This one disgusting discovery left families in Florida horrified

Florida families thought they could trust their neighborhood restaurants to serve safe, clean food.

They were dead wrong.

And this one disgusting discovery left families in Florida horrified.

Live roaches crawling on cutting boards forces emergency shutdown

What inspectors found during routine health checks at Florida restaurants would turn your stomach.

We’re talking about violations so severe that emergency shutdowns became the only way to protect public safety from what was happening behind kitchen doors.

State health inspectors discovered conditions so appalling at dozens of restaurants that emergency shutdowns became the only option to protect public safety.

At The General Public House in New Smyrna Beach, inspectors found a live roach crawling directly on a cutting board where food was being prepared.¹

That wasn’t even the worst part – investigators discovered more than 20 additional roaches infesting every corner of the facility, from the cooking area to the dish machine.

The restaurant was immediately slammed with an emergency closure order after inspectors documented what can only be described as a complete breakdown of basic sanitation.

But here’s what should make every Florida family’s stomach turn: this wasn’t an isolated incident.

Sugar Kingdom in Daytona Beach had live roaches discovered on a countertop contaminating an open box of brown sugar that was being used in food preparation.²

Beach Front Grille in Flagler Beach was shut down after inspectors found 11 live roaches under the hand washing sink and three more under the stove on the cook line.³

Raw sewage and temperature nightmares expose industry-wide crisis

If you think the roach problem was bad, wait until you hear what else inspectors documented.

Chick-fil-A at Melbourne Square Mall got slammed with an emergency closure after inspectors walked into raw sewage backing up through floor drains with standing water throughout the restaurant.⁴

Picture this: families thinking they’re grabbing a quick, clean meal while eating in conditions that would make a truck stop restroom look pristine by comparison.

Temperature violations – which can cause deadly food poisoning – were documented at restaurant after restaurant.

At Ciao Bella Bistro in New Smyrna Beach, inspectors found critical foods like marinara sauce, lasagna, meat sauce, and fresh seafood stored at dangerously high temperatures overnight, creating perfect breeding grounds for bacteria.⁵

The restaurant industry wants you to believe these are just “isolated incidents” or “snapshots in time.”

That’s complete garbage.

A dirty little secret

These inspection reports show you what restaurants look like when they know inspectors are coming and have had time to clean up.

Imagine what these places look like on a random Tuesday night when nobody’s watching.

Racing’s North Turn in Ponce Inlet racked up 31 total violations in a single inspection, including employees touching food with bare hands and flying insects swarming the salad prep area.⁶

Iron Axe Bar & Grill in South Daytona couldn’t even get their act together for a follow-up inspection, with rodent droppings still scattered around the facility and flying insects buzzing through the kitchen.⁷

The most infuriating part?

Many of these restaurants were operating with expired licenses, meaning they were illegally serving food to unsuspecting families while state regulators looked the other way.

At least 15 restaurants were caught operating without valid licenses during this inspection cycle alone.

Outraged parents

The Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation waves off these violations by calling inspection reports “snapshots” of conditions at the time of inspection, as if finding live roaches on cutting boards becomes acceptable if it’s only happening some of the time.

You know what that sounds like?

Bureaucratic excuse-making designed to protect restaurant profits while putting families at risk.

During all that time, families keep walking through those doors and eating food prepared in contaminated conditions.

¹ Helena Perray, “Live roach on cutting board, 11 under sink temporarily closes NSB, Flagler restaurants,” Daytona Beach News-Journal, July 24, 2025.

² Ibid.

³ Ibid.

⁴ Staff Reports, “Raw sewage prompts inspector to shut down popular chicken chain at Melbourne Square Mall,” Florida Today, July 24, 2025.

⁵ Helena Perray, “Live roach on cutting board, 11 under sink temporarily closes NSB, Flagler restaurants,” Daytona Beach News-Journal, July 24, 2025.

⁶ Ibid.

⁷ Ibid.