Florida Department of Health

New Times Says No to MLB

New Times Says No to Major League Baseball

Sorry, MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. We won't hand over records that detail the inner workings of Biogenesis, the controversial Coral Gables anti-aging clinic that allegedly supplied prohibited drugs to six professional baseball players, including Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez.The reasons are manifol ... More >>

Poisoned: Asthma, Cancer, and Death Prowl a Miami Neighborhood

Five Fort Lauderdale Firefighters Arrested in Forged Certification Scheme

Four City of Fort Lauderdale firefighters have been arrested and a warrant has been issued for one former firefighter on charges of using bogus medical certification cards in a yearlong corruption investigation. According to Ft. Lauderdale Police, the investigation began when a routine audit by th ... More >>

Man Returns Used Enemas to Store; the Store Resells Them

A Jacksonville man was indicted on federal charges after he purchased a dozen enemas from a CVS store, used them, put them back into their boxes, resealed them, and brought them back to the store. So. Many. Questions. Oh, but that's not all. Several of the used enemas were then resold to unsuspec ... More >>

Rick Scott Gave Out an Adult Phone Line Instead of Meningitis Hotline

This might be the most Rick Scott thing ever. During a meeting of the Florida Cabinet on Tuesday, Scott stepped up to give an update on the fungal meningitis outbreak the state has recently been dealing with. But Scott screwed up and gave out the wrong number for the meningitis hotline, which was ... More >>

Whooping Cough Cases Continue to Climb in Broward and Across Florida

Broward health officials have now recorded 34 cases of whooping cough this year, according to the latest data. For the whole of last year, there was only one case documented in the county. See also-Broward Whooping Cough Cases Shouldn't Surprise Anyone-Whooping Cough Cases Surge in Broward, Flo ... More >>

Life Is Wild on the Outlaw Fringe of Body Modification

Whooping Cough Cases Surge in Broward, Florida

See also "Broward Whooping Cough Cases Shouldn't Surprise Anyone"According to the most recent data from the Florida Department of Health, 260 cases of whooping cough have been reported throughout the state as of the end of June.That's 120 more cases of the highly contagious respiratory ailment than ... More >>

Surgeon on Fatal Strax Rejuvenation Operation Had Medical License Suspended

​The surgeon who performed a fat transfer procedure that proved fatal for a 50-year-old Hollywood woman last week has repeatedly had his medical license suspended.Records show that Dr. John Nees' disciplinary troubles date back to 2002, when he was working in the Pacific Northwest. The Washington ... More >>

Oneal Morris, Miami's Alleged Fix-a-Flat Butt Enhancement "Nurse," Arrested on Broward Charges

​Oneal Morris was arrested in Miami last November on charges that she gave back-room plastic surgery to several people using mixtures of super glue, cement, mineral oil, and Fix-a-Flat tire fluid. She told Entertainment Tonight that "I really am innocent or whatever," and Miami court records indic ... More >>

Binge Drinking and Obesity Increasing in Broward and Palm Beach Counties

sucksorrules.comAnd then there's this guy.​Residents in Broward and Palm Beach counties are drunker and fatter than before, according new statistics released by the Florida Department of Health.The Florida Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey -- which questions around 500 people in each coun ... More >>

Weston Doctor Banned From Surgery After Patient's Death During Liposuction

Alyne Medical Rejuvenation InstituteDr. Sant Antonio is barred from performing office surgery.​Dr. Alberto Sant Antonio, a Weston physician whose patient stopped breathing during a liposuction procedure this summer, is temporarily banned from performing office surgeries in Florida.The Florida Depa ... More >>

Nan Rich: Florida Republicans Only Take Federal Funds if it Promotes "Extreme Agenda"

thoughttheater.comThis nice chastity belt is apparently a better investment than preventing child abuse​Florida's Senate Democratic Leader Nan Rich isn't too happy today about the state's Republican leadership rejecting $50 million in federal funds to protect people like at-risk kids and senior ci ... More >>

Weston Cosmetic Surgeon Linked to Two Deaths Is Not Board-Certified

Alyne Medical Rejuvenation InstituteDr. Sant Antonio removes fat, but is it plastic surgery?​Dr. Alberto Sant Antonio, founder of the Weston cosmetic surgery clinic where two patients recently died after fat-removal procedures, is not a board-certified plastic surgeon, according to Florida Departm ... More >>

Strax Rejuvenation Responds to New Times Cover Story

Courtesy Aronfeld Trial LawyersLidvian Zelaya died after surgery at Strax.​Strax Rejuvenation and Aesthetics Institute, the high-volume plastic surgery office in Lauderhill that was the subject of last week's New Times cover story, does not take criticism lightly. In a blog posted on the company's ... More >>

Florida Board of Medicine Allows Convicted Rapist To Keep Practicing As A Doctor

Florida Sexual Offenders and PredatorsMark Seldes, convicted rapist, M.D.​Apparently being a convicted rapist and practicing medicine have nothing to do with each other. At least that's what the Florida Board of Medicine decided.That's why 43-year-old Mark Seldes can continue to practice medicine ... More >>

Deaths at One of South Florida's Most Popular Plastic Surgery Centers Raise Questions About the Safety of Cheaper Nips and Tucks

Elton John Complains to Gov. Rick Scott About HIV/AIDS Funding

broadwaymusicalhome.comElton John: Rocket Man and advocate of Florida's HIV/AIDS program.​Just about everyone has had something to complain about with Gov. Rick Scott lately, and you can add Sir Elton John to that list.On behalf of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, John wrote a letter to the governo ... More >>

Broward County Passes Model Ordinance to Regulate "Pill Mills" That Don't Actually Exist

neglectedwar.comA pain management clinic, which doesn't exist in unincorporated Broward County​The Broward County Commission unanimously passed a new zoning and regulatory ordinance yesterday for pain management clinics in unincorporated areas of the county.This new ordinance requires all of the s ... More >>

Practitioners of Quack Autism Treatment in Trouble With Governor

David Geier, (not an) MD.​Two weeks ago, the Pulp published a small item about Mark and David Geier -- a father-son team of self-proclaimed autism experts who treat the condition with a powerful chemical castration agent called Lupron. They're from Maryland, but their interests run deep in Florida ... More >>

Will the Florida Everglades Brush Fire Make For Tasty Swamp Food?

Smoke filled Fort Lauderdale skyline​What's that smell? Yesterday and this morning, many South Floridians woke up to the smoky stench of a brush fire blazing in the Everglades. The fire, destroying over 28,000 acres, has been burning in the Big Cypress National Preserve since April 26th, reports S ... More >>

Governors in the Castration Business

For the chemical castration of abnormal youths.​Governors should stay the hell out of the autism wars.Their intrusion leads to naught but embarrassment and the enfranchisement of questionable characters. Example: In 2009, Charlie Crist appointed anti-vax chiropractor Dr. Gary Kompothecras to his A ... More >>

WTFlorida: 10 Reasons Why Florida is Better at Everything

Miche Ratto​Here in Florida we're really good at a lot of things. Topping the list we have: growing indoor marijuana, staging car accidents, and throwing children in jail. And boy are we good at all of those things.To learn more about the awesome state you live in click the image.

Palm Beach Post Writer Responds to Pain Clinic Lobby Criticism

​Last week, we told you about the Florida Society of Pain Management Providers, the largest pain-clinic-supported lobbying organization in the state, harshly criticizing the Palm Beach Post over the paper's coverage of pain clinic legislation. Paul Sloan, president of the Pain Society, called Po ... More >>

Joe Alu Sets the Record Straight?

Former Kim Rothstein bodyguard Joe Alu can be a very slippery guy. He called me today because he didn't like the mention of the steroids investigation in the previous post, but when I asked about his former employer, he went all "60 Minutes lawyer" on me. A snippet of our conversation:   ... More >>

Anti-Vaccination Advocates Propose Florida Autism Study Based on "Junk Science"

Dr. Mark Geier​This week, Miami New Times has a story about Gary Kompothecras, the Sarasota chiropractor and close friend of Gov. Charlie Crist who's been pressuring the Florida Department of Health to hand over sealed immunization records to a father-son team of anti-vaccination advocates.There a ... More >>

Gary Kompothecras, Crist Supporter, Tries to Bully Health Officials

Gary Kompothecras, a chiropractor based out of Sarasota, has been pressuring Department of Health official to turn over sealed immunization records. "Dr. Gary," as he's called, wants those  records turned over to father-son duo, Dr. Mark and David Geier, crusaders for the "vaccinations cause au ... More >>

Morning Juice: Hollywood May Learn From Sins of Past; Keechl Pays It Backward

​The local headlines this Monday morning:Hollywood's charter review committee has drafted a list of ethics reforms that would try to prevent incidents like the one that got former commissioner Keith Wasserstrom thrown in jail. But those reforms still need the support of the city seven commissioner ... More >>

Chinese Drywall Has Left Tens of Thousands of Homeowners Out of Options

Tattoo Take 2! Eleanor Sobel Takes Another Shot at Bill Regulating Tattoo Industry

Flickr: MettaMommaSobel​Six months after Florida tattooists organized, hired a lobbyist, and gunned down her bill regulating the industry, Sen. Eleanor Sobel will introduce a new bill -- this time with those same adversaries as allies.We told you last week how Fort Lauderdale tattooist Stevie Moon ... More >>

Finally - Some Swine Flu Vaccine!

​Here's a cut-and-paste press release about where and when you can -- finally -- get the swine flu vaccine. Officials at the Broward County Health Department announced Broward County's first H1N1 Vaccination Clinic which shall be open to all members of the public starting Monday, November 30, 2009 ... More >>

Embattled Coral Springs Physician Refuses Settlement in Wrong Side Surgery Case

Flickr: Alphafish​Last week, we told you about Dr. Bernard Zaragoza, the Harvard-educated surgeon who in 2007 operated on an 83-year-old man who had an inflamed gallbladder. Zaragoza was supposed to remove the gallbladder but took out the man's kidney instead.However innocent the mistake was, the ... More >>

Coral Springs Surgeon Takes Out the Wrong Thing

Flickr: carrierCan you find the gallbladder in this photo?​In June 2007, an 83-year-old man went to the Northwest Medical Center in Margate to have his inflamed gallbladder removed. The surgeon took out the man's kidney instead. Dr. Bernard Zaragoza told the Florida Medical Board that he was "comp ... More >>

Transsexual Charged Again With Back-Alley Silicone Injections

via Flagler County Sheriff's OfficeThe male-to-female transsexual sent to jail after a client's botched cosmetic procedure ended in death was arrested again this morning. Flagler County cops and Florida Department of Health raided the quiet, two-story home of Donnie Hendrix at 8 a.m. They collared ... More >>

DeGroot's Open Letter To Citizen Zell

Going to Plan T

Obfuscation made things worse in North Broward hospitals, so the brass is trying the truth option

Dangerous Designs

That temporary tattoo could be with you for a long, long time

Cardiac Cronies

Enough waste and mismanagement to make you blow a valve

A Screw Loose

Sein Lwin is a political expert. Medicine? Well, that's something else altogether.

Don't Drink the Water

A deceptive city manager. A Machiavellian administrator. An incompetent lab director. Are the Pompano taps to be trusted?

Requiem for a Butcher

Need a tummy tuck? Plastic surgeon Jerry Lingle may not be your guy.

Awful Fishy

For Broward's canal fisherman, potentially toxic levels of mercury are a part of the catch of the day

The Doctor Will Sell You Now

Supplied by Rexall Showcase of Boca Raton, doctors and other distributors are pitching alternative forms of medicine that may not work in ways that may not be legal

Your Worst Nightmare

Welcome to Riviera Beach, home of slums, violent crime, a police department in turmoil, political hit lists, union busters, angry ex-wives, junkyard insurrections, and Zedrick Dwayne Barber, South Florida's most-investigated cop

Weird Science

The Life Extension Foundation claims it'll add years to your life with pills and cancer profiles. As long as you have the money.

Cause of Death: Excessive Privacy

You can die HIV-positive in Broward County, and your sexual partners will never know

Enough to Make You Sick

The CDC is trying to determine what the residents of downtown Belle Glade already know -- that poverty, drugs, and prostitution are bad for your health

Letters

The Killing Fields

For 24 years toxic soot from the Wingate dump rained down on Leola McCoy and her neighbors. She calls it environmental racism.