Beginning Tuesday, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation will implement a new inspection program officials say will lower the regulatory burden for businesses with a good inspection history.
Based on a law that passed last year, the new inspection program through the DBPR’s hotel and restaurants division, will focus more of its attention on businesses that have had problems with the agency in the past, especially those that pose a higher risk to public safety.
“Florida’s restaurants and food trucks not only serve the citizens of the state, but also those who are visiting on vacation, so ensuring public safety is crucial to Florida’s growing economy,” said DBPR secretary Ken Lawson, in a release. “This new inspection frequency program allows the department to hone our regulatory efforts, which makes great business sense for our licensees, and for Florida’s taxpayers.”
Under the new program, food service establishments will be categorized by risk levels rated one through four. Each number represents the number of inspections they’ll be required to have on an annual basis, so a Level One business will need just one inspection each year, while a Level Four would require four.
However, DBPR will continue to conduct an inspection each time a complaint is received, as it has before, no matter what level the business is.
DBPR will assign initial levels at the next inspection, or when a new business applies for a license. Then, at the beginning of each fiscal year, DBPR officials will reassess each establishment’s inspection frequency classification, and reclassify it if necessary.
The complete guidelines surrounding the risk-based inspection frequency can be found right here. Those with questions can call DBPR directly at (850) 487-1395, or visiting online.
