Court Opinion

ID: 9914845
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2024-01-03 16:02:54.799929+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:15:15.367289
License: Public Domain

FIRST DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL
                 STATE OF FLORIDA
                  _____________________________

                         No. 1D2022-2247
                  _____________________________

BRITTNEY CUNNINGHAM, L.P.N.,

    Appellant,

    v.

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH,

    Appellee.
                  _____________________________

On appeal from the Florida Department of Health, Board of
Nursing.
Maggie Hansen, MHSc, RN, Chair.

                          January 3, 2024

RAY, J.

     Brittney Cunningham challenges a final order of the Florida
Board of Nursing revoking her nursing license for engaging in
unprofessional conduct in violation of section 464.018(1)(h),
Florida Statutes (2021) (authorizing disciplinary action for
unprofessional conduct), and rule 64B9-8.005(14), Florida
Administrative Code (defining that conduct to include using
abusive, threatening or foul language in front of a patient or
directing such language toward a patient). We affirm, without
further discussion, that part of the order finding that she failed to
timely submit an Election of Rights form and thus waived her right
to a formal hearing.
     But as the Department correctly concedes, the Board
erroneously believed that revocation of Cunningham’s license was
the minimum penalty that could be imposed and mitigating factors
would be needed to deviate below that penalty. Instead, license
revocation was outside the guidelines and required a specific
showing of aggravating circumstances. See Fla. Admin. Code R.
64B9-8.006(3)(f) (setting the minimum penalty for a first offense of
unprofessional conduct at a reprimand, $250 fine, and continuing
education; setting the maximum penalty at a $500 fine and
probation); id. at (5)(a)–(b) (allowing the Board to deviate from
those guideline penalties upon a showing of aggravating or
mitigating circumstances, and enumerating a non-exhaustive list
of circumstances the Board may consider). In imposing a penalty
outside the guidelines, the Board must make “[a] specific finding
in the final order of mitigating or aggravating circumstances.”
§ 456.079(3), Fla. Stat. (2022). The Board failed to do so here.

    We thus set aside the final order as to the penalty imposed
and remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
See § 120.68(7)(e)2., 4., Fla. Stat. (2023) (requiring an appellate
court to remand a case to the agency for further proceedings or set
aside agency action when the agency has exercised its discretion
inconsistent with an agency rule or in violation of a statutory
provision).

    AFFIRMED in part, SET ASIDE in part, and REMANDED.

ROWE and NORDBY, JJ., concur.

                 _____________________________

    Not final until disposition of any timely and
    authorized motion under Fla. R. App. P. 9.330 or
    9.331.
               _____________________________

Lance O. Leider of The Health Law Firm, P.A., Altamonte Springs,
for Appellant.

                                 2
Sarah Young Hodges, Chief Appellate Counsel,       Florida
Department of Health, Tallahassee, for Appellee.

                           3