ORLANDO, FL. State inspectors ordered Taqueria Ameca Margarita on S Orange Blossom Trail closed on April 23 after finding live roach and fly activity inside the restaurant, triggering an emergency shutdown that sent inspectors back the same day for a second visit.

The restaurant at 4400 S Orange Blossom Trail was ordered vacated the same day inspectors arrived. It had reopened by 12:19 p.m., according to state records.

What Inspectors Found

1HIGHImproper hand and arm washing techniqueHigh severity
2HIGHFood not cooked to required minimum temperatureHigh severity
3HIGHNo consumer advisory for raw/undercooked foodsHigh severity
4HIGHToxic substances improperly identified/stored/usedHigh severity
5MEDSingle-use items improperly reusedIntermediate
6MEDInadequate ventilation and lightingIntermediate

The closure itself was triggered by roach and fly activity. But the inspection that accompanied the shutdown uncovered four high-severity violations and two intermediate violations on top of the pest problem.

Among the high-severity findings: food not cooked to the required minimum temperature, improper hand and arm washing technique, toxic substances improperly identified or stored, and no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked foods. Inspectors also documented single-use items being reused and inadequate ventilation and lighting.

A second inspection conducted the same day found two high-severity violations and two intermediate violations still on record before the restaurant was cleared to reopen.

What These Violations Mean

Roaches and flies are not just a sanitation problem. Both insects move between sewage, garbage, and food preparation surfaces, carrying pathogens directly onto the food customers eat. A single roach sighting during an inspection is enough to trigger a warning. Inspectors ordered this restaurant vacated entirely.

The food temperature violation compounds that risk. When food is not cooked to the minimum required internal temperature, pathogens like salmonella in poultry survive. Salmonella does not die below 165 degrees Fahrenheit. A customer eating undercooked poultry at Taqueria Ameca Margarita on April 23 had no way of knowing the food had not reached a safe temperature.

The handwashing violation is a separate transmission route. Improper technique means pathogens remain on an employee's hands even after a washing attempt. Combined with the temperature failure and the pest activity, inspectors were documenting three independent pathways by which contamination could reach a customer's plate.

Improperly stored or identified toxic substances add a fourth risk: chemical contamination. When cleaning agents or pesticides are stored near or mislabeled around food preparation areas, the possibility of accidental ingestion is direct and immediate. The reuse of single-use items, such as gloves or utensils designed for one contact, introduces cross-contamination between surfaces and food that proper food handling protocols are specifically designed to prevent.

The Pattern

This was not the first time the state ordered this restaurant closed. Records show Taqueria Ameca Margarita has one prior emergency closure on record, making April 23 its second.

The inspection history stretches back across 27 visits and 371 total violations. That is not a facility with an isolated bad day. Every inspection on record going back to November 2022 produced high-severity violations.

The October 2025 inspection was the worst in recent years, with eight high-severity violations and three intermediate violations documented in a single visit. Six months earlier, in April 2025, inspectors found six high-severity violations. The pattern did not improve heading into 2026.

The Longer Record

Taqueria Ameca Margarita: Inspection History

April 23, 2026 — Emergency ClosureRoach and fly activity. Four high-severity violations including undercooked food and improper handwashing. Second emergency closure on record.
October 6, 2025Eight high-severity violations, three intermediate. Worst single inspection in the recent record.
April 17, 2025Six high-severity violations, one intermediate.
November 18, 2024Four high-severity violations, two intermediate.
April 4, 2024Four high-severity violations, two intermediate.
December 4, 2023Five high-severity violations, three intermediate.
November 17, 2022Five high-severity violations, three intermediate.

Twenty-seven inspections. Three hundred seventy-one total violations. Not one inspection in the recent record came back clean of high-severity findings.

The prior emergency closure means state inspectors had already determined, on at least one previous occasion, that conditions at this restaurant posed an immediate threat to public health serious enough to order customers and staff out of the building. The April 23 closure was the second time they reached that conclusion.

The October 2025 inspection, with eight high-severity violations, stands as the single worst visit in the recent record. That inspection came six months before the restaurant was closed again.

State records confirm the restaurant had reopened by 12:19 p.m. on April 23. Whether the conditions that produced four high-severity violations on the same day as the closure, including food not reaching safe cooking temperatures and toxic substances improperly stored, had been fully corrected before that reopening, the records do not say.