SEBRING, FL. State inspectors emergency-closed Cang Tong at 110 Sebring Square on April 30 after documenting rodent, roach and fly activity inside the restaurant, the seventh time the Highlands County eatery has been shut down since October 2025.
The April 30 inspection produced six high-severity violations and three intermediate violations, the heaviest single-day citation count in the restaurant's recent inspection record. As of this report, state records do not confirm the restaurant has been allowed to reopen.
What Inspectors Found on April 30
Cang Tong has been shut down by state inspectors seven times in seven months, each time for pest activity involving rodents, roaches, or flies.
The closure-triggering violations on April 30 covered all three pest categories simultaneously: rodent activity, roach activity and fly activity. That combination, documented in a single inspection, drove the emergency order.
The six high-severity violations cited that day included two that carry distinct risks beyond the pest findings. Inspectors noted that the restaurant had no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods, and that toxic chemicals were improperly stored or labeled on the premises.
The intermediate violations included improper sewage or wastewater disposal and the reuse of single-use items.
Follow-up inspections on May 1, May 2 and May 4 each continued to find high-severity violations. The May 1 visit documented three high-severity and two intermediate violations. Two separate inspections on May 4 each found two high-severity and two intermediate violations.
What These Violations Mean
Rodent, roach and fly activity inside a food service facility is not a housekeeping concern. It is a direct contamination pathway. Rodents leave droppings, urine and hair on food-contact surfaces, in dry storage and inside equipment. Roaches carry pathogens including salmonella and E. coli on their bodies and deposit them wherever they travel. Flies land on food, prep surfaces and cooking equipment, transferring bacteria from whatever they contacted last.
The chemical storage violation compounds that risk. When toxic chemicals are stored near food or are improperly labeled, a contamination event can occur without anyone noticing until a customer becomes ill. Mislabeled chemicals have been mistaken for food-safe products in commercial kitchens, causing acute poisoning.
The sewage disposal violation is a separate category of danger. Improper wastewater handling introduces fecal contamination risk throughout a facility. Raw sewage contains pathogens that can reach food-contact surfaces, prep areas and the hands of employees.
The absence of a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods leaves the most vulnerable customers, including the elderly, pregnant women, young children and people with compromised immune systems, without the information they need to make an informed choice about what they order.
The Longer Record
Cang Tong Emergency Closures, Oct. 2025 to April 2026
The April 30 closure was the sixth emergency shutdown in roughly ten weeks. State records show Cang Tong has accumulated 612 violations across 55 inspections on record, an average of more than 11 violations per inspection visit.
The pattern of closures shows no evidence of a lasting fix. The restaurant was closed for roach and rodent activity on February 19 and allowed to reopen the following day. It was closed again for rodent activity six days later, on February 26, and reopened the day after that. It was closed again on March 25 for roach and rodent activity.
The April 6 closure, for roach activity, has no confirmed reopen date in state records. That closure was followed by inspections on April 13, 14 and 15, each of which found at least one high-severity violation. The April 30 closure came two weeks after that string of follow-up visits.
Where It Stands
Inspectors returned to the restaurant on May 1, May 2 and twice on May 4. Each visit found continuing high-severity violations. The May 4 inspections, the most recent in the record, each documented two high-severity and two intermediate violations.
State records do not confirm that Cang Tong has been permitted to reopen following the April 30 closure.