- What causes Florida restaurants to be emergency closed?
- The most common causes are roach infestations (5,143 closures), rodent activity (3,061), combined roach and rodent infestations, fly activity, sewage leaks and backups, and operating without a license. Florida's DBPR inspectors order an emergency closure when they find conditions posing an immediate public health threat.
- How many restaurants have been closed in Florida?
- DBPR health inspectors have ordered 13,478 emergency restaurant closures since records began in 2015. 371 closures have been issued so far in 2026.
- What is a stop-sale order in Florida?
- A stop-sale order issued by FDACS (Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services) prohibits a retail food establishment from selling specific products found to be unsafe, mislabeled, adulterated, or non-compliant with Florida food code. FDACS has issued 69,334 stop-sale orders since 2022, with 14,254 in 2026.
- What is the difference between a DBPR closure and an FDACS stop-sale order?
- A DBPR emergency closure shuts down an entire restaurant or food service establishment for conditions posing immediate public health danger — typically pest infestations, sewage problems, or unlicensed operations. An FDACS stop-sale order targets specific products at a retail food store (grocery, convenience store, gas station market) and prohibits selling those items, but does not necessarily close the store.
- Can a restaurant reopen after a Florida closure?
- Yes. Emergency closures are temporary. A restaurant can reopen once the conditions that caused the closure are corrected and a DBPR inspector signs off. Most closures are resolved within 24–72 hours, though some facilities with serious or repeated violations face longer shutdowns or additional enforcement actions.
- Which Florida counties have the most restaurant closures?
- Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Hillsborough, and Pinellas counties consistently account for the highest closure volumes, corresponding to their large populations and concentration of food service establishments. Closure rates per capita tell a different story — smaller counties sometimes have disproportionately high closure rates.
- How far back does Florida closure data go?
- FloridaFoodSafety.org tracks DBPR restaurant closures from 2015 to present. FDACS stop-sale order data is available from 2022 forward. DBPR does not purge historical closure records, so the full 2015–present dataset is available for research.