BOCA RATON, FL — State inspectors temporarily closed three South Florida restaurants last week, with roach activity driving the local list and a separate West Palm Beach shutdown tied to a business operating without a state license.
According to Florida DBPR emergency closure records for the week ending June 28, two of the three Palm Beach and Broward closures came out of Fort Lauderdale. Statewide, inspectors approved 21 emergency closures during the same period, with pest activity cited again and again.
It was a Dirty Dining week dominated by roaches and rodents.
Emergency Closures: Palm Beach And Broward
State records show inspectors closed Lona at 321 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd. on Monday, June 22, citing roach activity. The closure order was issued around 12:56 p.m. The restaurant was approved to reopen the same afternoon, at roughly 3:41 p.m., after corrections were verified, records show.
The next day, on Tuesday, June 23, inspectors closed P.F. Chang's China Bistro at 2418 E. Sunrise Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale, also for roach activity. Records show the restaurant was closed around 11:52 a.m. and approved to reopen the same day at about 2:27 p.m.
The week's only Palm Beach County emergency closure was a different kind of case. On Wednesday, June 24, inspectors closed a business listed as Palm Beach Best Wings at 1267 S. Military Trail in West Palm Beach. State records cite the condition as "unlicensed activity," meaning records show the operator was running a food-service business without a current state license. The closure order was issued around 1:12 p.m. No reopening time was recorded.
An emergency closure is not a disciplinary fine. It is a temporary step inspectors take when they find conditions that pose an elevated risk to the public or employees, and the business stays closed until those conditions are corrected. Common triggers include pest infestations, sewage backups, no hot or running water, inadequate refrigeration and, as in the West Palm Beach case, operating without a license.
Other Florida Emergency Closures
Outside Palm Beach and Broward, state records show inspectors approved 18 additional emergency closures across Florida during the same reporting cycle. Stuart in Martin County had an especially busy week, with closures at Bagel Break Deli, Florentinos Italian Cuisine, Krave Noodle and Rice, Twin Dragon Restaurant and Alice's Restaurant, all citing pest activity. Inspectors also closed restaurants in Miami, Miami Gardens, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Tampa, Clermont, Riverview, St. Cloud, Naples, St. Augustine, Chiefland and Fort Myers, with reasons ranging from roach and rodent activity to a sewage backup and a temperature-related storage violation.
Inspections This Week: High-Priority Violations
Beyond the emergency closures, state records show inspectors conducted hundreds of restaurant inspections across Palm Beach and Broward during the same reporting cycle. Dozens of those visits documented high-priority violations, the most serious category in the DBPR system.
In Lake Worth, inspectors documented eight high-priority, five intermediate and zero basic violations at Del Rancho Mexican Restaurant during a June 22 routine inspection, according to state inspection data. Inspectors recommended an administrative complaint. A callback inspection two days later still found three high-priority and three intermediate violations, records show. State records show the restaurant was also fined earlier this year in a separate disciplinary case.
In West Palm Beach, Newport Diner was cited with eight high-priority, three intermediate and one basic violation during a June 26 inspection, with state inspectors recommending an administrative complaint.
In Boca Raton, Santo's Modern American Buffet & Sushi was cited with seven high-priority, five intermediate and two basic violations during a June 24 inspection, records show. The Duck Tavern was cited with six high-priority, three intermediate and two basic violations on June 22. Denny's Rest 9594 was cited with five high-priority, one intermediate and one basic violation on June 24, with inspectors recommending an administrative complaint. Panera Bread #4703 was cited with five high-priority violations on June 23, also drawing an administrative complaint recommendation.
In Boynton Beach, Boynton Diner was cited with seven high-priority, three intermediate and five basic violations on June 22, drawing a warning. The same day, inspectors recommended an emergency order at Firehouse Subs on Congress Avenue, where records show five high-priority, two intermediate and one basic violation were documented. A callback the next day still resulted in an administrative complaint recommendation.
In Delray Beach, IPIC Theaters was cited with six high-priority, three intermediate and two basic violations during a June 25 routine inspection. Kapow! Noodle Bar was cited with three high-priority and four intermediate violations on June 26.
In Wellington, inspectors documented six high-priority, seven intermediate and two basic violations at Franco Italian Bistro on June 22, and six high-priority and one intermediate violation at Sushi Fans Cafe on June 26.
In West Palm Beach, Seasons 401 was cited with four high-priority violations on June 24, drawing an administrative complaint recommendation. State records show the restaurant was also the subject of a recent disciplinary order tied to an earlier inspection.
Disciplinary Orders: Palm Beach And Broward
The latest Restaurant Disciplinary Activity Report covers final orders signed by the state in May 2026, most of which stem from inspections conducted weeks or months earlier. Disciplinary actions almost always lag the original inspections, and the report is best read as monthly context.
Among the larger Palm Beach and Broward food-service fines listed in the May report:
Sushi Jo Lake Clarke Shores, also identified as Jo Bistro, in West Palm Beach was fined $3,200 in a final order signed May 14, tied to a December 8, 2025 inspection that documented four violations, according to the report.
India Grill and Bar in West Palm Beach was fined $3,120 in a final order signed May 27, stemming from a December 1, 2025 inspection that documented six violations.
Red Crab Juicy Seafood in Lake Worth was fined $2,400 in a final order signed May 14, tied to a February 9, 2026 inspection.
El Toro Rojo Carne En Vara in Lantana was fined $2,240 in a final order signed May 14, stemming from a January 16, 2026 inspection that documented four violations.
In Boca Raton, Sushi Sake was fined $1,800 in a final order signed May 18, tied to a December 2, 2025 inspection, and Keke's Breakfast Cafe was fined $1,600 in a final order signed May 4, tied to a November 10, 2025 inspection.
A few names from the disciplinary report also appear in this week's activity. Lona in Fort Lauderdale was fined $200 in a May 14 order tied to an October 2025 inspection, separate from the roach-related emergency closure that briefly shuttered the restaurant on June 22. Seasons 401 in West Palm Beach was fined $800 in a May 19 order tied to an April 2026 inspection, and state records show it also drew an administrative complaint recommendation during this week's June 24 inspection. Del Rancho Mexican Restaurant in Lake Worth was fined $600 in a May 27 order tied to a December 2025 inspection, the same restaurant that drew an administrative complaint recommendation this week with eight high-priority violations.
Best Inspection In Boca Raton This Week
Based on state inspection records for the current reporting cycle, the strongest standalone Boca Raton inspection documented this week was at:
Cinemark Palace 20 (Boca Raton)
Inspection Date: June 22, 2026
Violations: 0 High Priority, 0 Intermediate, 1 Basic
According to Florida DBPR inspection data, inspectors did not document any high-priority or intermediate violations during this routine visit, and the inspection was completed with no further action.
Closing Note
Inspection reports are a snapshot of conditions observed at the time of inspection. On another day, an establishment may have fewer or more violations than noted in the report, and conditions can change. Restaurants ordered closed during emergency inspections are allowed to reopen after state inspectors verify the cited conditions have been corrected.
Boca Post's Dirty Dining reports cover restaurant inspection results from Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Deerfield Beach, and Coral Springs.
