Florida
Dirty Dining: Trio of restaurants South Florida shut down over startling conditions
A shocking Dirty Dining investigation by Local 10 News has uncovered alarming conditions in South Florida restaurants, even after they were shut down and later allowed to reopen.
Investigative reporter Jeff Weinsier visited three establishments cited for egregious food safety violations, uncovering stomach-churning conditions such as roaches, rodent droppings, and unsanitary practices.
Hunan Wok: “All Clean,” But Evidence Says Otherwise
Hunan Wok, located at 407 East Sheridan St. in Dania Beach, was recently shut down for 11 violations, including live and dead roaches under the cooler, behind the freezer, and beneath the wok station. When Weinsier arrived, the back door to the kitchen stood wide open, surrounded by five rodent bait stations.
“Door is wide open,” said Weinsier. “Just shut down for roaches, rodent issues.”
Inside, a roach crawled across the floor, directly contradicting the employee’s assurances that everything was clean.
“All clean, you can see it,” the employee said.
Weinsier wasn’t convinced. “Is it clean? What happened last week? Based on a complaint? Someone complained.”
“I know,” the employee admitted.
As the investigation continued, a shocking discovery was made in the kitchen: a colander used to prepare food had been turned into a makeshift ashtray.
“There is a cigarette butt in here,” Weinsier pointed out. “I know you’re not open, but I wouldn’t necessarily throw a cigarette butt in a strainer. You know what I mean?”
Despite repeated violations noted by inspectors, including rodent droppings under the cash register and grease buildup, the employee maintained there were no issues. “No dirty,” he insisted, moments before another live roach was spotted.
Sushi Jungle: Over 100 Rodent Droppings Found
At Sushi Jungle in Doral, located at 8373 NW 12th St., a staggering 31 violations were cited, including over 100 rodent droppings found throughout the restaurant. Droppings were discovered near the sushi prep area, under the dishwashing station, and even on top of a bucket of sanitizer and a lid of detergent.
Weinsier asked the chef, “No one sees over 100 rodent droppings?” The chef appeared bewildered, repeatedly saying, “No, no.”
Additional violations included flying insects landing on prep tables, improperly stored food, and cutting boards soiled with mold-like substances. Despite the evidence, the chef showed little interest in addressing the concerns, saying in Spanish, “Yo comiendo” (“I’m eating”).
Weinsier replied, “I don’t care if you’re eating. No comment? Nothing to say about this?” The chef offered no response.
Ruby Chinese: Rodent Droppings on the License to Operate
At Ruby Chinese in Fort Lauderdale, located at 913 State Road 84, inspectors found rodent droppings in multiple areas, including shockingly atop the restaurant’s framed state license to operate.
When confronted, an employee refused to comment. “Unfortunately, at the moment, we would not want to comment on it, thank you.”
Weinsier pressed further: “Any reason why you wouldn’t want to tell the public, ‘We are sorry, we will do better?’”
The employee finally responded, “We will definitely improve. Definitely learned our lessons. It’s a hard lesson to learn.”
Copyright 2024 by WPLG Local10.com – All rights reserved.
ICE shooting: After Renee Nicole Good was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, millions of Americans are protesting — including in Trump’s home state.
A week ago, President Donald Trump rang in the new year like a king — in grandeur and opulence at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
Following this week’s deadly shooting by a federal immigration officer in Minnesota, millions of Americans frustrated with his administration are protesting — including in his home state.
Groups in Orlando, Tallahassee and Miami have held vigils and peaceful protests after Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot in the head while attempting to use a vehicle to flee authorities. The incident was captured on camera, and multiple videos posted on social media have gotten millions of views.
The nationwide protests are the latest in a year of Trump’s second term, which is coming up on a one-year anniversary later this month. Most cite Trump’s:
- immigration crackdowns
- ICE and National Guard deployments
- on-again-off-again tariffs
- his perceived control over all three branches of the U.S. government
More than 25 Trump protests and vigils for Renee Nicole Good were scheduled Wednesday, Jan. 7, to Sunday, Jan. 11, in his home state of Florida, and at least one was scheduled in Palm Beach County − about 30 miles down the road from his private club.
Last week, Donald and Melania Trump hosted their annual New Year’s Eve gala at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. He returns there Friday, Jan. 9, amid the ICE protests and vigils for Renee Good in Minneapolis.
USA TODAY and the USA TODAY Network will provide live coverage of the anti-Trump administration protests.
Below are photos of the ICE protests in Florida, which occurred as Trump returned home to his private club, Mar-a-Lago.
Photos of ICE protest in Gainesville, Florida
Photos of ICE protest in Palm Coast, Florida
Photos of ICE protest in Stuart, Florida
Photos of ICE protest in Tallahassee, Florida
US protests after Renee Nicole Good is shot dead by an ICE agent
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Subscribe to the free Florida TODAY newsletter.
Hate driving in Florida traffic? A flying taxi can elevate that problem. Electric aircrafts could used in Florida’s skies in 2026.
Tired of the constant traffic and congestion clogging Florida’s roads?
In the words of the great Dr. Emmett Brown (Back to the Future fame), “Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads.”
Florida is on its way to be the nation’s first state to offer commercial Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Essentially, that means state officials are paving the (air)way for passengers to take flight taxis, including electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL), from one city to another in record time.
The country’s first aerial test site should be operational within the first part of 2026. It’s at Florida Department of Transportation’s SunTrax testing facility in Polk Couty between Tampa and Orlando along the almost-always congested Interstate-4.
“Florida is at the forefront of emerging flight technology, leading the nation in bringing highways to the skies with Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), an entirely new mode of transportation,” according to a press release from the Florida Department of Transportation. “FDOT’s strategic investments in infrastructure to support AAM will help us become the first state with commercial AAM services.”
When will flight taxis be available in Florida?
Sometime in early 2026, the new Florida AAM Headquarters at the SunTrax Campus will be operational. By the end of the year, it will be fully activated and ready to deploy profitable commercial services for passenger travel.
Air taxi company Archer Aviation announced in Dec. 2025 that it will provide flights between Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and Miami international airports possibly as early as this year.
The company also plans to pick up and drop off passengers at the Boca Raton Airport, the Witham Field airport in Stuart, Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport and Miami Executive Airport.
Phase one of Florida air taxis: Four sections of the state
- Part A: I-4 corridor, Orlando to Tampa, Orlando to the Space Coast, Orlando to Suntrax and Tampa to Suntrax.
- Part B: Port St. Lucie to Miami
- Part C: Tampa to Naples/Miami to Key West
- Part D: Pensacola to Tallahassee
Phase two of Florida air taxis: Four more sections
- Part A: Daytona Beach to Jacksonville
- Part B: Sebring out east and west
- Part C: Orlando to Lake City/Tampa to Tallahassee
- Part D: Jacksonville to Tallahassee
What Florida airports are interested in commercial flight taxis
- Boca Raton Airport (BCT)
- Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB)
- Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
- Lakeland Linder International Airport (LAL)
- Miami Executive Airport (TMB)
- Miami International Airport (MIA)
- Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport (OPF)
- Orlando Executive Airport (ORL)
- Orlando International Airport (MCO)
- Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)
- Peter O Knight Airport (TPF)
- Sebring Regional Airport (SEF)
- Tallahassee International Airport (TLH)
- Tampa International Airport (TPA)
- Vero Beach Regional Airport (VRB)
Michelle Spitzeris a journalist for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. As the network’s Rapid Response reporter, she covers Florida’s breaking news. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
Florida
Officials withheld evidence on Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ funding, environmental groups say
ORLANDO, Fla. — Federal and state officials withheld evidence that the Department of Homeland Security had agreed to reimburse Florida for some of the costs of constructing an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” according to environmental groups suing to shut down the facility.
The Everglades facility remains open, still holding detainees, because an appellate court in early September relied on arguments by Florida and the Trump administration that the state hadn’t yet applied for federal reimbursement, and therefore wasn’t required to follow federal environmental law.
The new evidence — emails and documents obtained through a public records request — shows that officials had discussed federal reimbursement in June, and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency confirmed in early August that it had received from state officials a grant application. Florida was notified in late September that FEMA had approved $608 million in federal funding to support the center’s construction and operation.
“We now know that the federal and state government had records confirming that they closely partnered on this facility from the beginning but failed to disclose them to the district court,” said Tania Galloni, one of the attorneys for the environmental groups.
An appellate panel in Atlanta put a temporary hold on a lower court judge’s ruling that would have closed the state-built facility. The new evidence should now be considered as the judges decide the facility’s permanent fate, Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, said in court papers on Wednesday.
A federal judge in Miami in mid-August ordered the facility to wind down operations over two months because officials had failed to do a review of the detention center’s environmental impact according to federal law. That judge concluded that a reimbursement decision already had been made.
The Florida Department of Emergency Management, which led the efforts to build the Everglades facility, didn’t respond to an emailed inquiry on Thursday.
Florida has led other states in constructing facilities to support President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Besides the Everglades facility, which received its first detainees in July, Florida has opened an immigration detention center in northeast Florida and is looking at opening a third facility in the Florida Panhandle.
The environmental lawsuit is one of three federal court challenges to the Everglades facility. In the others, detainees said Florida agencies and private contractors hired by the state have no authority to operate the center under federal law. They’re also seeking a ruling ensuring access to confidential communications with their attorneys.
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Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: @mikeysid.bsky.social
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