CLEARWATER, Fla. — A Mexican restaurant popular with office workers in the Feather Sound area is cleaning up following a forced emergency closure by state health inspectors.
Los Mexicanos’ Ulmerton Road location was ordered to temporarily cease operations after racking up 41 violations on their Sept. 25 inspection by Florida’s Division of Hotels and Restaurants.
The violations included a mold-like substance inside the ice machine, food stored on the floor and temperature abuse on queso, sour cream, and raw beef.
The restaurant was also written up for having toxic items stored near the food. The inspector reported finding urinal deodorant right by the sugar packets and degreaser next to the to-go containers.
The report also indicates the presence of small flying insects throughout the kitchen, roach excrement near clean equipment, dead roaches in a refrigeration drawer on the cook line and even in with the to-go cups.
The restaurant inspection report also includes violations for rodent activity with more than 150 droppings. The inspector even reported finding a decomposing rodent near the fountain machine.
“Honestly, I’m kind of like scared,” said one customer moments after receiving his food. “ I don’t want to come up here anymore.”
We showed other customers the inspection report … moments before their food arrived at the table.
When asked about the restaurant’s list of violations, an employee who identified herself as the person in charge told us she had little knowledge of the emergency closure.
“I don’t know anything about that. I couldn't really tell you anything about that,” said the employee who did not provide her name.
After calling management, she eventually asked us to leave the restaurant, locking the door behind us and turning the open sign upside down to read "Closed."
And while the front door got locked shut, the back door leading into the kitchen remained wide open. That’s a violation the restaurant has been repeatedly warned to correct because it can allow vermin easy access into the kitchen.
And while restaurant staff had little to say, customers tell me they’re less than impressed.
“That goes to show they’re afraid the truth has come out, and to me I don’t think that’s acceptable,” said customer Janet Muniu. “Now that I know that, I definitely won’t be coming back.
Los Mexicanos was previously shut down by the state in October of last year.
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