FLORIDA. A Wellington Indian restaurant was shut down after state inspectors documented roaches, rodents, and flies all active at the same time, one of 41 Florida food service establishments emergency-closed for pest activity between July 16 and July 29, 2026.
Raja at 12794 Forest Hill Blvd was ordered closed July 21. It is the only facility in this two-week period where inspectors cited all three pest categories simultaneously. The closure stood until 10:25 a.m. the following day.
That same day, July 21, became the single busiest closure date of the period. Eight establishments were shut down across Florida on that Tuesday alone.
The Scale of It
The 41 closures span 14 days and touch nearly every region of the state, from Jasper in the rural north to Naples on the southwest coast. Tampa led all cities with four closures. Orlando, Hialeah, and Jacksonville each recorded three.
Roach activity drove the largest share of closures, 19 of the 41. Rodent activity accounted for 16. The remaining six involved flies or a combination of fly activity with sewage.
Roaches: From Fast Food to Retirement Living
The roach closures cut across every category of food service, from national chains to a retirement community dining facility.
Denny's at 4999 34th St N in St. Petersburg was closed July 21 for both roach and rodent activity. It reopened by 9:44 a.m. the next morning.
Urban Soul Daiquiris and Wingz at 601 Main St in Daytona Beach was shut down July 22 for roach activity and cleared to reopen at 9:11 a.m.
Charleys Philly Steaks at 6419 W Newberry Rd in Gainesville was closed July 21 for roach activity and back open by 9:53 a.m.
Palomino Gardens Retirement LLC at 9885 Palomino Dr in Lake Worth was closed July 21 for fly activity. It did not reopen until 1:28 p.m., one of the longer turnarounds among facilities that cleared reinspection.
China Lee at 2338 S Kirkman Rd in Orlando was shut down July 21 for both roach and rodent activity. That facility did not reopen until 12:45 p.m., the longest closure of the July 21 cluster.
La Guajira Pizzeria Cubana at 1905 W 60th St in Hialeah was closed July 20 for roach activity and cleared by 10:32 a.m.
Kelly's Cajun Grill at 1635 W 49th St in Hialeah was closed the same day, also for roach activity, and reopened at 10:49 a.m.
Las Delicias Restaurant at 748 W 49th St in Hialeah was closed July 24 for roach activity and reopened at 8:42 a.m., the fastest documented reopening in the entire two-week period.
Rodents: Chains, Buffets, and a Sandwich Shop
The rodent closures include recognizable national brands alongside local independents, and the list runs from a Subway in the Florida Panhandle to a sushi restaurant in Boca Raton.
Subway at 900 S Palm Blvd in Niceville was closed July 20 for rodent activity and reopened by 10:40 a.m.
Sushi Yan at 1929 N Federal Hwy in Boca Raton was closed July 21 for both rodent and fly activity. It reopened at 9:28 a.m.
Twin Peaks Restaurant at 11892 Atlantic Blvd in Jacksonville was shut down July 21 for rodent and fly activity and cleared to reopen at 9:36 a.m.
Ichigo Ichie Buffet at 3611 S Orlando Dr in Sanford was closed July 20 for rodent activity and reopened at 9:21 a.m.
Troy's at 926 Fay Blvd in Cocoa was closed July 23 for rodent activity and cleared by 9:13 a.m.
Lindy's Ice Cream Shop at 9 Martin Luther King Ave in Jasper was closed July 22 for rodent activity and reopened at 9:35 a.m.
The Boathouse at 990 Broad Ave S in Naples was shut down July 22 for rodent activity and cleared by 11:30 a.m.
Hogan's at 2327 NW 13th St in Gainesville was closed July 20 for rodent activity and reopened at 9:08 a.m., one of the quickest clearances of the period.
Amar Sandwich Shop at 522 E Atlantic Ave in Delray Beach was closed July 17 for rodent activity and reopened by 10:28 a.m.
Kathy's Table at 2345 W Beaver St in Jacksonville was closed July 17 for rodent activity and reopened at 10:08 a.m.
Original Pancake House at 105 S State Rd 7 in Royal Palm Beach was closed July 16 for rodent activity and cleared by 8:53 a.m., the earliest reopening time recorded in the dataset.
China Max at 901 US 27 N in Sebring was closed July 21 for rodent activity and reopened at 9:21 a.m.
Blue Water Bay at 319 SR 26 in Melrose was closed July 16 for rodent activity and did not reopen until 2:05 p.m.
Compass Bar and Grill at 1506 US 27 S in Lake Placid was closed July 16 for rodent activity and reopened at 2:56 p.m., the latest reopening time in the dataset among facilities that cleared reinspection.
Flies, Sewage, and Mixed Infestations
Craft Ft. Lauderdale at 551 N Federal Hwy in Fort Lauderdale was closed July 21 for fly activity alone and reopened at 9:48 a.m.
Pubbelly Sushi at 8970 SW 72nd Pl in Miami was closed July 20 for fly activity and cleared by 9:19 a.m.
Dick's Wings and Grill at 10550 Old St. Augustine Rd in Jacksonville was closed July 17 for a sewage issue combined with fly activity. It reopened by 8:48 a.m., the fastest clearance of any Jacksonville closure in the period.
Dunkin Donuts and Baskin Robbins at 18003 Highwoods Preserve Pkwy in Tampa was closed July 21 for fly activity and reopened at 8:41 a.m.
Mezza Luna at The Villages, 243 Colony Blvd, was closed July 20 for both roach and fly activity. It did not reopen until 3:20 p.m., the latest clearance time of the entire two-week period among facilities confirmed to have reopened.
Las Carnitas Latin Cuisine at 3305 N Federal Hwy in Pompano Beach was closed July 17 for roach and fly activity and reopened at 9:05 a.m.
What These Violations Mean
A live roach sighting during a health inspection is not treated as a minor housekeeping note. Cockroaches travel between sewage, drains, garbage, and food prep surfaces, depositing bacteria including Salmonella and E. coli along every path. When an inspector documents live roach activity, it means the infestation is active during operating hours, not a remnant from a prior pest control visit.
Rodent activity carries a different and in some ways more serious contamination profile. Rodent droppings contain pathogens including Hantavirus and Salmonella, and a single rodent moving through a kitchen contaminates every surface it contacts. The presence of rodents also typically indicates a structural entry point that has not been identified or sealed, meaning the problem recurs until that access point is found.
Fly infestations, while often perceived as less severe, represent a direct transfer route from waste to food. Flies regurgitate digestive enzymes onto food surfaces as they feed, depositing whatever bacteria they last contacted. When flies are documented at food prep stations or landing on product, the food itself is treated as contaminated. The closure of Mezza Luna at The Villages for roach and fly activity combined, with a reopening not achieved until 3:20 p.m., suggests inspectors found conditions requiring more than a surface cleaning before the facility could pass.
The sewage component at Dick's Wings and Grill in Jacksonville adds another layer. Sewage exposure in a kitchen environment creates cross-contamination risk that extends beyond the visible pest problem, and the combination of sewage and fly activity means inspectors are looking at two simultaneous contamination pathways.
The Longer Record
Several facilities in this roundup carry inspection histories that place this month's closures in context. Catrinas Mexican Fusion at 925 N Semoran Blvd in Orlando, closed July 24 for both roach and fly activity, has 40 prior inspections on record. A facility reaching that inspection count has been visited by state inspectors repeatedly over its operating life, and a pest-driven emergency closure at that stage of the record is a different finding than the same closure at a newer location.
Andaman Asian Bistro at 1935 A1A S in St. Augustine, closed July 17 for roach activity and cleared by 10:18 a.m., has 38 prior inspections on record. Legacy 1912 at 200 Circle Park Dr in Sebring, also closed July 17 for roach activity, carries 35 prior inspections.
Quates Mexican Restaurant at 3701 N Andrews Ave in Oakland Park, closed July 16 for roach activity and not cleared until 2:41 p.m., has 33 prior inspections on record. Colorado's Prime Steak at 3863 S Orlando Dr in Sanford, closed July 16 for roach activity and reopened by 9:20 a.m., has 31 prior inspections.
Three facilities in the dataset remain listed with unknown reopening status as of the time this report was compiled. Mi Sazon Latino Centro America at 15980 US 441 S in Alachua was closed July 24 for roach activity. Farandulero Pizzeria at 9743 W Hillsborough Ave in Tampa was closed July 16 for roach and fly activity. Catrinas Mexican Fusion in Orlando, with its 40-inspection history, was also closed July 24 and had not confirmed a reopening in state records at the time of publication.
