ORLANDO, Fla. – Just a few days before Christmas, only three restaurants across Florida were forced to close due to health violations, according to the state’s DBPR.
Among those, only one was located in Central Florida: Orlando’s very own Lee & Rick’s Oyster Bar along Old Winter Garden Road.
State records show that nearly all of the violations were relatively minor, including the following:
- Employee drank from an open beverage container in a food prep/clean dishware area, and the container didn’t have a dispensing mechanism to prevent hand contact with the lip contact area of the container.
- Employee drinks were left on the beer cooler in the kitchen.
- The floor was covered in standing water in front of the prep sink.
- The wall behind the dishwashing area was damaged.
- There was no handwashing sign provided at a hand sink used by food employees in the women’s restroom.
However, there was one “high priority” violation that sparked the restaurant’s closure on Dec. 22.
[BELOW: Longtime bar in Downtown Orlando to shut its doors for good. Here’s when]
Health inspection reports reveal that there were 228 total small, flying insects found on the premises of Lee & Rick’s Oyster Bar during last week’s visit.
Of these, over 100 were found in the kitchen around the beer cooler and soda fountain, with 57 in the dishwashing area, and around 30 discovered at the bar counter, records say.
That said, the health inspector’s report shows that the restaurant was able to fix this issue, allowing the eatery to reopen later that same day.
The other two Florida restaurants required to close last week were as follows:
- Delray Beach: Blue Anchor — 804 E. Atlantic Ave.
- Closed on Dec. 22
- Dead rodent found on floor behind bar next to slide top cooler
- Around 200 rodent droppings found on premises
- Around 20 small, flying insects found flying around the bar or landing on drink dispensers/equipment/utensils
- Employee began working with clean utensils and equipment without washing hands
- Operated with an expired Division of Hotels and Restaurants license
- Met inspection standards on Dec. 29
- Milton: Oops Alley — 3721 Highway 90
- Closed on Dec. 22
- Ten dead roaches found on premises
- Two live roaches found on premises
- Four small, flying insects found on premises
- Met inspection standards on Dec. 23