Florida employers, particularly those in safety-sensitive industries, are increasingly encouraged to use comprehensive multi-panel drug testing rather than traditional 5-panel screens because today’s substance-use landscape includes fentanyl, synthetic opioids,…
Posts by Category: Florida
Navigating Florida’s E-Verify Mandate: Compliance, Tax Certification & Audit Realities
Florida employers with 25 or more employees must use the federal E-Verify system to confirm the work eligibility of all new hires within three business days of their start date. The mandate is tied to annual reemployment tax filings, requiring employers to certify…
Nurse Who Sold 2,600 Fake Diplomas Pleads Guilty Mid-Trial, Faces Prison Term
A former South Florida nursing school operator pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering after admitting to selling approximately 2,600 fraudulent nursing diplomas and transcripts through two now-closed schools. Prosecutors said the scheme…
Two Years in Federal Prison for Florida Identity Thief
A Honduran woman has been ordered to serve 26 months in federal prison after a judge found she used a stolen identity to secure a job in Pinellas County, Florida. Nidia Roxana Maradiaga-Flores was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday following her…
Palm Coast Woman Sentenced for Posing as Nurse, Treating 4,400 Patients Without License
A Florida woman, Autumn Bardisa, was sentenced after posing as a licensed nurse and treating more than 4,400 patients at a Palm Coast hospital without proper credentials. She obtained the job by using another nurse’s license number and falsified information, working…
Nursing Director Sold Nearly 1,000 Fake Degrees
A former South Florida nursing director, Stephanie Dorisca, was ordered to forfeit her Boston-area condo after being convicted in a major fake-diploma scheme. Dorisca helped sell nearly 1,000 fraudulent nursing diplomas and transcripts through the Techni-Pro…
Fed Crackdown on Florida Nursing School ‘Diploma Mills’ Leads to 3 Guilty Pleas
Three former operators of South Florida nursing schools pleaded guilty as part of a crackdown on “diploma mill”operations that sold fraudulent nursing diplomas and transcripts, allowing buyers to bypass proper training andlicensure requirements. The scheme, uncovered…
New Florida Law Compels Certain Employers to Include Background Check Resource in Job Listings
A recent Florida law requires certain employers — especially those working with children and vulnerable adults — toinclude a link to the Agency for Health Care Administration’s (AHCA) background check resource in job postings forroles requiring Level 2 background…
Defunct Boca Raton Nursing School Director Guilty of Selling Fake Diplomas
Stephanie Dorisca, former director of Techni-Pro Institute in Boca Raton, was convicted of conspiring to sell about 1,000 fake nursing diplomas for millions of dollars as part of Operation Nightingale. The scheme recruited students from Texas, allowing many to pass…
Don’t Get Caught Off Guard: New Florida Law Mandates Background Screening for Nearly All Healthcare Practitioners
Effective July 1, 2025, Florida’s House Bill 975 will require nearly all healthcare professionals to complete Level 2 fingerprint-based background screenings for both new licenses and renewals. The law expands disqualifying criminal offenses and makes timely screening…






