GULFPORT, Fla. — A favorite downtown Gulfport beach restaurant has been temporarily shut down after a health inspector found dozens of live insects in the kitchen.
Caddy's Gulfport was slapped with six health code violations, including three labeled "high priority" in an inspection completed on Monday. The high-priority violations listed in the report include:
- a dishwasher chlorine sanitizer not set at proper minimum strength,
- live, small flying insects in the kitchen and food prep areas,
- 41 flies around the kitchen dishracks,
- 48 flies around the sodas lines, bottles and plumbing at the main bar, and
- 24 live roaches in the wall foam and on soda lines behind a clean dish rack.
High-priority violations are described by the state's Department of Business and Professional Regulation as "those which could contribute directly to a foodborne illness or injury."
The report also showed "basic" violations like an employee preparing food without a hair restraint, a hole in the wall and dead roaches behind coolers.
The department does note that "an inspection conducted on any given day may not be representative of the overall, long-term conditions at the establishment." These changing conditions are why restaurants aren't graded or rated.
It's not clear how long Caddy's Gulfport will be closed, but the restaurant was ordered to stop operations until the violations are corrected.
10 Tampa Bay reached out to Caddy's Gulfport for a statement and is waiting to hear back. When 10 Tampa Bay sent a photojournalist to the location, an employee said the restaurant hopes to reopen sometime Wednesday.