Roaches, Food Violations Forced Sloppy Pelican to Temporarily Close

The Sloppy Pelican restaurant in St. Pete Beach was forced to shut down for a day last month after state inspectors found 31 violations, including raw fish held at unsafe temperatures, insecticide stored in a kitchen prep area and 40-50 roaches.

The restaurant, at 677 75th Ave., was ordered to temporarily close following the March 14 inspection by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

A post on the Sloppy Pelican's Facebook page that day said the restaurant would be closed that night "for Employee Meetings and Renovations." It reopened the next day after a follow-up visit found the restaurant met inspection standards.

The restaurant also passed a routine inspection April 4, online records show.

In the March 14 inspection, the state found a total of 31 violations, including seven "high priority" violations, defined as "those which could contribute directly to a foodborne illness or injury." They included:

• Food held at "potentially hazardous" temperatures, including sour cream at 48 degrees in a deli-style cooler and beer batter at 50 degrees on a counter
• Raw fish held at temperatures greater than 41 degrees, including grouper at 45 degrees, pollock fish at 45 degrees and scallops at 44 degrees
• Vegetable chopper/dicer/shredder/peeler soiled with old food debris
• 40-50 live roaches in between a wall seem next to a deli-style cooler in the kitchen, two live roaches moving on shelf of a cooler and one live roach active on a steamer with an egg sack
• Small flying insects in the bar area
• Raid, a pesticide/insecticide labeled for household use only, present in the kitchen's prep area storage
• A container of DayQuil impropertly stored on the top shelf of a cooler

These violations were corrected, and the restaurant was allowed to reopen March 15.

Last year, ABC Action News reported on dozens of violations by the restaurant as part of a "Dirty Dining" segment.

You can check for inspections on your favorite restaurants by going to the the department's online services website.

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