About InspectFL
Know Before You Go
Our Mission
Every day, millions of Floridians and tourists choose where to eat based on Google reviews, Instagram photos, and word of mouth. What they almost never check is whether that restaurant passed its last health inspection — because that data is buried in government databases that are nearly impossible to navigate.
InspectFL changes that. We take publicly available inspection records from the State of Florida and make them searchable, readable, and useful. Our goal is simple: give people the information they need to make informed decisions about where they eat.
We don't editorialize inspection results or make recommendations. We present the data clearly and let you decide. Whether a restaurant has a perfect score or a failing grade, you deserve to know.
InspectFL by the Numbers
Where Our Data Comes From
All inspection data on InspectFL is sourced directly from the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR) — the state agency responsible for licensing and inspecting food service establishments across all 67 Florida counties.
DBPR employs hundreds of inspectors who conduct routine and complaint-driven inspections at restaurants, food trucks, catering operations, and other food service businesses throughout the state. Their inspection reports document every violation found, categorized by severity: critical, major, and minor.
We download DBPR's complete public inspection datasets across all seven inspection districts daily, parse the records, and load them into our database. This includes restaurant information, inspection dates and types, and detailed violation records with official DBPR violation codes.
Our Scoring Methodology
The DBPR doesn't assign letter grades or numerical scores to restaurants — that's something we built ourselves. The InspectFL Health Score is our own proprietary scoring system designed to give a fair, at-a-glance assessment of a restaurant's inspection history.
How the Score Works
Every restaurant starts at 100 points. Violations deduct points based on severity:
- Critical violations — 3 points each (risk of foodborne illness)
- Major violations — 2 points each (significant food safety concern)
- Minor violations — 1 point each (maintenance or procedural issue)
Time Decay
We believe recent behavior matters more than ancient history. Violations from the most recent inspection carry full weight (1.0×), violations from 1-2 inspections ago carry half weight (0.5×), and older violations carry quarter weight (0.25×). This means restaurants that clean up their act are rewarded over time.
Clean Inspection Bonus
Restaurants that pass an inspection with zero violations receive a bonus that improves their score. Consecutive clean inspections earn an increasing streak multiplier — rewarding sustained excellence rather than a single lucky inspection.
Grade Scale
For a deeper dive into our grading system, visit our How Inspections Work page.
How Often We Update
Our database refreshes automatically every day at 4:00 AM Eastern. We download the latest DBPR data files, process new inspections and violations, recompute grades and scores for affected restaurants, and rebuild the site. Most inspections appear on InspectFL within 24-48 hours of being filed with the state.
What We Cover
InspectFL covers every restaurant, food truck, catering operation, bakery, deli, and food service establishment licensed by the DBPR across all 67 Florida counties — from the Panhandle to the Keys. We track inspections dating from July 2025 (the current Florida fiscal year) to present.
Beyond raw data, we publish original editorial content through our blog "Behind the Kitchen Door", featuring city-level deep dives, county reports, chain vs. local comparisons, and data-driven stories about food safety trends across the state.
What We Don't Do
- We don't conduct inspections ourselves — all data comes from licensed DBPR inspectors
- We don't accept payment from restaurants to alter their scores or visibility
- We don't make dining recommendations — we present data and let you decide
- We don't store or display any personally identifiable information about restaurant owners
Important Disclaimer
InspectFL is an independent project and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the State of Florida, the DBPR, or any government agency. The InspectFL Health Score is our own calculation based on public data — it is not an official government rating.
For official inspection records, please visit the DBPR website directly. While we strive for accuracy, there may be a short delay between when an inspection occurs and when it appears here.
Who's Behind InspectFL
InspectFL was created by Dmitry B., a Florida-based data and technology enthusiast who believes public health data should be accessible to everyone — not buried in government databases that most people don't even know exist. What started as a personal curiosity about local restaurant inspections turned into a mission to bring transparency to food safety across all 67 Florida counties.
Get in Touch
We'd love to hear from you. Whether you have a question about our data, a suggestion for improvement, or a tip about a story we should investigate:
InspectFL — Know Before You Go
