ORLANDO, FL. Food workers at China Lee on South Kirkman Road were observed using improper handwashing technique during a state inspection on April 28, meaning pathogens remained on their hands even after they attempted to wash them, and the restaurant was not closed.

That single violation would be serious on its own. Inspectors that day documented eight others at the same severity level, for a total of nine high-priority citations, plus six intermediate violations. The restaurant at 2338 S Kirkman Road remained open to customers throughout.

What Inspectors Found

1HIGHImproper handwashing techniquePathogens remain on hands after washing attempt
2HIGHEmployee not reporting illness symptomsDirect outbreak transmission risk
3HIGHNo employee health policyNo written protocol for sick workers
4HIGHToxic chemicals improperly stored or labeledAcute poisoning risk near food
5HIGHFood contact surfaces not properly cleaned or sanitizedPrimary bacterial transfer vehicle
6HIGHInadequate shell stock identification or recordsNo traceability if shellfish illness occurs
7HIGHTime as public health control not properly usedFood held in bacterial growth zone without tracking
8HIGHNo consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foodsVulnerable customers not warned
9HIGHInadequate handwashing by food employeesMost significant factor in foodborne illness spread
10INTImproper sewage or waste water disposalFecal contamination risk throughout facility
11INTSingle-use items improperly reusedContamination from reused disposable items
12INTMulti-use utensils not properly cleanedBacterial biofilm development within 24 hours

The handwashing violations came in two forms. Inspectors cited both inadequate handwashing overall and improper technique specifically, a distinction that matters because the second violation means workers were making a visible effort that still left contamination behind. Together, the two citations describe a kitchen where the most basic disease-prevention practice was failing at every step.

The illness reporting violations compounded that picture. Inspectors found no written employee health policy and documented that employees were not reporting illness symptoms. Those two violations describe the same gap from different angles: there was no system requiring workers to disclose illness, and workers were not disclosing it.

Toxic chemicals were found improperly stored or labeled near food. Inspectors also cited food contact surfaces for not being properly cleaned or sanitized, meaning cutting boards, prep surfaces, or utensils in active use were carrying contamination between food items.

Shellfish records were inadequate. State law requires restaurants serving oysters, clams, or mussels to maintain shell stock identification tags so regulators can trace a shellfish illness back to its harvest source. China Lee did not meet that standard on April 28.

What These Violations Mean

The pairing of no employee health policy and employees not reporting symptoms is, according to state health records, the leading cause of multi-victim outbreaks. Norovirus, which causes the sudden onset vomiting and diarrhea commonly attributed to "stomach flu," spreads directly from infected food workers to customers through food handling. A written policy is the first line of defense. China Lee had neither the policy nor the practice.

The handwashing citations deserve separate attention. Improper technique is not the same as skipping handwashing entirely. It means a worker went to the sink, ran water, and still left pathogens on their hands. Studies cited in state inspection guidance show that most people who believe they wash their hands correctly do not scrub long enough or reach all surfaces. At China Lee, inspectors flagged both the frequency and the technique as deficient on the same day.

Improperly stored or unlabeled toxic chemicals near food create a different category of risk. Contamination from cleaning agents or pesticides does not require a sick employee or undercooked food. It can reach a customer's plate directly, and the symptoms, ranging from nausea to chemical burns, can be severe and rapid.

The absence of a consumer advisory for raw or undercooked foods is a specific danger for elderly customers, pregnant women, and anyone with a compromised immune system. Those groups face life-threatening complications from pathogens in raw shellfish or undercooked proteins that would cause only moderate illness in a healthy adult.

The Longer Record

The April 28 inspection was not an anomaly. State records show China Lee has been inspected 67 times and has accumulated 1,360 total violations across its history. The restaurant has been emergency-closed three times, all for roach activity, in April 2020, May 2018, and April 2018.

The weeks surrounding this inspection tell a concentrated story. Inspectors returned on April 29, April 30, and May 1, finding five high-severity and five intermediate violations on each of those three consecutive days. The March inspection cycle was worse: 12 high-severity violations on March 16, nine on March 17, and seven on March 18. In September 2025, inspectors documented 13 high-severity violations in a single visit.

The one outlier in recent history is June 2025, when inspectors found zero high-severity violations and only one intermediate citation. That visit stands alone in a record otherwise defined by double-digit high-priority counts.

Still Open

Florida's emergency closure authority is triggered when an inspector determines that conditions pose an immediate threat to public health. Nine high-severity violations at China Lee on April 28, including sick workers not reporting illness, toxic chemicals near food, and food contact surfaces not properly sanitized, did not meet that threshold.

The restaurant served customers that day, and the days that followed.