Two restaurants inside the Paddock Mall food court were temporarily ordered to shut down on Tuesday after state health inspectors discovered multiple dead rodents on the premises.
The emergency closures were enacted by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation following inspections at both Pei Wei Asian Express and Pizza Per-Bellini, which are both located in the mall (3100 SW College Road, Ocala).
According to the inspection report, two dead rodents were discovered on a sticky pad located on a shelf beneath the front counter at Pei Wei.
While corrective action was taken after the restaurant manager discarded the pad containing the rodents, the business was ordered to stop operations until the violation could be fully corrected.
During a separate inspection on the same day at Pizza Per-Bellini, a similar dead rodent violation was documented when the inspector found two deceased rats on a sticky pad that was underneath the ice machine in the back kitchen area.
The report notes that a third dead rodent was found on a sticky pad under the front counter.
All of the dead rats were removed during the inspection as a corrective action, and the facility was temporarily closed.
The recent failed inspections are not the first time restaurants in the mall’s food court have been cited for rats and roaches.
In mid-2023, the former Sbarro and Charleys Cheesesteaks were temporarily closed after rodents and roaches were found at the site. The same issue led to the closure of Sbarro again in September that year, and again in November. That Sbarro eventually closed and was replaced by Pizza Per-Bellini.
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