FLORIDA. A Jacksonville Hooters was ordered shut after inspectors documented both roach and rodent activity at the same location, one of 31 pest-related emergency closures Florida regulators issued in the two-week stretch between September 26 and October 9, 2026.
The Hooters at 8938 San Jose Blvd was closed September 29. As of the data available, its reopening status remains unknown, making it one of two closures in this period without a confirmed return to service.
The Roach Cases
Twenty of the 31 closures were roach-related, the dominant pest type in this period. Jacksonville accounted for five of those, more than any other city in the state.
El Primo Restaurant and Grocery at 6715 Powers Ave was closed September 28 for roach activity and reopened by 11:15 a.m. the same day. That same morning, Hong Kong Station at 7534 Beach Blvd was also shut for roaches, reopening just before 1 p.m.
Ya Habibi Slice and Spice at 6271 St. Augustine Rd followed on October 1, closed for roach activity and back open by 9:39 a.m.
In Tampa, Pepo's Café at 3879 Northdale Blvd was closed October 1 for roaches and did not reopen until 2:42 p.m., one of the longer turnaround times among roach closures that week. Perry's BBQ Asian Grill at 8015 Citrus Park Town Center Mall was also shut September 30 for roach activity, not reopening until 2:43 p.m.
Pisco Bar and Restaurant at 7507 N Armenia Ave was ordered closed September 28 and reopened by 10:43 a.m.
Oviedo produced three roach closures in a single day. On September 28, inspectors shut 2 Hermanos Taco Burrito at 1605 Oviedo Mall Blvd, Mediterranean Gourmet at 1525 Oviedo Marketplace Blvd, and Asian Express at 1700 Oviedo Mall Blvd, all within the same mall corridor. All three reopened the same morning, the latest by 10:47 a.m.
Three roach closures in one shopping district in one day is not a coincidence inspectors would ignore.
In Miami, Allegro Ma Non Troppo/Socal Taco Company at 1000 S Miami Ave was shut September 30 for roaches and cleared by 10:16 a.m. Brandon Asian Cuisine at 6417 Stirling Rd in Davie was closed October 1 and back open before 8:40 a.m., one of the fastest turnarounds in the period.
Lolas Filipino Café and Mini Store at 1241 Blanding Blvd in Orange Park was closed October 2 for roach activity. Like the Hooters closure three days earlier, its reopening status is not confirmed in state records.
Rodents and Flies
Six closures involved rodent activity. Subway 4419 at 2004 66th St N in St. Petersburg was shut September 28 and reopened by 10:38 a.m. A national sandwich chain drawing a rodent closure is not unusual in Florida inspection records, but it draws attention.
Whistle Stop Grill and Bar at 915 Main St in Safety Harbor was closed September 30 for rodent activity and cleared by 10:04 a.m. Anytime Eat at 1901 Drew St in Clearwater was also shut that day for rodents, not reopening until 3:14 p.m.
Rocky's Pizzeria Restaurant at 105 N Ocean Shore Blvd in Flagler Beach was closed September 28 for rodent activity and reopened by 9:56 a.m. Oh Greek at 5475 Factory Shops Blvd in Ellenton drew a rodent closure October 1, reopening just before 11 a.m.
Sailor's Return at 625 SW Anchorage Way in Stuart was shut September 28 for rodents and did not reopen until 4:24 p.m., the latest reopening time among the rodent closures.
Four closures involved fly activity. Chipotle Mexican Grill at 6290 S Dixie Hwy in Miami was closed September 29 and cleared by 8:10 a.m., the earliest reopening of any closure in the entire period. Moe's Southwest Grill at 9620 Applecross Rd in Jacksonville was shut September 30 for fly activity and reopened by 10:06 a.m.
Chicken Guy at 4301 S University Dr in Davie was closed September 30 for fly activity and back open by 10:08 a.m. Esposito Pizza at 2803 James L. Redman Pkwy in Plant City was shut September 29 for flies and reopened by 10:10 a.m.
Mama Kitchen at 2200 W International Speedway Blvd in Daytona Beach was closed September 29 for a combination of roach and fly activity, reopening by 9:22 a.m.
What These Violations Mean
Live cockroaches in a food service environment are not a sanitation inconvenience. They are a direct contamination route. Roaches travel between sewage, drains, garbage, and food prep surfaces, and they carry pathogens including salmonella and E. coli on their bodies and in their droppings. When an inspector documents live roach activity, it means roaches were present during operating hours, not just discovered during an after-hours sweep.
Rodent activity carries a different but overlapping set of risks. Rodent droppings can harbor hantavirus and salmonella. More critically, rodents gnaw through food packaging and contaminate stored goods in ways that are not always visible. A closure for rodent activity typically means inspectors found droppings, gnaw marks, or live or dead rodents in areas where food is stored or prepared.
Fly infestations, particularly in prep and cooking areas, represent a vector for cross-contamination between waste and food. The closures at Chipotle on S. Dixie Highway and Moe's Southwest Grill in Jacksonville, both national chains with corporate food safety protocols, show that fly activity is not limited to independent operators.
The dual-pest closures, Hooters for both roaches and rodents, and Mama Kitchen for roaches and flies, are the most serious category. Multiple pest types in a single facility indicate systemic sanitation failures, not a single isolated entry point.
The Longer Record
The three Oviedo mall closures on September 28 are the detail most worth examining for context. Two Hermanos Taco Burrito, Mediterranean Gourmet, and Asian Express all operate within the same Oviedo Mall corridor and were all shut for roach activity on the same morning. Whether inspectors were working through the food court systematically or whether the pest pressure was shared across the corridor, three simultaneous closures in the same complex is a pattern that prior inspection records would help explain.
Jacksonville's five closures across the two-week period, spread across different parts of the city and different restaurant types, including a national chain, a Middle Eastern concept, a Chinese restaurant, a pan-Asian grocery, and a Hooters, suggest the city's pest pressure is not concentrated in one neighborhood or one cuisine type.
The two unresolved closures are worth noting. Lolas Filipino Café in Orange Park and the Hooters on San Jose Boulevard in Jacksonville were both shut for pest activity and neither has a confirmed reopening in the state data for this period. Every other closure in the dataset shows a same-day or next-morning return to service. Those two facilities are the exception.
The Hooters at 8938 San Jose Blvd remains the most unresolved case in this period, closed for both roach and rodent activity with no confirmed reopening on record.
