A Florida Department of Agriculture inspection found a pest-control problem and temperature violations at the Hallandale Beach Winn-Dixie, putting the store at risk of losing permission to accept new deliveries if the conditions recur during re-inspection. Inspectors documented a live roach near the seafood area and found bakery desserts and deli meats held above the required cold-storage temperature.
The inspection occurred Sept. 16, according to the Miami Herald. Inspectors Francis Odio and Wenndy Ayerdis reported the roach near the seafood area and required the storage space beneath a refrigerated bunker holding prepackaged products to be emptied, cleaned and sanitized before the follow-up inspection. The area cannot receive additional product in the meantime.
The cited corrective measures carry broader consequences if inspectors find evidence of an ongoing infestation. The store could receive a stop-use order covering its receiving areas, preventing it from accepting new food shipments, as well as a separate stop-use order for processing equipment. Exposed food could also be placed under a stop-sale order until the pest issue is resolved, according to the Herald's account.
Warm Desserts and Deli Meat Also Pulled
Temperature findings added to the enforcement action. Inspectors issued stop-sale orders for tres leches, flan and flan de queso in a bakery reach-in cooler after recording temperatures of 43 and 44 degrees Fahrenheit, above the 41-degree limit for cold Time/Temperature Control for Safety foods. The FDACS Division of Food Safety identifies the 41-degree ceiling as the applicable standard for refrigerated foods such as deli meats, milk products and desserts.
Stop-sale orders also went out for prepackaged sliced ham, sliced cooked ham and sliced turkey, the same account states.
What Happens Before the Next Visit
Before the next inspection, the storage area beneath the bunker must be completely cleared of merchandise, cleaned and sanitized, and cannot receive any additional product.
It's unclear whether store management has completed the required cleaning and pest control steps or whether the refrigerated bunker area has been fully cleared, and those questions remain unresolved ahead of the follow-up visit.
A Store Already Headed for Change
This Winn-Dixie is also expected to undergo a separate business change. Located in the RK Diplomat Center, it is slated to close around December 2026 and be converted into an ALDI, according to My Florida Retail Blog. The broader conversion plan followed ALDI's March 2024 acquisition of Winn-Dixie parent Southeastern Grocers. As Hoodline reported in coverage of the Bird Road Winn-Dixie closure, an investor group bought back about 170 stores to keep operating under the Winn-Dixie name, while ALDI retained locations for conversion.
How the case compares
Recent South Florida enforcement cases show that pest and temperature findings can result in immediate closure. The South Florida Sun Sentinel reported that LongHorn Steakhouse at 6225 N. Andrews Ave. in Fort Lauderdale was ordered shut Aug. 21 after inspectors found about 22 live roaches in food-preparation and storage areas. The same report said Moonlite Diner at 6201 N. Andrews Ave. was ordered shut Aug. 20 after inspectors found about 17 live roaches and issued stop-sale orders for multiple foods because of temperature abuse. Those were restaurant closures; the Hallandale Beach case described here involves corrective orders and the possibility of a future stop-use order for receiving areas if the problem persists. The companywide conversion timeline is broader than the location-specific date cited for the Hallandale Beach store. Winn-Dixie said ALDI plans to convert approximately 220 Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket stores through a multiyear process that began in March 2024 and is expected to conclude in 2027, according to Winn-Dixie. That announcement does not, by itself, establish a different conversion date for Hallandale Beach's other Winn-Dixie.
Hallandale Beach residents shouldn't confuse this location with the city's other Winn-Dixie at 1055 W. Hallandale Beach Blvd., which remains open as a full-service supermarket with no reported plans for an ALDI conversion, per Flashback South Florida. The East Hallandale Beach Boulevard store is the one tied to the roach citation.
Part of a Wider Enforcement Push
The Hallandale Beach citation fits into a broader 2026 regional enforcement campaign, with FDACS issuing stop-use and stop-sale orders at multiple South Florida food establishments this year. Hoodline previously reported on similar violations at M & L Food Market in Miami Beach in May and at Supermercados El Bodegon in Margate in March, both involving roaches, mold or unsafe food temperatures. Inspectors Francis Odio and Wenndy Ayerdis have repeatedly turned up in these South Florida cases, including a Broward County bakery inspection Ayerdis conducted in July that led to food disposal and stop-use orders there as well.
