NOKOMIS, FL. State inspectors ordered Pelican Alley at 1009 W Albee Rd shut down on September 24 after documenting rodent activity inside the restaurant, the second time in the facility's record that inspectors have forced an emergency closure.
The restaurant was given until September 25 to vacate the premises. It reopened the same day, clearing a follow-up inspection at 8:35 a.m.
What Inspectors Found
Pelican Alley: Recent Inspection Pattern
The closure inspection on September 24 produced 9 high-severity violations and 2 intermediate violations. That is the highest single-inspection count in the facility's recent record.
Among the high-severity findings that day: no person in charge was present or performing duties, and the restaurant had no written employee health policy. Inspectors also cited improper hand and arm washing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, improper use of time as a public health control, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.
The two intermediate violations on the closure date were improper sewage or wastewater disposal and single-use items being reused.
The reopening inspection on September 25 still produced 4 high-severity and 2 intermediate violations, meaning the restaurant cleared the threshold to reopen while significant problems remained documented.
By October 7, a follow-up inspection found 6 high-severity violations and 3 intermediate violations. That visit added a new citation: inadequate ventilation and lighting.
What These Violations Mean
Rodent activity in a food service facility is one of the conditions Florida regulators treat as an immediate threat to public health, requiring closure rather than a correction notice. Rodents contaminate food contact surfaces, food storage areas, and preparation equipment with urine, droppings, and fur. The contamination is not always visible, and it does not resolve when the animals leave a space.
The other violations documented on September 24 compound that risk significantly. No person in charge being present or performing duties is not a paperwork problem. CDC data cited in the inspection record shows establishments without active managerial control accumulate critical violations at three times the rate of those with it. At Pelican Alley, the absence of management oversight on the closure date coincided with multiple food safety failures happening simultaneously.
The lack of a written employee health policy is a direct transmission risk. Without a policy requiring sick workers to report symptoms and stay off the line, an employee with Norovirus, Hepatitis A, or Salmonella can work a full shift handling food. Norovirus alone accounts for an estimated 20 million illnesses in the United States annually, and food service workers are a primary transmission route.
Improperly stored or labeled toxic chemicals near food is among the most acutely dangerous violations an inspector can document. Mislabeled chemicals can be mistaken for food-safe products. Chemicals stored above or near food preparation surfaces can contaminate food directly. The health record for this violation notes the risk of acute poisoning.
The Longer Record
The September closure was not an isolated event. State records show Pelican Alley has accumulated 260 violations across 24 inspections, and this was its second emergency closure.
The pattern in the inspection data is consistent. In August 2024, inspectors found 6 high-severity violations. In December 2024, they found 6 again. In May 2026, the count was 5 high-severity violations. The restaurant has not had a clean inspection in the two years of records visible in this data.
The high-severity violation counts from the four inspections conducted between September 24 and October 7, 2026, total 24 high-severity violations across just those visits. The closure did not produce a sustained drop in the violation count. The October 7 inspection, conducted nearly two weeks after the restaurant reopened, found more high-severity violations than the reopening inspection itself.
The September 24 closure inspection also documented improper sewage or wastewater disposal, a finding that points to infrastructure problems rather than procedural lapses. Sewage exposure creates a risk of fecal contamination throughout the facility. That violation appeared again on the reopening inspection the following morning.
As of the October 7 inspection, Pelican Alley remained open. That inspection produced 6 high-severity violations, including the return of the person-in-charge failure and the toxic chemical storage citation. Whether any of those violations have been corrected since October 7 is not reflected in the data on record.
