OSCEOLA COUNTY, FL. A Chinese restaurant on South Kirkman Road in Orlando has now been emergency-closed by state inspectors seven times, the most recent on July 7, when inspectors again documented roach and rodent activity at China Lee at 2338 S. Kirkman Rd.
The restaurant reopened the same day at 2:34 p.m. It had six prior closures on record before this one.
Six restaurants across the Orlando and Tampa areas were shut down between June 30 and July 13, 2026. Three of the closures involved pest activity. The other three involved a sewage backup, a loss of potable water, and the absence of a required handwashing sink. Four of the six had reopened within hours. Two cases remain unresolved.
The Violations
On the same day China Lee was shut, inspectors also closed Minano Ramen at 11909 Sheldon Rd. in Tampa for roach activity. That restaurant also cleared inspection and reopened, at 2:55 p.m.
Two days later, on July 9, inspectors found rodent, roach, and fly activity at Grazie at 3101 Corrine Dr. in Orlando and ordered it closed. The restaurant reopened at 12:30 p.m. that same day.
Also on July 9, A&T Buffalo Wings LLC at 4474-4477 N. Pinehills Rd. in Orlando was shut down after inspectors documented a sewage backup. It reopened at 8:51 a.m. A&T Buffalo Wings has two prior closures on record, making this its third emergency shutdown.
On July 8, La Ceibena at 8806 W. Flora St. in Tampa was closed after inspectors found no potable water available at the restaurant. It reopened at 1:15 p.m.
On July 10, Twins Delicious Seafood and Soul Food at 5102 N. 40th St. in Tampa was closed after inspectors found no handwashing sink available. Its reopening status is not confirmed in state records.
The Pest Problem
Three of the six closures this period involved active pest activity, the category that state inspectors treat as an immediate threat to public health. At China Lee, inspectors documented both roach and rodent activity, the combination that triggers the most urgent closure orders because it indicates infestation across multiple pest species simultaneously.
Grazie on Corrine Drive presented all three pest types in a single inspection: rodents, roaches, and flies. That combination is notable because each pest represents a distinct contamination pathway, and all three appearing together points to conditions that allowed multiple infestations to develop at the same time.
Minano Ramen's closure was roach-specific, but roach activity alone is sufficient grounds for an emergency order under Florida's food safety code.
What These Violations Mean
Roach and rodent activity in a restaurant kitchen is not a housekeeping citation. Both pests carry pathogens directly onto food contact surfaces, equipment, and stored ingredients. Cockroaches are documented vectors for Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria. They travel between drains, garbage, and food prep surfaces without any visible trace left behind. A customer who ate at China Lee, Minano Ramen, or Grazie during the period before inspectors arrived had no way to know pest activity had been documented at any of them on prior visits.
Rodents carry Hantavirus, Salmonella, and Leptospira, among other pathogens, and their droppings and urine contaminate surfaces and food without any visible sign of spoilage. When inspectors document both roaches and rodents in the same facility, as they did at China Lee and Grazie, the contamination risk is compounded because the infestation is not contained to a single entry point or area.
The sewage backup at A&T Buffalo Wings is a different category of risk but equally serious. Raw sewage carries fecal coliform bacteria, including E. coli strains capable of causing severe illness. A backup means sewage reached surfaces inside the kitchen environment, and any food prepared or stored in that space during or after the event is considered potentially contaminated.
The missing handwashing sink at Twins Delicious Seafood and Soul Food, and the loss of potable water at La Ceibena, both eliminate the most basic line of defense against contamination. Without running water, employees cannot wash hands between tasks. Without a designated handwashing sink, the state cannot verify that hand hygiene is being performed at all. Every food safety protocol downstream of that step depends on it working.
The Longer Record
China Lee's history is the longest and most documented of any facility in this roundup. Seven emergency closures at the same address is a pattern that extends well beyond a single inspection failure or a temporary lapse in maintenance. State records show six closures before this one, all at 2338 S. Kirkman Rd. Each time, the restaurant met standards and reopened. Each closure, including the most recent, involved pest activity.
A&T Buffalo Wings has now been closed three times at 4474-4477 N. Pinehills Rd. The two prior closures on record preceded the July 9 sewage backup. Three shutdowns at the same location in any timeframe indicates recurring conditions that are not being resolved between inspections.
The remaining four facilities, Grazie, Minano Ramen, La Ceibena, and Twins Delicious Seafood and Soul Food, do not have prior closures listed in the data for this period. For Grazie and Minano Ramen, the pest findings that triggered closure this month represent the first documented emergency shutdown at those addresses. Whether prior inspections at those locations flagged early pest indicators is not reflected in the closure data alone.
What is unresolved as of the close of this reporting period is the status of Twins Delicious Seafood and Soul Food. Five of the six restaurants closed between July 7 and July 10 have confirmed reopening times in state records. Twins Delicious Seafood and Soul Food at 5102 N. 40th St. in Tampa does not.
