A pizza counter tucked into Miami International Airport's South Terminal food court has been ordered closed after state inspectors documented rodent droppings scattered through the kitchen, mold growing inside the ice machine, and a batch of cut ham held nearly ten degrees above the legal safety limit. The Famous Famiglia Pizzeria, located in the Concourse H-J connector food court on the terminal's second-level departures area, had not been allowed to reopen as of publication.
Inspectors from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation found roughly seven rodent droppings inside a cabinet drawer underneath the front counter register, according to WPLG Local 10. Inspectors also documented about 10 more droppings on the back of a preparation cooler and one on the kitchen floor, along with a black and green mold-like substance found inside the ice machine or bin. The findings led inspectors to order the pizzeria shut down over rodent activity and what the station described as serious sanitation problems.
Dirty Floors and a Repeat Violation on the Pizza Oven
Beyond the droppings and mold, inspectors documented dirty floors throughout the kitchen, including underneath the pizza oven, behind the ice machine, and inside the walk-in cooler. The station's report notes that the floor violations are considered repeat violations, meaning inspectors had cited similar conditions before. The top of the pizza oven was also found soiled with grease, food debris, dirt and slime or dust, a violation likewise flagged as a repeat offense.
Investigative reporter Jeff Weinsier, who has covered the Dirty Dining beat for the station since joining Local 10 News in 1994, detailed the violations as part of his ongoing food-safety segment. As of publication, the same account notes, the location had not been re-inspected following the closure order.
Ham Held at 51 Degrees Triggers Stop-Sale Order
Inspectors also issued a stop-sale order after finding cut ham in the reach-in cooler measured at 51 degrees Fahrenheit, well above the 41-degree threshold Florida law requires for cold-holding potentially hazardous foods. The restaurant's operator told inspectors the ham had been sitting in the cooler since the previous day, per the station's report. Under Florida food safety regulations, time and temperature control for safety foods must stay at or below 41°F, and inspectors are required to issue mandatory stop-sale orders when temperature abuse creates a direct risk of foodborne pathogens, according to a document reviewed by the Georgia General Assembly.
The closure falls under the state's broader emergency authority. Under Chapter 509 of Florida Statutes, the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation can issue emergency closure orders whenever inspectors identify immediate public health hazards, such as pest infestations or severe temperature control violations, according to Elevate Legal Services. Those closures mandate an immediate halt to operations until the violations are corrected and the location passes re-inspection.
Not the First Time This Airport Spot Has Failed Inspection
This isn't the first health-code shutdown for this particular South Terminal eatery. Back in October 2012, state inspectors previously ordered the same Famous Famiglia location temporarily closed over roach activity before eventually allowing it to reopen, according to the Miami New Times. That reporting also identifies Areas USA, a global travel hospitality company headquartered in Miami, as the master concessionaire that manages the South Terminal food court space where the pizzeria operates.
Areas USA has faced its own labor tensions this year. In June, roughly 130 MIA retail and concessions workers employed by the company voted to authorize a strike represented by UNITE HERE Local 355 over wage negotiations that had dragged on for six months, according to WLRN.
A High-Traffic Airport Under Major Renovation
The stakes of a food-safety failure at MIA are magnified by sheer volume. The airport served more than 55.3 million passengers in 2025, keeping its rank as the eighth-busiest airport in the country and the second-busiest for international travelers, per Miami-Dade County. That volume of travelers relies heavily on concourse dining options like the South Terminal food court.
The closure also lands in the middle of a sweeping infrastructure push at the airport. Miami International Airport is currently carrying out a capital improvement initiative called Modernization in Action, aimed at upgrading passenger facilities, restrooms and food courts across its terminals over five to seven years as part of an overall investment plan that could reach $14 billion, according to Miami International Airport.
The pizza chain's troubles aren't confined to Miami. Famous Famiglia, founded in New York City in 1986 by the Kolaj family and now operating more than 100 locations worldwide, has built much of its business around captive travel markets like airports, highway plazas and stadiums, according to Major League Eating. In May, Sacramento International Airport announced an extended closure of its own Terminal B Famous Famiglia location after structural repair work was identified, per Sacramento County Government.
The MIA closure also fits a broader pattern of regional enforcement. During a single week in late June, DBPR inspectors ordered six South Florida food service establishments temporarily closed over high-priority health and sanitation violations, a pace the station tracks weekly through its Dirty Dining segment.
