SUNRISE, Fla. -- Rats are taking over a shopping center in Sunrise and trappers are trying to put a stop to it.

"It's something I wouldn't want to see everyday, especially where you work," said Linda LaFlam, an employee of the Hair Studio in the University Shopping Plaza at 8251 Sunset Strip.

"People eating there and buying food, and those things there crawling all around all the time -- awful," said Nancy Bairdi, also an employee of the Hair Studio.

Owners and employees of the Hair Studio say the rat problem started at a butcher shop in the plaza, which shut down Wednesday. The shop also received two citations from the Broward County Health Department for conditions that are attractive to rodents.

"For a Kosher market, which is supposed to be cleanliness, and that they were (Kosher) down there for a couple months, I don't know how they got away with it," said Hair Studio owner James Rebbington.

"It's a horrible thing to know that you're living in a place like this and working in a place like this and things are around that you can't see," said Hair Studio employee Elayne Gateman.

WPLG-TV reporter Peter D'Oench said that 14 dead rats were removed from the plaza so far today.

A spokesman for Trident Property, which manages the plaza, said that managers are at the plaza staying on top of the problem. The spokesman would not give an estimate of the total number of rats removed this week.

The Broward County Health Department is also reportedly monitoring the removal work.