Frequently Asked Questions

InspectFL is an independent website that makes Florida restaurant health inspection data easy to search and understand. We take publicly available inspection records from the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR) and present them in a user-friendly format with letter grades, health scores, and detailed violation breakdowns for over 62,000 restaurants across all 67 Florida counties.

All inspection data on InspectFL comes directly from the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR), the state agency responsible for licensing and inspecting food service establishments. DBPR employs hundreds of inspectors who conduct routine and complaint-driven inspections at restaurants, food trucks, catering operations, and other food service businesses statewide. We import their complete public datasets daily.

Our database refreshes automatically every day at 4:00 AM Eastern. We download the latest DBPR data files, process new inspections and violations, scrape inspector observations, and rebuild the site. Most inspections appear on InspectFL within 24–48 hours of being filed with the state. Health Scores and letter grades are recomputed weekly (Sunday night) so the headline numbers stay stable through the week.

Every restaurant starts at 100 points. Violations deduct points based on severity: critical violations cost 3 points each, major violations cost 2 points, and minor violations cost 1 point. We also apply time decay — recent inspections carry full weight (1.0×), inspections from 1–2 cycles ago carry half weight (0.5×), and older ones carry quarter weight (0.25×). Restaurants that pass inspections with zero violations earn a clean inspection bonus, and consecutive clean inspections receive an increasing streak multiplier.

Letter grades are based on the InspectFL Health Score: A (95–100) represents excellent food safety practices, B (85–94) indicates good performance with minor issues, C (70–84) means the restaurant has notable violations that need attention, and F (0–69) signals serious and repeated food safety concerns. These grades are calculated by InspectFL — they are not official government ratings.

Critical violations pose a direct risk of foodborne illness — things like improper food temperatures, cross-contamination, or sewage issues. Major violations are significant food safety concerns that could lead to problems if not corrected. Minor violations are maintenance or procedural issues that don't directly affect food safety. For more detail, see our food safety guide at InspectFL.org/food-safety.

Not necessarily. A low score means the restaurant had more or more severe violations during inspections, but many violations are corrected on the spot during the inspection itself. A low score is a signal to be aware, not a guarantee of danger. That said, restaurants with repeated critical violations over multiple inspections deserve extra scrutiny. We recommend checking the specific violations rather than relying solely on the letter grade.

Absolutely. Because our scoring system uses time decay, older violations carry less weight over time. A restaurant that cleans up its act will see its score improve as new, cleaner inspections replace older ones. Passing inspections with zero violations earns a clean inspection bonus, and consecutive clean inspections build a streak multiplier that can significantly boost a restaurant's grade.

We're currently adding detailed inspector observations — the actual notes inspectors write during their visits — to every restaurant page across the state. This is an ongoing process covering 62,000+ restaurants, so some pages may only show violation codes without the full narrative. We're adding more every day, so check back soon.

No. 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 proprietary calculation based on publicly available data. For official inspection records, please visit the DBPR website at myfloridalicense.com.

InspectFL does not conduct inspections or accept complaints. Report concerns directly to the DBPR at 850-487-1395 or myfloridalicense.com. For step-by-step instructions, see our food safety guide at InspectFL.org/food-safety.

DBPR stands for the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation. It's the state agency responsible for licensing and regulating businesses in Florida, including restaurants and food service establishments. DBPR employs inspectors across seven districts who conduct unannounced inspections at food establishments throughout the state, typically 1–4 times per year depending on the type of business and prior violations.

Yes. InspectFL covers every food service establishment licensed by the DBPR, which includes food trucks, mobile food dispensing vehicles, catering operations, bakeries, delis, and all other food service businesses across Florida's 67 counties.

Our database currently tracks inspections from July 2025 (the start of the current Florida fiscal year) to the present. We import and process new inspection data daily, so the most recent inspections typically appear within 24–48 hours of being filed with the state. Health Scores and letter grades are recomputed weekly on Sundays.

Yes. Restaurant owners with questions about their InspectFL score or data accuracy are welcome to reach out at hello@inspectfl.org. However, we cannot alter scores or remove legitimate inspection data — our scores are calculated algorithmically from official DBPR records. If you believe there's an error in the underlying state data, you should contact the DBPR directly.

Yes, InspectFL is completely free for consumers. Our mission is to make public health inspection data accessible to everyone. You can search any restaurant, view inspection histories, compare grades, and explore county and city data at no cost.

You can sign up for our free weekly newsletter to receive inspection roundups and food safety stories. You can also add restaurants to your personal Watchlist to keep track of places you care about, and follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/InspectFL for regular updates.