PORT ST LUCIE, FL. Back in February 2026, state inspectors ordered Remy's Diner at 10368 S US Highway 1 closed after sewage backed up inside the restaurant, a condition that triggered an emergency shutdown order and an inspection that turned up eight high-severity violations on the same day.

The closure order was issued February 17, 2026. Records show the diner was allowed to reopen later that afternoon, at 4:03 p.m., after the immediate conditions were addressed.

What Inspectors Found

1HIGHNo approved potable water supplyClosure trigger
2HIGHNo employee health policyHigh severity
3HIGHEmployee not reporting illness symptomsHigh severity
4HIGHInadequate handwashing facilitiesHigh severity
5HIGHImproper hand and arm washing techniqueHigh severity
6HIGHFood contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitizedHigh severity
7HIGHToxic chemicals improperly stored or labeledHigh severity
8HIGHNo consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foodsHigh severity
9INTERMEDIATEMulti-use utensils not properly cleanedIntermediate
10INTERMEDIATEImproper sanitizing solution or proceduresIntermediate
11INTERMEDIATEInadequate ventilation and lightingIntermediate

The sewage backup was the event that triggered the shutdown order, but it was not the only serious problem inspectors documented that day. The February 17 inspection recorded eight high-severity violations and three intermediate violations, the most serious single-day tally in the diner's inspection history.

Among those high-severity citations: no approved potable water supply, no written employee health policy, and at least one employee not reporting illness symptoms to management. Inspectors also cited inadequate handwashing facilities, improper hand and arm washing technique, food contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitized, and toxic chemicals improperly stored or labeled.

A second inspection was also conducted that same day, likely a follow-up to assess whether conditions had improved enough to allow reopening. That second visit still found three high-severity violations and one intermediate violation before the diner was cleared to reopen.

What These Violations Mean

Sewage backup in a food service environment is one of the conditions that most directly warrants an emergency closure. Raw sewage carries pathogens including E. coli, Hepatitis A, and Norovirus. When sewage backs up into a kitchen or service area, those pathogens can contaminate food, food contact surfaces, and the water supply, which is exactly what the "no approved potable water supply" citation documents here. Water used for handwashing, rinsing produce, and cooking was no longer confirmed safe.

The combination of no potable water and inadequate handwashing facilities compounds the risk significantly. Even if employees intended to wash their hands, the infrastructure to do so properly was not in place. The improper hand and arm washing technique citation means that on top of inadequate facilities, the technique itself was wrong, leaving pathogens on hands that then touched food and surfaces.

The employee illness violations are a separate but equally serious concern. When a restaurant has no written health policy and at least one employee is not reporting illness symptoms, there is no system in place to keep a sick worker out of the kitchen. Norovirus, the leading cause of foodborne illness outbreaks in the United States, spreads most efficiently through food handled by an infected worker who does not know, or does not report, that they are sick.

Improperly stored or labeled toxic chemicals near food represent a direct chemical poisoning risk, separate from any biological hazard. The food contact surface citation means that even surfaces meant to be clean were not properly sanitized, creating a cross-contamination pathway that persists across every meal prepared on those surfaces.

The Longer Record

Remy's Diner: Inspection History at a Glance

February 17, 2026Emergency closure. Sewage backup. 8 high-severity, 3 intermediate violations on first inspection. 3 high-severity, 1 intermediate on follow-up. Reopened same day at 4:03 p.m.
October 28, 2025Clean inspection. Zero high-severity, zero intermediate violations.
September 18, 2025Clean inspection. Zero high-severity, zero intermediate violations.
August 27, 20251 high-severity violation.
August 25, 20255 high-severity, 1 intermediate violations. Two days before the August 27 follow-up.
July 18, 20257 high-severity, 2 intermediate violations. Prior emergency closure on record.
January 27, 2025Zero high-severity, 1 intermediate violation.

The February 2026 closure was not Remy's Diner's first. Records show the facility had one prior emergency closure on record before February 17, placing the diner in a category of repeat-closure operations that is relatively uncommon even among restaurants with troubled inspection histories.

The diner's full inspection record across eight visits shows 40 total violations. The pattern is uneven. Two inspections in the fall of 2025, in September and October, came back clean, with no high-severity or intermediate violations. But the summer of 2025 told a different story: a July 18 inspection found seven high-severity and two intermediate violations, and an August 25 inspection found five high-severity and one intermediate, followed two days later by a return visit that still found one high-severity citation.

The February 2026 inspection, at eight high-severity violations, was the worst single-day result in the diner's documented history. Two clean inspections in the fall had suggested the operation had corrected its course. The sewage event in February reversed that trajectory sharply.

Records confirm the diner reopened the afternoon of February 17. Whether the underlying conditions that produced eight high-severity violations on that same day were fully resolved before customers returned is not reflected in the available data.