For the second time in less than a month, a Belleview pizza restaurant has been shut down by a health inspector.
Little Caesars, located at 10135 SE U.S. Hwy. 441 in the Belleview Commons Shopping Center, was forced to temporarily close on Sept. 10 when a health inspector found a high-priority violation regarding roaches in the restaurant – a repeat violation from when the facility was shut down last month.
During the most recent visit, the inspector found live roaches at a mop sink area, on the floor under a water fountain, at a three-compartment sink area, under a pizza reach-in cooler and on the floor under a pizza oven. The inspector also noted “one roach egg sac” on the floor under a pizza oven, according to a report on file with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
An intermediate violation was cited regarding commercially processed, ready-to-eat food opened and held more than 24 hours without being properly dated, the report says, adding that chicken wings with no date marked were found in a walk-in cooler.
There also were two basic violations. The first involved four dead roaches found on the floor near a three-compartment sink, which was a repeat violation. The second was corrected onsite when a female wearing six rings and four bracelets removed the jewelry and washed her hands.
The restaurant remained closed the following day when the health inspector returned and found a live roach inside a pizza reach-in cooler crevice and another on the floor under a three-compartment sink. But it reopened later that day same when the inspector returned for a second time and found no remaining issues.
The Belleview Little Caesars also was closed Aug. 23 when a health inspector found similar issues with live roaches and excrement in the restaurant. During that visit, 20 live roaches were found on a wall behind three sinks – an employee killed five while the inspector was on-site – and others were found inside a paper towel dispenser, under a pizza oven and on the floor under a hand wash sink at a front station. And roach excrement was found under hand sinks and a fountain.
The restaurant remained closed Aug. 24 after the inspector returned twice and found violations during both visits. The facility also was forced to remain closed on one visit on Aug. 25. But the inspector found no violations on a second visit that day and the restaurant reopened.
