Sanford steakhouse closed after inspectors find roaches and flies

State inspectors shut down Colorado’s Prime Steak at 3863 S. Orlando Drive after finding a pest problem serious enough to trigger an emergency closure, including 12 dead roaches on a wall near a water heater, two live roaches inside a leg post at a three-compartment sink, one live roach near standing water and nearly 60 small flying insects on the premises.

The inspection also cited a dishwasher chlorine sanitizer reading below the required minimum strength and an expired Division of Hotels and Restaurants license. The restaurant was closed May 11 and met inspection standards, then reopened May 12 after a follow-up inspection, limiting the shutdown to about one day.

Florida’s Division of Hotels and Restaurants uses emergency closures when conditions pose an elevated risk to public health, safety or welfare, including pest infestation and inadequate refrigeration. In this case, the combination of roaches, flies, sanitation problems and a licensing issue made the closure more than a routine paperwork correction. For diners, the immediate concern was contamination risk in food-preparation and dishwashing areas, where pests and weak sanitizer can undermine basic sanitation controls.

The Sanford closure was one of three Central Florida restaurant shutdowns tied to health-inspection findings during the May 11 to May 17 reporting period. The others were Sweet Delight Jamaican Cuisine in Palm Bay and Momoz, LLC in Tampa, showing that regulators were taking action across the region rather than flagging a single isolated case.

The broader state inspection roundup for May 11 through May 18 recorded 2,228 inspections, 7,152 violations and 1,905 critical findings, a reminder that restaurant enforcement in Florida is constant and data-driven. For Seminole County diners, the state’s public records make it possible to track these cases directly through InspectFL and MyFloridaLicense, where emergency closures and inspection results are posted for review before a meal becomes a health concern.