VENICE, FL. Back in February 2026, state inspectors ordered Pokehub at 1693 US 41 Bypass S shut down after finding evidence of rodent activity inside the Venice restaurant, a finding serious enough to prompt an immediate emergency closure order dated February 20.
The restaurant was vacated the same day inspectors arrived. It did reopen later that evening, records show, with a reopening time logged at 5:28 p.m.
What Inspectors Found That Day
Pokehub Inspection History
The February 20 inspection that triggered the closure recorded five high-severity violations and three intermediate violations. Rodent activity was the finding that pushed inspectors to order the restaurant vacated.
A second inspection the same day, conducted after the restaurant addressed the immediate concerns, still found three high-severity violations remaining. That follow-up showing three unresolved high-severity citations on the same afternoon the restaurant reopened is part of the documented record.
What Rodent Activity Means in a Restaurant Kitchen
Rodents in a food service facility are not a housekeeping problem. They are a direct contamination threat. Rodents carry Salmonella, E. coli, and Leptospira bacteria, and they deposit urine, droppings, and hair continuously as they move through a space. In a restaurant that serves raw fish and fresh produce, as poke restaurants do, there is no safe zone once rodents have access to food prep areas.
That is why rodent activity is one of the conditions Florida law treats as grounds for immediate emergency closure, without a warning period or a corrective action window. The risk to customers eating at the facility is not theoretical. It is active and present at the moment of discovery.
The February closure was not the first time Pokehub faced this level of regulatory action. The facility's records show one prior emergency closure before February 2026, meaning this was the second time in the restaurant's documented history that inspectors determined conditions required an immediate shutdown.
The Longer Record
Pokehub has nine inspections on record. Across those nine visits, inspectors documented 65 total violations. That works out to an average of more than seven violations per inspection.
The facility's only clean inspection in its entire recorded history came on November 19, 2024, when inspectors found zero high-severity and zero intermediate violations. Every other visit produced citations, and six of the eight remaining inspections included at least two high-severity findings.
The pattern after that November 2024 clean record is notable. The July 2025 inspection produced five high-severity and four intermediate violations. The September 2025 visit found two high-severity violations. Then came the February 2026 closure. The facility did not improve steadily after its one clean inspection. The violations returned.
The most recent inspections on record, from June 2026, are the most alarming in the facility's history. A June 3 inspection documented ten high-severity violations and four intermediate violations, the worst single inspection the restaurant has accumulated. A follow-up two days later, on June 5, still found two high-severity violations and one intermediate violation.
The Most Recent Violations
The June 5, 2026 inspection, the most recent in the record, cited food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, a high-severity violation. Improperly cleaned cutting boards, prep surfaces, and equipment are a primary vehicle for bacterial transfer between raw and ready-to-eat food. In a poke restaurant, where raw fish is handled alongside fresh vegetables and rice, that transfer risk is especially direct.
The same inspection cited food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, also high-severity. Undercooking is a documented cause of foodborne illness. Pathogens including Salmonella in poultry survive below 165 degrees Fahrenheit and remain viable in food that looks and smells normal.
An intermediate violation for improper sewage or waste water disposal was also recorded. Improper sewage handling creates the possibility of fecal contamination spreading through a facility. It is not a plumbing inconvenience. It is a contamination pathway.
Across nine inspections covering roughly 20 months, Pokehub has accumulated two emergency closures, 65 total violations, and its single worst inspection came four months after the February 2026 shutdown that is the subject of this record.