Lamaur Stancil, and Rick Neale

Florida Today

With dozens of sanitation and safety violations cited, state health inspectors ordered Off The Traxx Sports Bar and Grille to close temporarily Friday, according to a report.

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation ordered the downtown Melbourne restaurant, located at 918 East New Haven Drive, to close following Friday's inspection.

No one answered the phone at the business early Friday night.

Inspectors said they found flies in the kitchen, as well as roaches and evidence of rats in the storage area. The staff was using pesticide strips to deal with the issue, but the state cited the restaurant for having the strips in improper places, such as the food preparation area.

Off The Traxx overcrowding, security eyed by City Hall

Inspectors also found several food items that had been opened but not cooked within seven days, such as a tub of red chili pepper soup with an April 27 date.

City: Off The Traxx needs security, bathroom upgrades

The state directive for the restaurant is to address all the violations before re-opening. That included 15 high-priority violations among the 61 cited.