FLORIDA. A Jacksonville Hooters on San Jose Boulevard was emergency-closed on September 29 after inspectors documented both live roach activity and rodent activity inside the restaurant, one of only two facilities in a two-week statewide sweep to draw both pest citations simultaneously. Its reopening status remains unknown.
The Hooters closure was part of a surge that saw 31 Florida restaurants shuttered on emergency orders between September 28 and October 11, 2026. Twenty of those closures were roach-related. Six involved rodents. Four were triggered by fly activity.
Jacksonville led all cities with five closures. Tampa, Miami, and Oviedo each recorded three.
The Closures
The opening day of the period, September 28, was the single busiest: eleven restaurants were shuttered in one day across Jacksonville, Oviedo, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Stuart, Fernandina Beach, Tampa, and Fort Lauderdale.
In Jacksonville alone, three restaurants fell on that Sunday. Hong Kong Station on Beach Boulevard was closed for roach activity and did not reopen until nearly 1 p.m. El Primo Restaurant and Grocery on Powers Avenue was also shuttered for roaches, reopening just after 11 a.m. Down Under Restaurant in Fernandina Beach, just north of Jacksonville, was closed the same day for roach activity and back open before 10 a.m.
The Oviedo Mall area produced three closures on September 28 as well. Asian Express at 1700 Oviedo Mall Boulevard, 2 Hermanos Taco Burrito at 1605 Oviedo Mall Boulevard, and Mediterranean Gourmet at 1525 Oviedo Marketplace Boulevard were all shuttered for roach activity. All three reopened the same morning, the latest at 10:47 a.m.
Three restaurants inside or near shopping centers were closed for roaches in a single morning within roughly a mile of each other in a suburban Orlando suburb.
Pho Vinh on North Primrose Drive in Orlando was closed for roach activity on September 28 and reopened at 10:44 a.m. Subway 4419 on 66th Street North in St. Petersburg was shuttered the same day for rodent activity and cleared by 10:38 a.m.
Bayview Diner on East Oakland Park Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale reopened earliest of all that day, clearing its roach-related closure at 7:13 a.m.
September 29 brought the Hooters closure in Jacksonville, plus two others. Mama Kitchen in Daytona Beach was closed for both roach and fly activity, reopening just after 9 a.m. Esposito Pizza in Plant City was shuttered for fly activity and back open by 10:10 a.m.
Mexican Grill and Catina Don Patron in Yulee was closed for roaches on September 29 and reopened at 10:40 a.m. Kiku Sushi on South Tamiami Trail in Osprey was also closed for roach activity that day, but did not reopen until 4:13 p.m., one of the longest closure windows in the entire two-week period.
Chipotle Mexican Grill 1058 on South Dixie Highway in Miami was closed for fly activity on September 29 and cleared by 8:10 a.m., the fastest turnaround of any fly-related closure in the period.
September 30 produced six closures. Allegro Ma Non Troppo/Socal Taco Company on South Miami Avenue was shuttered for roaches and reopened just after 10 a.m. Perry's BBQ Asian Grill inside Citrus Park Town Center Mall in Tampa was closed for roach activity and did not reopen until 2:43 p.m.
Moe's Southwest Grill on Applecross Road in Jacksonville was closed for fly activity on September 30, clearing inspection by 10:06 a.m. Anytime Eat on Drew Street in Clearwater was shuttered for rodent activity and back open by 3:14 p.m.
Whistle Stop Grill and Bar on Main Street in Safety Harbor was closed for rodent activity on September 30 and cleared by 10:04 a.m. Chicken Guy on South University Drive in Davie was shuttered for fly activity the same day and reopened at 10:08 a.m.
October 1 brought seven more closures. Ya Habibi Slice and Spice on St. Augustine Road in Jacksonville was closed for roach activity and reopened at 9:39 a.m. Brandon Asian Cuisine on Stirling Road in Davie was shuttered for roaches and cleared by 8:37 a.m., the earliest reopening of any roach closure in the period.
Steamers of Naples on Airport Road was closed for roach activity on October 1 and back open by 9:16 a.m. Oh Greek at the Ellenton outlet mall was shuttered for rodent activity and did not reopen until nearly 11 a.m.
Pepo's Café on Northdale Boulevard in Tampa was closed for roach activity on October 1 and did not reopen until 2:42 p.m., the latest same-day reopening of any roach closure in the period.
October 2 brought two more: Lolas Filipino Café and Mini Store on Blanding Boulevard in Orange Park was closed for roach activity. Its reopening status is not recorded in state data. Yumwich Inc on North Kendall Drive in Miami was closed for temperature violations in storage, not pest activity, and reopened by 9:05 a.m.
Sailor's Return on Southwest Anchorage Way in Stuart was closed for rodent activity on September 28 and did not reopen until 4:24 p.m., the latest reopening of any rodent-related closure in the period.
What These Violations Mean
Live roach activity is among the most serious findings an inspector can document in a food service facility. Cockroaches carry pathogens including Salmonella and E. coli on their bodies and in their droppings, and they move between sewage, garbage, and food-contact surfaces without any barrier. When inspectors cite "roach activity," they have observed living insects, not just evidence, meaning an active infestation is present during food service hours.
Rodent activity carries a different but equally serious risk. Rodents urinate continuously as they move, and their urine can contaminate any surface they cross, including prep tables, storage shelves, and food packaging. At facilities like Subway 4419 in St. Petersburg and Hooters in Jacksonville, rodent presence near food storage or preparation areas means the contamination path to served food is direct.
Fly activity, documented at four closures including Chipotle Mexican Grill 1058 in Miami and Moe's Southwest Grill in Jacksonville, is often treated as less severe than roaches or rodents, but flies transfer bacteria from waste to food surfaces in seconds. At Mama Kitchen in Daytona Beach, inspectors found both roaches and flies simultaneously, which indicates multiple overlapping contamination vectors inside the same kitchen.
The speed of some reopenings, Bayview Diner cleared in under two hours, Chipotle cleared before 8:10 a.m., suggests inspectors found conditions correctable through immediate cleaning and extermination. The longer closures, Kiku Sushi not cleared until 4:13 p.m. and Pepo's Café not until 2:42 p.m., suggest conditions that required more than a surface response.
The Longer Record
The prior inspection histories for facilities in this period vary considerably. Hooters on San Jose Boulevard carries a documented inspection history in state records, and its dual pest citation, both roaches and rodents in the same closure order, places it among the most serious findings in this period regardless of prior count. The fact that its reopening status remains unconfirmed in state data makes it the most unresolved case of the two weeks.
Rocky's Pizzeria Restaurant in Flagler Beach was closed for rodent activity on September 28 and reopened before 10 a.m. A beachside restaurant in a tourist corridor generating a rodent closure is a finding that prior inspection history would help contextualize, and state records show it has accumulated prior inspections over its operating life.
The three Oviedo Mall closures on September 28 are notable not for any single facility's history but for their concentration. Three separate restaurants within a tight commercial cluster were all shuttered for roaches on the same morning. Whether that reflects a shared structural pest problem in the mall food court corridor or three independent infestations is not something the closure orders alone can answer.
Lolas Filipino Café and Mini Store in Orange Park remains one of two facilities, alongside the Hooters, with no confirmed reopening in state records as of the data available for this period. A small independent café and grocery combination with an unresolved closure is the kind of case that can disappear from public view quickly.
