TARPON SPRINGS, FL. State inspectors ordered Greeks of Tarpon Springs on North Pinellas Avenue closed on May 6 after finding roach activity inside the restaurant, the third time the Pinellas County eatery has been emergency-shut for the same reason in just over a year.
The closure order was issued the same day inspectors visited, with the restaurant required to vacate immediately. Records show it was allowed to reopen later that afternoon, at 2:07 p.m.
What Inspectors Found
Greeks of Tarpon Springs: Emergency Closure History
The May 6 inspection that triggered the closure produced two separate reports. The first documented four high-severity violations and two intermediate violations. A follow-up inspection the same day found one additional high-severity violation before the restaurant was cleared to reopen.
Among the high-severity violations in the initial inspection: no person in charge present or performing duties, employees not reporting symptoms of illness, time not properly used as a public health control, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods. The two intermediate violations involved multi-use utensils not properly cleaned and single-use items being reused.
The absence of a person in charge and the failure to post a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked items were both cited alongside the roach finding on the same visit.
What These Violations Mean
Roach activity is one of the conditions Florida law treats as an immediate public health hazard, meaning inspectors have authority to close a restaurant on the spot without a warning or a grace period. Roaches carry pathogens including salmonella and E. coli on their bodies and in their droppings, and a live roach presence in a food preparation area means those pathogens have a direct route onto food contact surfaces and into food itself.
The four high-severity violations found alongside the roach activity compound that risk significantly. When no person in charge is present or actively supervising, inspectors and public health researchers document a consistent pattern: critical violations accumulate faster, and corrective action happens slower. CDC research cited in the inspection record shows establishments without active managerial control have three times more critical violations than those with engaged supervision.
The employee illness reporting failure is among the most acutely dangerous violations in food service. A worker who does not report symptoms, and who continues handling food, is a direct transmission route for norovirus and other pathogens that spread person-to-person. A single infected employee working through a shift can expose dozens of customers.
Greeks of Tarpon Springs also serves items that can be ordered raw or undercooked, a common feature of Greek menus that include dishes like steak or eggs cooked to order. Without a consumer advisory posted, customers who are pregnant, elderly, or immunocompromised have no way to know they are taking on additional risk.
The Pattern
The May 6 closure was not a surprise finding at a previously clean restaurant. It was the third emergency closure at this address for roach activity, following shutdowns on May 13, 2025, and February 12, 2026.
The first closure, in May 2025, required an overnight correction before inspectors allowed the restaurant to reopen the following day. The second, in February 2026, came just one day after a routine inspection on February 11 that itself produced four high-severity violations. That February 12 closure was resolved the same day, with inspectors conducting multiple follow-up visits before clearing the restaurant.
Between those two closures, in December 2025, inspectors visited and found eight high-severity violations and one intermediate violation, the single highest severity count recorded at this location across all inspections on file.
The Longer Record
Across 15 inspections on record, Greeks of Tarpon Springs has accumulated 67 total violations. That works out to an average of more than four violations per inspection visit, and the high-severity category is well represented throughout the history.
Three of those 15 inspections ended in emergency closure orders, all for the same reason: roach activity. No other violation category has triggered a closure here, but the roach findings have been consistent enough that they represent a documented, recurring condition rather than an isolated incident.
The February 2026 sequence is worth noting on its own. Inspectors visited on February 11 and found four high-severity violations. They returned the next day, February 12, and found conditions serious enough to order an emergency closure. That sequence, a serious inspection followed immediately by a closure, suggests the underlying conditions were not resolved between visits.
The restaurant was permitted to reopen on May 6 after the most recent closure. Whether the roach activity that has now closed this location three times in 12 months has been fully addressed is a question the next inspection will answer.