Case Name: GOOD SAMARITAN HOSPITAL, INC., Appellant, v. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, Boca Raton Community Hospital, Inc., and St. Mary's Hospital, Inc., Appellees
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1986-03-26
Citations: 485 So. 2d 871
Docket Number: No. 85-1577
Parties: GOOD SAMARITAN HOSPITAL, INC., Appellant, v. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, Boca Raton Community Hospital, Inc., and St. Mary’s Hospital, Inc., Appellees.
Judges: ANSTEAD and WALDEN, JJ., and CO-WART, EDWARD D., Associate Judge, concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 485
Pages: 871–871

Head Matter:
GOOD SAMARITAN HOSPITAL, INC., Appellant, v. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, Boca Raton Community Hospital, Inc., and St. Mary’s Hospital, Inc., Appellees.
No. 85-1577.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District.
March 26, 1986.
Rehearing Denied April 25, 1986.
Catherine A. Gaudreau of McDermott, Will & Emery, Miami, for appellant.
R. Bruce McKibben, Jr. and Richard A. Patterson, Tallahassee, for appellee Dept, of Health and Rehabilitative Services.
Charles A. Stampelos of McFarlain, Bobo, Sternstein, Wiley & Cassedy, P.A., Tallahassee, for appellee Boca Raton Community Hosp.
Sydney H. McKenzie and M. Christopher Bryant of Oertel & Hoffman, P.A., Tallahassee, for appellee St. Mary’s Hosp., Inc.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
We affirm and, in doing so, acknowledge that we have approved the appellee administrative agency's interpretation of its rule, Rule 10-5.08(l)(e), to allow for a grace period for competing applicants for a certificate of need only where no other letter of intent has been filed more than five working days prior to the filing deadline. In other words, the agency permits a grace period for seeking certificates of need for competing applicants when the only other applications have been filed within five days of the deadline. We believe this to be a fair and reasonable interpretation of the rule. An agency's interpretation of its own rule is entitled to deference and the party challenging the agency's interpretation must establish that the interpretation * is clearly erroneous. Pan American World Airways, Inc. v. Florida Public Service Commission, 427 So.2d 716 (Fla.1983).
ANSTEAD and WALDEN, JJ., and CO-WART, EDWARD D., Associate Judge, concur.