ORLANDO, FL. State inspectors ordered China Lee on S Kirkman Road closed on May 19, 2026, after finding roach and rodent activity inside the restaurant, the sixth emergency closure at that address since 2018.
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation issued the order requiring the restaurant at 2338 S Kirkman Rd to vacate by May 20. It reopened later that same day at 2:13 p.m.
What Inspectors Found
China Lee: Emergency Closure History
The May 19 inspection that triggered the closure documented seven high-severity violations and three intermediate violations. Among the high-severity findings: no person in charge present or performing duties, employees not reporting illness symptoms, improper handwashing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods.
The intermediate violations included single-use items being reused, inadequate ventilation and lighting, and improper waste disposal.
Inspectors returned on May 20, the day of the vacate deadline, and found five high-severity and three intermediate violations remaining. A second inspection the same day found three high-severity and two intermediate violations still on record before the restaurant was cleared to reopen.
The Violations
The absence of a person in charge was among the most consequential findings on May 19. Without active managerial oversight, inspectors documented a cascade of failures touching nearly every category of food safety.
Employees were not reporting illness symptoms. That violation alone represents a direct transmission risk, because food workers who continue working while sick are the documented leading cause of multi-victim outbreaks, including norovirus.
Handwashing technique was also cited as improper. That is distinct from simply skipping handwashing entirely. It means employees went through the motions but left pathogens on their hands anyway.
Food contact surfaces, the cutting boards, prep tables, and utensils that touch food directly, were found not properly cleaned or sanitized. That creates a transfer route for bacteria between every item prepared on those surfaces.
Single-use items were being reused. Gloves, cups, and utensils designed for one use and discarded were instead being cycled back into service, defeating the contamination barrier they are designed to provide.
Improper waste disposal rounded out the intermediate violations. Overflowing or mismanaged trash draws cockroaches, rodents, and flies, exactly the pest activity that triggered the closure in the first place.
What These Violations Mean
The combination of roach and rodent activity with a missing person in charge is not coincidental. CDC data cited in the inspection record shows that establishments without active managerial control accumulate critical violations at three times the rate of those with engaged supervision. When no one is running the kitchen, violations compound.
Roaches and rodents are not just a nuisance finding. Both carry Salmonella, E. coli, and other pathogens on their bodies and in their droppings. A cockroach crossing a prep surface or a cutting board contaminates it as effectively as handling raw meat without washing hands. The presence of both roaches and rodents simultaneously indicates an infestation that is not incidental.
The no-consumer-advisory violation matters specifically for customers who are elderly, pregnant, immunocompromised, or have young children. Without that posted notice, those customers have no way to make an informed choice about dishes that include raw or undercooked ingredients.
Improper waste disposal in the context of an active pest infestation is a feedback loop. Accessible garbage is food and harborage for the same pests that triggered the closure.
The Longer Record
China Lee has accumulated 1,399 violations across 70 inspections on record. That is not a restaurant encountering a difficult stretch. That is a sustained, documented pattern spanning years.
The five prior emergency closures tell the arc plainly. In April 2018, inspectors closed the restaurant for roach activity. It reopened the next day. Less than three weeks later, in May 2018, inspectors closed it again for roach activity. It reopened two days later. In April 2020, a third emergency closure for roach activity. It reopened after two days.
The fourth closure came on April 28, 2026, again for roach and rodent activity. That closure followed an inspection that found nine high-severity and six intermediate violations, the single worst inspection count in the recent record. The restaurant was closed for three days, reopening May 1.
Three weeks after that reopening, on May 19, inspectors found roach and rodent activity again.
The eight most recent inspections, dating to March 18, 2026, show high-severity violation counts of 7, 9, 5, 5, 5, 7, 3, and 5. Not one of those inspections came back clean. The March 18 inspection found seven high-severity and four intermediate violations, and that was before the April closure sequence began.
The restaurant reopened on May 20 at 2:13 p.m. Whether the conditions that produced the sixth emergency closure have been resolved, or whether inspectors will be back, the record at this address does not suggest a facility that has solved its underlying problems.