masks. Wearing masks isn’t being enforced for patrons at the buffet or picking up takeout. Complainant states they won’t be eating there again.
June 27, Riverview - Every table and the bar area was full, but the complainant was told the business was in compliance.
June 29, Tampa - Employees were exposed to COVID-19 but management did not inform other employees. Complainant stated managers threatened to fire people who say something about not feeling safe.
June 29, Plant City - More than 200 people were in the parking lot racing motorcycles, playing loud music, drinking alcohol and not social distancing or wearing masks.
June 30, Tampa - A number of employees have tested positive for COVID-19 but no other employees have been notified.
July 1, Seffner - The business is a smoking bar that makes less than 50 percent of its revenue from food sales but is still open and selling alcohol for on-premises consumption.
July 1, Brandon - The manager is making an employee work who has been in contact with a family member hospitalized due to COVID-19.
July 2, Brandon - Complainant saw two employees not wearing masks while picking up food at the drive-thru.
July 2, Gibsonton - The business is selling alcohol for on-site consumption.
July 3, Tampa - Two employees who tested positive for COVID-19 have continued to work. The business did not close down to clean.
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Explore all your optionsJuly 3, Tampa - An employee tested positive for COVID-19 but other staff who were in contact with the employee returned to work the next day. The complainant said they believe the business isn’t alerting all the employees who were in contact with the employee infected.
July 3, Tampa - Complainant saw seven people not wearing a mask and complained to the manager, who didn’t seem to care.
July 3, Tampa - An employee tested positive for COVID-19 but other staff who were in contact with the employee returned to work the next day. The complainant said they believe the business isn’t alerting all the employees who were in contact with the employee infected.
July 6, Tampa - Restaurant owner died of COVID-19 and the business isn’t cleaning properly or adhering to social distancing.
July 6, Seffner - No one was wearing masks and no other safety measures were being taken.
July 9, Tampa - The business was packed during happy hour and seating separate parties less than two feet from one another.
July 9, Tampa - Employees tested positive for COVID-19, but employers didn’t report the cases to other staff members.
July 9, Tampa - Complainant said bars should be closed, but multiple businesses specified in the complaint were full on the weekend and not following social distancing.
July 9, Tampa - Complainant said bars should be closed, but multiple businesses specified in the complaint were full on the weekend and not following social distancing.
July 10, Tampa - The business is operating as a nightclub and had a concert last weekend.
July 10, Tampa - The business is operating as a nightclub.
July 10, Tampa - The business is operating as a nightclub.
July 10, Tampa - The business is operating as a nightclub.
July 10, Tampa - This business is packed on the weekends.
July 11, Tampa - The business is advertising itself as a club.
July 11, Tampa - The business is advertising a party and operating as a nightclub.
July 12, Seffner - This is a bar, not a restaurant. It isn’t following guidelines.
July 13, Tampa - A video shows the business is at full capacity and no one was wearing masks or social distancing.
July 13, Tampa - The business was over capacity and no one was wearing masks inside during brunch.
July 13, Tampa - People were standing all over without masks without social distancing and the business wasn’t following 50 percent capacity rules. Videos of a huge brunch party on Sunday show these violations.
July 13, Tampa - The business was over capacity and people weren’t social distancing or wearing masks. Complainant said it was basically a huge hazard.
July 13, Tampa - Videos show people not social distancing or wearing masks inside, and the business hosted live music.
July 13, Riverview - It is very concerning because there are 15,000 new cases.
July 13, Tampa - The business isn’t following social distancing guidelines and employees who have contracted the virus unknowingly are still working.
July 14, Tampa - The bar was overcrowded and employees weren’t wearing masks or gloves. An employee also contracted coronavirus and the business is still open.
July 14, Tampa - Massive partying was happening in a closed space.
July 14, Ruskin - Some employees weren’t wearing masks or were wearing them improperly. A manager told the complainant it’s because it’s too hot.
July 14, Sun City Center - Employees weren’t wearing masks.
July 15, Plant City - The cooks have been told they don’t have to wear masks. The restaurant has had at least two staff members test positive for COVID-19 and hasn’t informed other employees or required them to get tested.
July 15, Tampa - The business can’t be open because it is a bar.
July 15, Tampa - The business is selling food without a restaurant license and can’t be open as a bar.
July 15, Tampa - The business can’t be open because it is a bar.
July 15, Plant City - Two employees tested positive for COVID-19 and management told them to keep working.
July 16, Tampa - The business is packed every weekend and has kept its bars open. Patrons are not social distancing.
July 16, Tampa - The business wasn’t enforcing wearing masks or social distancing.
July 16, Tampa - Staff and people seated at the bar weren’t wearing masks. Tables weren’t distanced and no other coronavirus precautions were taken.
July 16, Tampa - Went to this business for dinner Saturday and all of the tables were full and no one was social distancing.
July 16, Plant City - Employees and customers weren’t wearing masks or social distancing and staff wasn’t cleaning.
July 16, Tampa - This restaurant isn’t following social distancing guidelines or enforcing mask-wearing. No one was wiping down chairs and the business was primarily selling alcohol.
July 17, Tampa - Employees are being forced to continue working after testing positive for COVID-19.
July 18, Tampa - The business was over capacity and people weren’t practicing social distancing.
July 19, Tampa - The business had a line out the door after 11 p.m. and no one was wearing masks or social distancing.
July 20, Tampa - This restaurant is acting like a nightclub and is allowing underage drinking and letting in 18-year-olds.
July 20, Valrico - The place is operating as a night club and has been crowded all weekend. Complainant states the business’s alcohol license application is in progress.
July 20, Tampa - This restaurant is acting like a nightclub on the weekends. The business puts on live music on Sundays in the parking lot and allows underage drinking and people not wearing masks.
July 20, Tampa - This restaurant is acting like a nightclub, and the place was packed over the weekend with customers not wearing masks. Complainant states they put a tent outside to pretend to have outdoor seating.
July 21, Tampa - Complainant got two orders of salmon and both were raw. Complainant said they are diabetic.
July 22, Tampa - The business was overcrowded and people weren’t cleaning their hands.
Pinellas County
June 26, St. Petersburg - The restaurant is letting people in without wearing a mask.
June 26, Clearwater Beach - A manager told an employee with coronavirus they could still work because they didn’t have symptoms.
June 27, St. Petersburg - Business is selling alcohol after the state changed the rules yesterday.
June 27, St. Petersburg - Business is serving beer for people to sit down and drink.
June 27, St. Pete Beach - The business is continuing to sell alcohol for people to drink on-site.
June 27, St. Petersburg - Business is selling alcohol for on-premises consumption. Complainant says the business is endangering the staff and the community by allowing people to gather there.
June 27, Treasure Island - Seats at the bar were full and a band was playing inside to a crowd of people. People weren’t social distancing and the bar serves limited food.
June 27, Treasure Island - The business hasn’t followed guidelines since it reopened May 8, including sanitizing or enforcing wearing masks and social distancing. Complainant says the business’s thermometer wasn’t working so they were asked to lie and write down that their temperatures were 98.6.
June 27, Belleair Bluffs - The hostess sat five people at a table two feet away from the complainant even though the restaurant was mostly empty.
June 27, Pinellas Park - The business was letting people in without a mask to pick up to-go orders.
June 28, Pinellas Park - The business was letting people in without a mask to pick up to-go orders.
June 28, St. Petersburg - The business is continuing to serve people alcohol past closing time and not practicing social distancing. Complainant said they can see the establishment from their condo and people were drunk everywhere all night.
June 28, St. Petersburg - Business is selling alcohol for on-premises consumption. Complainant says the business is endangering the staff and the community by allowing people to gather there.
June 28, St. Pete Beach - Employees and patrons at the restaurant weren’t wearing masks. Tables weren’t distanced and none were marked as not available. The outdoor patio was full with more than 20 tables being served.
June 28, Treasure Island - Complainant is curious how a bar that sellls no food can still be open. The business has open seating in the parking lot and offering sealed drinks to go but people are drinking them on-site.
June 29, St. Pete Beach - The business is listed as a bar but isn’t serving food. Complainant states the business is having outside food companies come in and sell food.
June 30, Madeira Beach - Waiters at the restaurant weren’t wearing masks or social distancing while serving drinks all night. Complainant says she had hair in her nachos and saw roaches in the bathroom.
June 30, Largo - No one was wearing a mask or social distancing and the business hosts karaoke.
June 30, Largo - There was dried syrup on the table when complainant was seated. The complainant had to ask the waitress to put her mask over her nose and to wear her gloves, but the gloves came off again when she went to serve another table.
June 30, Clearwater - No one is wearing masks or washing their hands and an employee was sent home after being infected with COVID-19.
July 1, St. Petersburg - The owner of Cage Brewing asks for an exception to allow people to drink on-site at the brewery. The complainant says the business followed health guidelines since the first shutdown, but the second shutdown is putting a drain on finances and they are trying to stay afloat without going bankrupt.
July 1, St. Petersburg - Patrons who had COVID-19 notified the restaurant. The bar is serving alcohol without selling food and not practicing social distancing.
July 1, Largo - The outside seating in the back is always packed and the business isn’t social distancing or cleaning properly.
July 1, Largo - Complainant said they were able to order drinks without ordering food. Complainant stated he overhead a server saying drinks were being rung up as food so it looks good on paper.
July 3, Madeira Beach - The business was open while others were closed and a person infected with COVID-19 came into the bar, and the business only closed for two days.
July 4, Clearwater Beach - The business’s outdoor seating is at full capacity without social distancing. Several employees have tested positive for COVID-19 and management told them not tell anyone about their results.
July 4, Clearwater Beach - Management isn’t notifying staff of a coronavirus case in the restaurant.
July 5, St. Petersburg - This restaurant is trying to sell $2 pizza slices to make it okay to serve liquor. The business is consistently over capacity and is putting on live music on the weekends. An employee was infected with coronavirus and didn’t close or require any other employees to be tested.
July 7, Largo - Complainant states she saw at least six employees not wearing masks.
July 7, Palm Harbor - Employees weren’t wearing masks.
July 8, St. Petersburg - Seating was at full capacity with separate parties seated close to one another at adjoining tables. Customers and employees weren’t wearing masks.
July 8, St. Petersburg - Alcohol was being sold on the premises.
July 10, St. Pete Beach - The bar is selling alcohol to go but people are staying and drinking on-premises.
July 11, Palm Harbor - The bar isn’t requiring people to be seated and isn’t at 51 percent for food sales. The business still has pool tables and dartboards available for use.
July 14, St. Petersburg - The manager has symptoms for COVID-19 and other employees were coughing and sneezing without masks. Complainant said they were told the business would stay open so it could survive.
July 14, Palm Harbor - The business reopened with a kitchen, but food sales aren’t at 51 percent. Employees weren’t wearing masks or social distancing.
July 15, Clearwater - A sign on the door says people must wear masks but the manager wasn’t wearing a mask and allowed people without masks to enter.
July 15, Indian Rocks Beach - A cook and a waitress have tested positive for COVID-19 but the restaurant isn’t shutting down. Some employees wear a mask and some don’t.
July 15, Clearwater - A worker infected with COVID-19 was serving tables. The business is sometimes full and not enforcing social distancing.
July 15, St. Petersburg - During lunch, people weren’t social distancing or wearing masks and patrons were pulling together bar stools that were two feet apart.
July 16, Belleair Bluffs - The business didn’t distance tables or people at the bar during peak hours and didn’t enforce wearing masks.
July 17, Largo - No one was wearing masks or gloves when handling food and employees did not wash their hands. The hamburger tasted like spoiled meat.
July 18, St. Petersburg - The restaurant is overcrowded and employees preparing food weren’t weraing masks properly.
July 18, Dunedin - The business said it is now a restaurant because it is serving store-bought frozen snacks heated up in a toaster oven while also serving alcohol.
July 19, Clearwater - A sign on the door says people must wear masks but the manager wasn’t wearing a mask and allowed people without masks to enter.
July 20, St. Petersburg - Employees are wearing masks under the chin. Complainant states the restaurant is dirty on the outside and doesn’t think it is cleaning according to CDC guidelines.
July 20, North Redington - The restaurant was over 50 percent capacity and the bar was full of people. No one was social distancing or wearing masks while waiting to be seated.
July 20, St. Petersburg - Customers aren’t wearing masks and the business appeared over capacity. Complainant overheard staff talking about several employees testing positive for COVID-19.
July 20, St. Petersburg - Patrons aren’t social distancing or covering their noses with masks.
July 20, St. Petersburg - The business is packed with people who aren’t wearing masks over their noses. Security and supervisors at the business didn’t care.
July 20, Pinellas - The bar is continuing to operate.
July 20, St. Petersburg - Employees weren’t wearing masks and leaned over tables to get close to customers.
July 20, Tarpon Springs - The bar continues to operate.
July 21, St. Petersburg - The business is serving alcohol indoors and ringing up everything as food.
July 21, St. Petersburg - Complainant ordered a burger, drove home and found spit inside.
July 21, Pinellas Park - The bar is filled to capacity every night and most of the day. Bartenders wear their masks under the jaw and are not social distancing. The business is also having a buffet for the pool league.
July 22, St. Petersburg - Employees and customers aren’t wearing masks or social distancing at the bar. The business is selling more alcohol than food.
July 22, Largo - The employees are adjusting their face masks with gloves on and then touching other surfaces. Complainant states there should be a strict policy to keep people from adjusting their masks.
July 23, Palm Harbor - People at the bar are smoking and not social distancing. The bar doesn’t sell food and isn’t sanitizing.
Pasco County
June 26, New Port Richey - The manager is letting an employee work while their coronavirus test is being processed. The business isn’t sanitizing and hasn’t notified staff of the possibility of a coronavirus case among staff.
June 26, Zephyrhills - This business has remained open through the pandemic and continued to sell alcohol. The business is selling bags of chips to maintain that it is selling food. Patrons have tested positive for COVID-19 and infected other customers.
June 26, Zephyrhills - Complainant told the business it can’t sell alcohol and was told it wouldn’t stop.
June 26, Hudson - Every table was open for use and not spread apart.
June 27, Hudson - People weren’t wearing masks or social distancing.
June 28, Hudson - The business is constantly overcrowded, hardly makes any food sales and it not practicing social distancing.
June 30, New Port Richey - The business is selling alcohol and not enforcing social distancing.
June 30, Wesley Chapel - Complainant said the business was over capacity and looks like a scene from a spring break movie. People weren’t social distancing, staff wasn’t wearing masks and the complainant said they were aware of staff and a patron testing positive for COVID-19, but the business didn’t close.
July 2, New Port Richey - The business is a bar, not a restaurant and doesn’t have a kitchen.
July 2, New Port Richey - The business is still serving alcohol. Both the staff and customers weren’t practicing social distancing or wearing masks. Complainant states they are concerned for the well being of people who frequent it.
July 3, Wesley Chapel - Management knew of an employee with COVID-19 and didn’t tell other employees or shut down for cleaning.
July 4, Hudson - The business had standing room only.
July 9, Trinity - The hostess was seating customers who weren’t wearing masks even though a sign states masks are mandatory. Complainant said they could see into the kitchen from their table and spotted employees wearing masks on their chins.
July 9, Hudson - The business puts on events every weekend and isn’t enforcing social distancing.
July 12, New Port Richey - A bar owner asks why he can’t open his pub but this bar is packed. He said employees and patrons weren’t wearing masks and customers were crowded around the bar. A bartender told him they could be open because they have a kitchen even though they weren’t serving food.
July 14, Wesley Chapel - An employee touched food with bare hands.
July 16, Land O Lakes - The business scheduled a swinger party for July 18 and invited more than 700 people. Complainant says the business shouldn’t be open and serving liquor at this party, which could spread COVID-19.
July 17, Hudson - There was a large crowd and alcohol being sold.
July 21, Port Richey - The bar is overcrowded and does not serve food. COVID-19 won’t go away if this isn’t addressed.
July 22, New Port Richey - The bar wasn’t serving food even though it claimed to be a restaurant. Bartenders allowed people to come in without masks.
Hernando County
June 26, Hernando Beach - The entire indoor seating area was taken up with no social distancing, and there was a line of people out the door. Complainant says they have been here every Saturday for five weeks and have seen less social distancing each time.
June 26, Spring Hill - The parking lot was filled with cars and the complainant was told people were shoulder to shoulder inside.
June 26, Hernando Beach - People weren’t social distancing and cars were lined up outside.
June 29, Homosassa - The business was selling alcohol but not food. Too many people were inside and weren’t social distancing.
June 30, Brooksville - Employees weren’t wearing masks or gloves and were letting children into the kitchen after business hours to help themselves to soda.
July 3, Homosassa - No one is social distancing and the business is flagrantly violating every rule. The business is openly advertising its cornhole tournament on Facebook.
July 4, Brooksville - An employee told the complainant the business isn’t staying under 50 percent capacity, enforcing social distancing or increasing cleaning. Complainant was told an employee tested positive for COVID-19 and has recently worked there.
July 8, Homossassa - They have an open bar and people are sitting close to each other without masks.
July 11, Brooksville - This business is operating as a nightclub.
July 16, Homosassa - The restaurant is letting an employee who tested positive for COVID-19 work and not letting them wear a mask. The business also isn’t social distancing.
July 17, Spring Hill - A bar owner says he can’t open his bar because he doesn’t have a food license. He asks why other bars can allow people to smoke indoors without selling food and asks if he can set up a tent in his parking lot to serve drinks. He says he feels he’s the only bar in the county following the rules and asks why rules are made if they’re not going to be enforced.
July 17, Hernando - The business is allowing on-premises alcohol consumption and is hosting pool tournaments on the weekends.
July 20, Hernando - The restaurant is full every day without social distancing and no one is wearing a mask.
July 20, Hernando - The restaurant is full every day without social distancing and no one is wearing a mask.
Citrus County
June 26, Inverness - The restaurant was over 50 percent capacity. Complainant said they love this restaurant and just want them to comply, but that three parties were seated next to them less than six feet away.
June 27, Crystal River - The business was packed on Father’s Day with a line of 30 people out the door. Every table and seat was occupied and employees weren’t wearing masks.
June 27, Inverness - The business is open and serving alcohol.
June 30, Crystal River - The business ran an ad on Facebook saying it is open and selling alcohol for on-premises consumption.
July 3, Crystal River - The complainant came in around 6 p.m. and the business wasn’t enforcing social distancing and people were everywhere.
July 3, Crystal River - The business was over capacity and hosting karaoke and bands.
July 4, Crystal River - The business is over capacity, but the complainant states nothing will be done because the owners are friends with the officials.
July 7, Crystal River - The business has not shut down.
July 7, Floral City - The business is open when no other places are.
July 8, Crystal River - The business is over capacity every day, especially on the weekends. Employees don’t wear masks or gloves and employees experiencing COVID-19 symptoms are told to stick it out until their shift is over.
July 10, Crystal River - Most employees weren’t wearing masks and tables were not distanced. Complainant talked to the manager, who said those are suggestions and aren’t required by law. When more people arrived, the business removed out of service signs on tables and filled every one.
July 13, Crystal River - Employees were not wearing masks or gloves and salt shakers on the tables weren’t sanitized between guests. Social distancing wasn’t being followed.
July 16, Crystal River - The business is selling alcohol before 2 p.m., when the kitchen opens.
July 17, Crystal River - The tables and waiting area were all full.
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