Florida
Florida doctor accused of fatally removing wrong organ from patient has license suspended
A Florida doctor who is accused of removing an Alabama man’s liver instead of the spleen, resulting in “immediate and catastrophic death,” had his medical license suspended.
In an emergency order filed Sept. 24, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo accused Thomas J. Shakvovksy of “repeated egregious surgical errors” and “egregious conduct of fabricating medical records” in the Aug. 21 death of 70-year-old William Bryan.
Shakvovksy was a practicing Osteopathic Physician at Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast Hospital before the tragedy.
Bryan and his wife Beverly were visiting the Florida panhandle from their home in Muscle Shoals, Ala. when he began experiencing lower left abdominal pain.
The couple went to the hospital in Miramar Beach — which is between Pensacola and Panama City — where doctors were concerned about an abnormality of the spleen and they admitted him for further testing as Bryan declined “surgical intervention.”
Imaging revealed a suspected enlarged spleen and blood in the peritoneum with no active hemorrhage, according to the document.
Shaknovsky allegedly recommended that Bryan undergo a laparoscopic splenectomy on three consecutive days, with the patient refusing and wishing to go back to Alabama, but the doctor persisted, according to the order of emergency suspension viewed by The Post.
Bryan eventually relented to the doctor’s request who cited a decline in hemoglobin, but the order noted the decrease was only marginal over the three-day hospital stay.
Shaknovsky scheduled the “complicated procedure” for 4 p.m. on Aug. 21, with the operating room staff noting the surgery was being done by a “skeletal staff,” and the doctor couldn’t operate.
“Staff had concerns that Dr. Shaknovsky did not have the skill level to safely perform this procedure,” the surgeon general’s order noted.
The operation began but Shaknovsky quickly elected to convert to an open procedure citing poor visibility due to Bryan’s “distended colon and blood in the abdomen.”
It was revealed that Shaknovsky did not document the colon as part of his decision to change surgeries.
The doctor claims he started to dissect ligaments attached to the spleen, but was revealed to be the liver.
He then found and identified a vessel he intended to cut, claiming he could feel it pulsing under his finger, saying, “that’s scary.”
Shaknovsky used a surgical stapling device to fire a staple into the vessel resulting in a severe hemorrhage where Bryan went into cardiac arrest.
Staff began suctioning out blood and performing an emergency blood transfusion as a “code” was called and operating staff began CPR.
While staff worked to revive Bryan, Shaknovsky continued dissecting inside the abdomen, not asking for assistance where he removed a 4.6-pound liver.
“The staff looked at the readily identifiable liver on the table and were shocked when Dr. Shaknovsky told them it was the spleen. One staff member ‘felt sick to their stomach,’” a witness in the operating room said.
Bryan was pronounced dead as Shaknovsky said he died of a splenic artery aneurysm.
The doctor allegedly requested staff to label the liver as a “spleen” and send it to pathology.
The person who labeled the organ knew it wasn’t a spleen but followed instructions anyway, the order reported.
Shaknovsky left the operating room, only to return three times, with each visit the doctor stating Bryan died because of a splenic artery aneurysm
“The staff in the room felt that Dr. Shaknovsky was attempting to convince them that this is what occurred, even though they witnessed something different.”
Ladapo found Bryan’s death was not because of one mistake Shaknovsky made.
“Dr. Shaknovsky’s misidentification of the liver was not a momentary mistake,” the order found. “Despite converting to an open procedure to increase visibility, he dissected the liver, cutting the individual attachments to the abdomen.
“Each attachment that was severed was another opportunity for Dr. Shaknovsky to recognize that he was handling the completely wrong organ due to the anatomical differences between spleens and livers,”
“Despite having ample opportunity to realize his mistake and keep looking for the spleen, Dr. Shaknovsky failed to do so.”
Ladapo argued that any restriction of protecting the public must also include “complete restriction from performing general surgery.”
“Dr. Shaknovsky’s blatant disregard for the truth, falsification of an operative report, and attempt to convince OR staff to acquiesce to his version of events is a breach of the public trust. Dr. Shaknovsky’s dishonesty cannot be contained to only operative reports; it colors every aspect of the practice of osteopathic medicine.
The public must be able to trust that Dr. Shaknovsky’s description of patient care, whether that is in an emergency room, clinic, or primary care practice, is true. That trust is irrevocably broken. Therefore, there is no restriction that can adequately protect the public from an osteopathic physician who is willing to lie and pressure others to lie on their behalf,” the order stated.
The order also included a surgery from May 2023 where Shaknovsky removed a portion of a patient’s pancreas instead of the left adrenal gland resulting in “long-term, permanent harm.”
Bryan’s death was ruled a homicide due to “liver removed during splenectomy,” Zarzaur Law P.A., the family’s lawyers said on Facebook.
“This news is devastating for the healthcare industry, as the operating room is meant to be a place of the highest level of patient care,” the law firm wrote.
Bryan’s family is expected to file a malpractice lawsuit at the appropriate time.
Florida
Gas prices rise in South Florida amid U.S. and Israel’s conflict with Iran, as the stock market also reports a dip
Four days into the Iranian conflict, gas prices are rising at many stations in South Florida.
“I’ve traveled all over the United States,” says Stacey Williams. CBS Miami spoke to him as he was gassing up on the turnpike. He paid $66 for 20 gallons of diesel to fill his pickup truck. Williams has noted the fluctuations in fuel as he drives to locations for his work on turbines. He just spent three weeks at the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant south of Miami.
“The salary we get paid per hour does not add up to what we pay for gas, housing, and food,” he says.
Mitchell Gershon is also dealing with the higher gas prices. He has to fill three vehicles constantly for his business—Thrifty Gypsy, a pop-up store at musical venues. He’s back and forth from Orlando to Miami and says fuel is costing him 20% more. When asked how he handles these fluctuations, he said, “Have a little backup cash so you are ready for it.”
The rise in oil prices contributed to a drop in the stock market on Tuesday, which means some retirement accounts dipped, too. CBS Miami talked to Chad NeSmith, director of investments at Tobias Financial Advisors in Plantation, for perspective on the drop.
“We are seeing most of the pullback today. Yesterday was a shock,” he says. He’s not expecting runaway oil prices but says investors should stay in the loop: “Pay attention to your portfolio. Stick to your goals. Have a plan because these things are completely unpredictable.”
That unpredictability has Williams adjusting his budget. “You just cut back, cut corners, all you can do,” he says.
STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A man convicted of fatally shooting a police officer with his own service weapon during a traffic stop is set to be executed Tuesday evening in Florida.
Billy Leon Kearse, 53, is scheduled to receive a three-drug injection starting at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. Kearse was initially sentenced to death in 1991 after being convicted of first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm.
The Florida Supreme Court found that the trial court failed to give jurors certain information about aggravating circumstances and ordered a new sentencing. Kearse was resentenced to death in 1997.
Kearse awoke at 6:30 a.m. He declined a last meal and has remained compliant throughout the day, corrections spokesman Jordan Kirkland said during a news conference. Kearse met with a spiritual adviser during the day but had no other visitors.
This is Florida’s third execution scheduled for 2026, following a record 19 executions last year. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis oversaw more executions in a single year in 2025 than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The highest number before then was eight executions in both 1984 and 2014, under former governors Bob Graham and Rick Scott, respectively.
According to court records, Fort Pierce Police Officer Danny Parrish pulled over Kearse for driving the wrong way on a one-way street in January 1991. When Kearse couldn’t produce a valid driver’s license, Parrish ordered Kearse out of his vehicle and attempted to handcuff him.
A struggle ensued, and Kearse grabbed Parrish’s firearm, prosecutors said. Kearse fired 14 times, striking the officer nine times in the body and four times in his body armor. A nearby taxi driver heard the shots and used Parrish’s radio to call for help.
Parrish was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died from the gunshot wounds, officials said. Meanwhile, police used license plate information that Parrish had called in before approaching Kearse to identify the attacker’s vehicle and home address, where Kearse was arrested.
Last week, the Florida Supreme Court denied appeals filed by Kearse. His attorneys had argued that he was unconstitutionally deprived of a fair penalty phase and that his intellectual disability makes his execution unconstitutional.
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Kearse’s final appeals Tuesday afternoon without comment.
A total of 47 people were executed in the U.S. in 2025. Florida led the way with a flurry of death warrants signed by DeSantis, far outpacing Alabama, South Carolina and Texas which each held five executions.
Besides the two Florida executions this year, Texas and Oklahoma have each executed one person so far.
Two more Florida executions have already been scheduled for this month. Michael Lee King, 54, is scheduled to die on March 17, and the execution of James Aren Duckett, 68, is set for March 31.
All Florida executions are carried out via lethal injection using a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.
STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A man convicted of fatally shooting a police officer with his own service weapon during a traffic stop is set to be executed Tuesday evening in Florida.
Billy Leon Kearse, 53, is scheduled to receive a three-drug injection starting at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. Kearse was initially sentenced to death in 1991 after being convicted of first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm.
The Florida Supreme Court found that the trial court failed to give jurors certain information about aggravating circumstances and ordered a new sentencing. Kearse was resentenced to death in 1997.
This is Florida’s third execution scheduled for 2026, following a record 19 executions last year. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis oversaw more executions in a single year in 2025 than any other Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. The highest number before then was eight executions in both 1984 and 2014, under former governors Bob Graham and Rick Scott, respectively.
According to court records, Fort Pierce Police Officer Danny Parrish pulled over Kearse for driving the wrong way on a one-way street in January 1991. When Kearse couldn’t produce a valid driver’s license, Parrish ordered Kearse out of his vehicle and attempted to handcuff him.
A struggle ensued, and Kearse grabbed Parrish’s firearm, prosecutors said. Kearse fired 14 times, striking the officer nine times in the body and four times in his body armor. A nearby taxi driver heard the shots and used Parrish’s radio to call for help.
Parrish was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died from the gunshot wounds, officials said. Meanwhile, police used license plate information that Parrish had called in before approaching Kearse to identify the attacker’s vehicle and home address, where Kearse was arrested.
Last week, the Florida Supreme Court denied appeals filed by Kearse. His attorneys had argued that he was unconstitutionally deprived of a fair penalty phase and that his intellectual disability makes his execution unconstitutional.
Final appeals were pending Tuesday before the U.S. Supreme Court.
A total of 47 people were executed in the U.S. in 2025. Florida led the way with a flurry of death warrants signed by DeSantis, far outpacing Alabama, South Carolina and Texas which each held five executions.
Besides the two Florida executions this year, Texas and Oklahoma have each executed one person so far.
Two more Florida executions have already been scheduled for this month. Michael Lee King, 54, is scheduled to die on March 17, and the execution of James Aren Duckett, 68, is set for March 31.
All Florida executions are carried out via lethal injection using a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.
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