On Feb. 6, the Florida Board of Medicine sided with Administrative Law Judge Yolonda Green and in a split vote agreed to suspend the medical license of Bay Breeze plastic surgeon Ben Brown for one year.
Brown was also ordered to pay a $7,500 fine and bear the Florida Department of Health’s costs of investigating and prosecuting the case against him.
The Florida Department of Health confirmed the medical board’s ruling shortly after the hearing, which was held at 8 a.m. Central Time.
The Department of Health launched an investigation after the death of Brown’s wife, Hillary Ellington Brown. In November 2023, Hillary Ellington Brown suffered a cardiac arrest while Brown was performing multiple medical procedures on her.
Hillary Brown never regained consciousness and died a week after collapsing.
The Florida Department of Health imposed emergency restrictions on Ben Brown in May 2024.
Green presided over a three-day hearing in September, and the judge ruled on November 20, 2025 that based on the evidence presented, Brown’s medical license should be suspended for one year and then placed on probation under conditions set by the Medical Board.
Why was Ben Brown’s driver’s license suspended?
Green wrote in her order that based on the facts presented at the hearing, the suspension was justified because of “the seriousness of the offense and the defendant’s poor judgment” and “actions taken in other similar disciplinary proceedings.”
The Department of Health presented evidence that Brown violated several state regulations and exhibited conduct that fell below minimum standards of medical care.
It also recommended disciplinary action for failing to keep complete and accurate medical records, performing unauthorized surgeries and allowing unlicensed persons to practice medicine.
According to reports, Ben Brown was performing surgery on Hillary in his office when Hillary suddenly suffered a cardiac arrest.
Green ruled that the Department of Health proved “by clear and convincing evidence” that Brown did not meet the standard of care in treating his wife by not calling 911 immediately after she began having seizures and her vital signs began to decline.
The judge also found that he twice failed to keep proper medical records. The first was the failure to properly record the visit of the patient labeled JH, and the failure to record the type and dose or concentration of cosmetic medications used during Hillary Brown’s surgery.
Lawyers for the Department of Health are trying to prove that Hillary Brown operated medical laser equipment or injected drugs into patients without the proper license.
However, the judge found that the agency failed to prove that Brown had aided, aided or advised his wife in the practice of medicine in a manner that violated state statutes or instructions from the Department of Health or the Medical Board.
Brown still faces criminal charges of manslaughter in his wife’s death. He was arrested on June 17, 2024 on criminal charges.
The charges allege that Brown’s office did not have life-saving equipment available when Hillary’s heart stopped and that he failed to follow medical protocols when administering sedatives such as lidocaine, which ultimately led to Hillary’s death.
The complaint also repeats allegations made by the Department of Health that Brown waited to call 911 and delayed starting CPR for about 10 to 20 minutes after Hillary became unresponsive in the operating chair.
The Florida First Judicial Circuit Medical Examiner’s Office found that Hillary Brown died of “complications from lidocaine intoxication.”
A trial date in the case is tentatively set for May 4, with a procedural hearing scheduled for February 10. Chief Judicial Circuit Medical Examiner Dr. Deanna Oleske is scheduled to appear in court on February 17 to testify in the criminal proceedings.
This article originally appeared in the Pensacola News-Journal: Gulf Breeze plastic surgeon Dr. Ben Brown loses license for one year
