LYNNE P. SCOTT, APPELLANT,
v.
DEPARTMENT OF PROFESSIONAL REGULATION, APPELLEE

Fla. 1st DCA | 1992-06-11
No. 90-3197
BOOTH and BARFIELD, JJ., concur.
603 So. 2d 519 Florida District Court of Appeal, First District (1992) Negative Treatment
Cited by 8 cases


Opinion of the Court
ALLEN, Judge.

[*520] ALLEN, Judge.

The appellant is a registered nurse who challenges an administrative order by which her license was suspended after a hearing before the Board of Nursing. The appellant did not appear at the hearing, and did not otherwise respond to the complaint against her.

However, the appellant’s failure to appear or respond does not relieve the appellee of its obligation to substantiate the charges by presenting sufficient evidence. See Florida State Board of Medical Examiners v. James, 175 So. 2d 815 (Fla. 3d DCA 1965).

The only evidence which the appellee presented at the hearing was a hearsay report which would not have been admissible over objection in a civil action. As indicated in § 120.58(l)(a), Florida Statutes, this evidence was not sufficient in itself to support the Board’s findings. See also, Doran v. Department of Health and Rehab. Servs., 558 So. 2d 87 (Fla. 1st DCA 1990), and Harris v. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm’n, 495 So. 2d 806 (Fla. 1st DCA 1986).

Because there was insufficient evidence to support the findings, pursuant to the cited authorities and § 120.68(10), Florida Statutes, the suspension of the appellant’s license must be set aside. The challenged order is therefore reversed.

BOOTH and BARFIELD, JJ., concur.

Other

ON MOTION FOR REHEARING AND/OR CLARIFICATION

The appellee’s motion for rehearing is denied. Except as indicated below, the motion for clarification is also denied.

Our opinion in this case does not mandate the procedure which the appellee should follow in the future with regard to either this or other actions, beyond the necessity of presenting appropriate evidence in the circumstances here involved. The opinion does not compel the appellee to pursue a section 120.57(1), Florida Statutes, hearing in such circumstances. In connection with the appellee’s citation to Hime v. Florida Real Estate Commission, 61 So. 2d 182 (Fla.1952), for purposes of default, we direct the appellee’s attention to State ex rel. Vining v. Florida Real Estate Commission, 281 So. 2d 487 (Fla.1973). See also, Boedy v. Department of Professional Regulation, 463 So. 2d 215 (Fla.1985).

BOOTH and BARFIELD, JJ., concur.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By

  • Nicks v. Dep't of Bus. & Prof'l, 957 So. 2d 65 (Fla. 5th DCA 2007)
    …administrative complaint, the Department was still required to prove those facts with competent, substantial evidence before it could take action against his license. In making this argument, Nicks cites to Scott v. Dep't of Professional Regulation, 603 So. 2d 519 (Fla. 1st DCA 1992). We reject Nicks’ argument. When a party waives the right to challenge the factual allegations of an administrative complaint, either by requesting an informal hearing pursuant to section 120.57(2), Florida Statutes, or by failin…
  • …arris references the “residuum rule” by name; however, Harris is a classic application of it, whereas TriState is a reaction to its illogie. The extremity of the application of this rule can be seen in Scott v. Department of Professional Regulation, 603 So. 2d 519, 520 (Fla. 1st DCA 1992). There the licensee not only did not object to the hearsay character of the evidence offered in her license suspension hearing, she did not even appear. Yet, the court reversed on the legal insufficiency of the evidence beca…
  • …et aside. For this reason, the forfeiture order must be reversed. See Cash v. Fla. Real Estate Comm’n, 176 So. 2d 518, 520 (Fla. 2d DCA 1965); Sheriff of Broward Cty. v. Stanley, 50 So. 3d 640, 644 (Fla. 1st DCA 2010); Scott v. Dep’t of Prof'l Reg., 603 So. 2d 519, 520 (Fla. 1st DCA 1992); Harris, 495 So. 2d at 809. On remand, the Board shall enter an order restoring to Mr. Rivera his benefits under the Plan. The order shall also provide for the payment to Mr. Rivera of any past due benefits with interest. R…

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