Florida's DBPR, not the county, inspects Fort Lauderdale restaurants. It made 639 inspection visits in the city from July 1 to Oct. 7, 2026. Search: 850-487-1395.
Last checked Oct. 8, 2026. Figures come from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s food service inspection data, District 2 file, covering July 1 to Oct. 7, 2026. Questions or complaints: DBPR Customer Contact Center, 850-487-1395.
Restaurants in Fort Lauderdale are inspected by the state, not by Broward County or the city. The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Hotels and Restaurants licenses and inspects restaurants and other public food service businesses. Florida does not give restaurants a score or letter grade; each inspection lists violations by severity and ends with an outcome.
How to check a restaurant
- Search any restaurant’s inspections: the state’s online inspection search; enter the business name and “Fort Lauderdale.”
- Report a problem: file a complaint online or call 850-487-1395.
- Recent emergency closures, statewide: the division’s weekly emergency closure lists.
What the numbers show
From July 1, the start of the state’s fiscal year, to Oct. 7, 2026, state inspectors made 639 food service inspection visits at 515 licensed establishments with a Fort Lauderdale address. The outcomes:
| Outcome | Visits |
|---|---|
| Inspection completed, no further action | 389 |
| Call-back inspection, problems corrected | 83 |
| Warning issued | 72 |
| Administrative complaint recommended (includes 12 call-backs) | 71 |
| Emergency closure recommended | 8 |
| Other follow-ups (extensions pending, emergency order call-backs) | 16 |
Of those visits, 504 were routine inspections, 85 followed a complaint and 50 were licensing inspections. On the 421 first-visit routine inspections, the median number of high-priority violations was one, and about a third (32%) found none.
How Florida inspections work
From the division’s inspections page: every public food service establishment gets one to four unannounced inspections a year, depending on risk: the type of food, how it is prepared and the place’s inspection history. Complaints and follow-ups add more visits. Violations fall into three tiers:
- High priority: violations that could contribute directly to a foodborne illness or injury.
- Intermediate: violations that, if not addressed, could lead to risk factors for foodborne illness or injury.
- Basic: best practices the division wants businesses to follow.
Each visit ends with an outcome. A warning means violations must be fixed by a set date, and the inspector returns; “call-back, complied” means they were. Administrative complaint recommended means high-priority violations, or uncorrected ones, call for administrative action to get the business into compliance. An emergency closure is not a disciplinary action, the state says, but a step to deal with conditions that pose an elevated risk; the business stays closed until they are corrected.
Reading the records fairly
- A single inspection is a snapshot of one visit. Look at a restaurant’s history over several visits.
- Violation counts are not comparable to a score; one high-priority violation matters more than several basic ones.
- An administrative complaint is a recommendation for further action, not a finding of wrongdoing.
- We do not name individual restaurants on this page. Use the state search to see any business’s full record.
The data
The division publishes inspection data for each of its seven district offices; Broward County is in District 2. The current fiscal year’s file updates regularly, and statewide files go back years on the public records page. The same division also licenses and inspects hotels, motels and vacation rentals.
Related: new businesses in Fort Lauderdale and farmers markets.
Frequently asked questions
Who inspects restaurants in Broward County?
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Hotels and Restaurants inspects restaurants and other public food service businesses, not Broward County.
How do I look up a restaurant inspection in Fort Lauderdale?
Use the state’s online inspection search at myfloridalicense.com, entering the business name and city, or call the DBPR Customer Contact Center at 850-487-1395.
Do Florida restaurants get inspection scores or letter grades?
No. Florida records violations by severity, as high priority, intermediate or basic, and the outcome of each visit. There is no single score or grade.
How many restaurant inspections were done in Fort Lauderdale this year?
State records show 639 food service inspection visits at 515 establishments in Fort Lauderdale from July 1 to Oct. 7, 2026. In 389 of them inspectors took no further action.
How do I report a problem at a Florida restaurant?
File a complaint online with the DBPR or call its Customer Contact Center at 850-487-1395. The state says complaints can prompt additional inspections.
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