FLORIDA. A Jacksonville Hooters was shut down for simultaneous roach and rodent activity on September 29 and had not reopened by the end of the inspection week, making it one of two closures with no documented return to service in a seven-day stretch that saw 21 Florida restaurants ordered closed statewide.
Nineteen of those 21 closures were pest-related. One was triggered by temperature violations. Two others fell under different categories entirely, including an Ocala bar shuttered not for filth but for operating without a license.
The Week's Worst
Hooters at 8938 San Jose Blvd in Jacksonville was ordered closed September 29 after inspectors documented both roach and rodent activity on the premises. No reopening time appears in state records for the week ending October 5.
Lolas Filipino Café and Mini Store at 1241 Blanding Blvd in Orange Park shares that distinction. Closed October 2 for roach activity, it also carried no documented reopening by week's end.
Mama Kitchen at 2200 W International Speedway Blvd in Daytona Beach was closed September 29 for both roach and fly activity, a combination that inspectors documented before the restaurant cleared reinspection and reopened at 9:22 a.m. the following morning.
Pests Across the State
Roaches drove more closures this week than any other single cause. From Davie to Naples to Osprey to Yulee, the pattern repeated across cuisines and price points.
Brandon Asian Cuisine at 6417 Stirling Rd in Davie was closed October 1 for roach activity and cleared reinspection by 8:37 a.m., the fastest documented reopening among all pest-related closures this week.
Steamers of Naples at 5317 Airport Rd was also closed October 1 for roach activity and reopened at 9:16 a.m. the same day.
Kiku Sushi at 1254 S Tamiami Trail in Osprey was shut September 29 and did not clear reinspection until 4:13 p.m., the latest reopening time recorded among roach-related closures for the week.
Mexican Grill and Cantina Don Patron at 96098 Lofton Square Ct in Yulee was closed September 29 for roach activity and reopened at 10:40 a.m.
Ya Habibi Slice and Spice at 6271 St Augustine Rd in Jacksonville was ordered closed October 1 for roach activity and reopened at 9:39 a.m.
Allegro Ma Non Troppo and Socal Taco Company at 1000 S Miami Ave was shut September 30 for roach activity and cleared by 10:16 a.m.
Pepo's Café at 3879 Northdale Blvd in Tampa was closed October 1 for roach activity. It did not reopen until 2:42 p.m., one of the longer same-day clearance windows in this week's data.
Perry's BBQ Asian Grill at 8015 Citrus Park Town Center Mall in Tampa was closed September 30 for roach activity and also took until 2:43 p.m. to reopen.
Rodent activity, distinct from roaches, triggered four closures. Oh Greek at 5475 Factory Shops Blvd in Ellenton was closed October 1 and reopened at 10:58 a.m. Anytime Eat at 1901 Drew St in Clearwater was shut September 30 and did not clear reinspection until 3:14 p.m.
Whistle Stop Grill and Bar at 915 Main St in Safety Harbor was closed September 30 for rodent activity and reopened at 10:04 a.m.
Flies, the third pest category represented this week, closed four restaurants. Moe's Southwest Grill at 9620 Applecross Rd in Jacksonville was shut September 30 for fly activity and reopened at 10:06 a.m.
Chicken Guy at 4301 S University Dr in Davie was closed September 30 for fly activity and cleared at 10:08 a.m.
Esposito Pizza at 2803 James L Redman Pkwy in Plant City was shut September 29 for fly activity and reopened at 10:10 a.m.
Chipotle Mexican Grill at 6290 S Dixie Hwy in Miami was closed September 29 for fly activity and cleared reinspection at 8:10 a.m., the earliest documented reopening of any facility this week.
Beyond Pests
Two closures this week had nothing to do with insects or rodents.
Yumwich Inc at 11400 N Kendall Dr in Miami was ordered closed October 2 for temperature violations in food storage and reopened at 9:05 a.m. the same day.
Brass Monkey at 709 Gulfway in St. Pete Beach was shut October 1 after inspectors found no potable water on the premises. The restaurant cleared reinspection and reopened at 9:29 a.m.
Mojito Ice Bar at 3100 SW College Rd in Ocala was closed October 1 for unlicensed activity. No reopening time appears in state records for the week.
What These Violations Mean
Roach and rodent activity are emergency closure triggers in Florida because pests are direct vectors for bacterial contamination. Cockroaches carry pathogens including salmonella and E. coli on their bodies and deposit them on food contact surfaces, prep areas, and stored ingredients. When inspectors document live roach activity, as they did at Hooters in Jacksonville, Mama Kitchen in Daytona Beach, Ya Habibi Slice and Spice in Jacksonville, and a dozen other locations this week, they are documenting an active contamination risk, not a housekeeping lapse.
Rodent activity carries a separate and in some ways more serious set of concerns. Rodent droppings and urine can transmit hantavirus and leptospirosis, and a single rodent moving through a kitchen overnight can contaminate surfaces across the entire facility. Whistle Stop Grill and Bar in Safety Harbor, Anytime Eat in Clearwater, and Oh Greek in Ellenton were all closed for rodent activity this week.
The temperature violation that closed Yumwich Inc in Miami reflects a different but equally direct risk. Bacteria including salmonella, listeria, and staphylococcus aureus multiply rapidly in food held between 41 and 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Food stored outside those thresholds, even briefly, can reach unsafe bacterial loads before any visible sign of spoilage appears. A customer eating that food would have no way of knowing it had been mishandled.
The no-potable-water closure at Brass Monkey in St. Pete Beach is less intuitive but equally serious. Without a functioning water supply, employees cannot wash their hands, sanitize surfaces, or clean equipment at any point during a shift. Every food safety protocol that depends on water collapses simultaneously.
The Longer Record
State inspection records show that several of this week's closed facilities carry substantial prior inspection histories, which places their closures in a different context than a first-time finding at a newer operation.
Hooters on San Jose Blvd in Jacksonville is a national chain location with an established inspection history in Florida's system. Its simultaneous roach and rodent closure, with no documented reopening by October 5, is the most unresolved finding in this week's data. Moe's Southwest Grill in Jacksonville, also a national chain, was closed and reopened within a single morning, which suggests the fly activity was addressed rapidly once inspectors flagged it.
Chipotle Mexican Grill on S Dixie Hwy in Miami is part of a chain that has faced high-profile food safety scrutiny nationally. This location cleared reinspection faster than any other facility closed this week, at 8:10 a.m. the morning after its closure for fly activity.
Among the smaller independent operations, Kiku Sushi in Osprey and Pepo's Café in Tampa both took longer than average to clear reinspection after roach-related closures, suggesting the remediation required more time than a quick cleaning pass.
Mojito Ice Bar in Ocala remains the week's most unusual case. Operating without a license is not a pest problem or a temperature failure, it is a fundamental regulatory status issue. State records contain no reopening time for the bar, and no license resolution appears in the data for the week ending October 5.
