Live roaches in the kitchen and tofu that was past its expiration date led state inspectors to temporarily shut down a Chinese takeout spot in the Country Club of Miami area, with an emergency closure ordered on June 30 after officials documented multiple sanitation problems and food held at unsafe temperatures.
An inspection report, summarized by Local 10's Dirty Dining team, lists 18 violations, including a note that “Roach activity present as evidenced by live roaches found” and a stop-sale for tofu that inspectors say expired on June 10. Inspectors also cited ready-to-eat foods at unsafe temperatures, recording tofu soup at 51°F and ham at 49°F. The report states the restaurant was ordered closed until those hazards were corrected, according to Local 10.
Under the FDA Food Code, cold time/temperature-control-for-safety foods must be kept at 41°F (5°C) or below, which is why items holding at 49 to 51°F are treated as potentially hazardous. The Food Code does allow time to be used as a public-health control in limited circumstances, but only with strict time marking and documentation; violations can trigger stop-sale orders or emergency closures. According to the FDA Food Code, inspectors treat temperature abuse as a serious risk because it increases the chance of bacterial growth.
Mr. Lee's, listed online as New Mr Lee's Chinese Restaurant, operates as a small takeout counter in the Vista Shopping Center in the Country Club of Miami area. The business appears on local listings and on the shopping center's tenant roster, which identifies “6560 Mr Lee’s Chinese” among its occupants, and the restaurant’s own site lists takeout hours along with a contact phone number. The Mr. Lee's website and the Vista Center brochure both confirm the location.
What needs to happen before reopening
Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation handles these emergency closures and requires operators to correct cited hazards, throw out or otherwise document what happens to any stop-sale items, and then pass a follow-up inspection before they can reopen. Regulators typically want to see verified pest-control treatments, equipment that has been repaired or thoroughly sanitized, and proof that hot- and cold-holding units can maintain safe temperatures, according to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation and FDACS food-permit records.
Part of a wider pattern
Local 10's Dirty Dining series has repeatedly highlighted South Florida kitchens this year for issues such as infestations, mold and time/temperature violations, and the shutdown of Mr. Lee's fits into that ongoing pattern of enforcement aimed at protecting diners, as documented by Local 10. Diners who want to track what happens next can review inspection details, closure notes and stop-sale orders through the state's inspection portal and FDACS food-permit records.
