PASCO COUNTY, FL. State inspectors emergency-closed seven restaurants across Pasco County in a two-week stretch between September 23 and October 6, 2026, every single one of them for pest activity, and one of them was doing it for the sixth time.
Pisco Bar and Restaurant at 7507 N Armenia Ave in Tampa was shut down September 28 after inspectors documented roach activity on the premises. It was the sixth emergency closure in the facility's state inspection record, five prior closures logged before inspectors ever walked through the door that Monday morning.
All seven facilities had reopened by the time of their follow-up inspections.
The Closures
Pisco Bar and Restaurant reopened the morning of September 28 at 10:43 a.m., roughly the same day inspectors had shut it down. That turnaround is fast. Whether the underlying conditions that produced six emergency closures have been addressed is a different question.
Tavern at Cheval at 4312 Cheval Blvd in Lutz was closed September 24 for roach and fly activity. It was the fourth emergency closure at that address. Inspectors cleared it by 9:45 a.m. the following morning.
Bella's Italian Café at 1413 S Howard St in Tampa was also closed September 23, the first day of this reporting period, for roach and fly activity. It reopened at 4:01 p.m. that afternoon.
Bagelicious and More at 11147 County Line Rd in Spring Hill was shut down the same day, September 23, also for roach and fly activity. It had the fastest turnaround of the week, clearing inspection and reopening at 8:57 a.m.
Pepo's Café at 3879 Northdale Blvd in Tampa was closed October 1 for roach activity and cleared by 2:42 p.m.
Perry's BBQ Asian Grill at 8015 Citrus Park Town Center Mall FC-3 in Tampa was closed September 30 for roach activity. No prior closures appear in state records for this food court location. It reopened at 2:43 p.m.
Sonic #5080 at 7449 Gall Blvd in Zephyrhills was closed September 24. Inspectors documented both roach and rodent activity, making it one of two locations this period where inspectors found more than one type of pest. It reopened at 3:14 p.m.
What These Violations Mean
Every closure in this two-week period was triggered by live pest activity, which under Florida food safety law constitutes an immediate threat to public health. That classification is not routine paperwork. It means an inspector determined that conditions in the facility at the time of the visit were dangerous enough to warrant locking the doors before another customer was served.
Roaches are a direct contamination vector. They travel between sewage, garbage, and food preparation surfaces, depositing bacteria including Salmonella and E. coli on any surface they cross. A roach observed near food prep equipment is not a nuisance citation. It is documentation that pathogens had a plausible path onto the food coming out of that kitchen.
Fly activity compounds the risk. Flies feed on decaying organic matter and transfer bacteria to food surfaces on contact. The four facilities this period cited for both roaches and flies, including Bella's Italian Café, Bagelicious and More, Tavern at Cheval, and Sonic in Zephyrhills, had two active contamination pathways documented simultaneously.
The rodent activity at Sonic #5080 in Zephyrhills carries a separate and more serious implication. Rodents introduce the risk of Hantavirus, Leptospirosis, and Salmonellosis. Their presence in a food service environment also suggests a structural access point that pest control cannot address in a single afternoon, which raises a question about whether a same-day or next-day reopening is enough time to confirm the problem is resolved.
The Longer Record
Two of the seven closures this period were not surprises. They were the latest entries in documented patterns at addresses the state has been watching for years.
Pisco Bar and Restaurant on N Armenia Avenue in Tampa now carries six emergency closures in its state record. Five closures before this visit did not produce lasting compliance. The facility cleared inspection and reopened the same morning it was closed, a timeline that suggests pest control was mobilized quickly. What the record cannot confirm is whether six closures represent six separate infestations or one persistent condition that keeps returning.
Tavern at Cheval in Lutz is on its fourth emergency closure. Three prior shutdowns for similar violations did not prevent a fourth. The facility sits in a residential golf community in Lutz, not the kind of location that typically accumulates this kind of record. It reopened before 10 a.m. on September 25, clearing the closure in under 24 hours.
The remaining five closures hit locations with no prior emergency closure history on record. Perry's BBQ Asian Grill inside Citrus Park Town Center Mall and Sonic #5080 in Zephyrhills had no prior shutdowns documented before this period. For Bagelicious and More in Spring Hill and Pepo's Café in Tampa, the same is true. Bella's Italian Café on S Howard Street, a neighborhood fixture in Tampa's Hyde Park corridor, also had no prior emergency closure on record before September 23.
First-time closures are not necessarily less serious than repeat ones. They are simply harder to contextualize. The five-closure record at Pisco Bar and Restaurant tells a clear story. A first closure at a location like Bella's Italian Café raises a different question: whether this is an isolated incident or the first entry in a record that will grow.
What Remains Open
All seven restaurants had reopened by the close of their follow-up inspections. The fastest clearance was Bagelicious and More in Spring Hill, back open before 9 a.m. on September 23. The longest closure window in this group belonged to Bella's Italian Café, which did not reopen until 4:01 p.m. on the day of its closure, and Sonic #5080, which did not clear until 3:14 p.m. on September 24.
Reopening is not the same as resolution. Pisco Bar and Restaurant on N Armenia Avenue has now reopened after six emergency closures. It is currently open for business.
