State board inflicting pain on respected Jacksonville dentist

Imagine being stuck here indefinitely.

Ever been uncomfortably parked in the dentist’s chair, just waiting for someone to come back and give you the verdict on that pain you’ve been suffering?

Well, just imagine you are stuck there … indefinitely. Nobody tells you if or when the appointment will end and what your diagnosis and prognosis will be.

If you’re Dr. Howard Fetner, you don’t have to imagine. The Florida Board of Dentistry (FBOD) is doing that right now to this respected Jacksonville dentist with a 38-year spotless record of service to his patients and his community.

Fetner is facing an FBOD probable cause hearing over conflict-ridden and unfounded accusations (more on that shortly). There is only one problem. The Board’s probable cause committee hasn’t met since April (its only meeting all year) and doesn’t have another meeting on the entire 2024 calendar. The full Board doesn’t even meet again until a week before football season starts and, meanwhile, Dr. Fetner’s remarkably clean career record remains unfairly in question.

If you think that’s bad, it’s not even the worst part.

Fetner is being sued in civil court, in a dental-practice-sale-gone-wrong action by another dentist who is … wait for it … the Chair of the FBOD and who is pushing the Board action against Fetner.

Here’s the back story:

Dr. Jose Mellado and his wife have sued Fetner in multimillion-dollar litigation. Through this litigation, Mellado is trying to regain control of a dental practice for which he and his wife were paid $24 million.

Shortly after that mammoth deal closed, documents and news reports reflect that Mellado and his wife launched a toxic campaign to sabotage the practice and its plans to expand. They reportedly swore and cursed at employees and even became disruptive during Board meetings, according to court documents. Ultimately, the Board fired Mellado as CEO and brought in Fetner to take his place.

Mellado sued and appeared to be relentless — but unsuccessfully — pursuing a vendetta against Fetner.

Part of that pursuit has been through the Board of Dentistry, where Mellado orchestrated trumped-up charges in what seems to be an effort to turn the tide in his floundering lawsuit. He tried to cover his tracks with a recusal, but according to court filings, he has still been communicating with the Board through his attorney, Edwin Bayo. This spring, Bayo was acting as the Board’s de facto investigator and was bringing new “evidence” to the Board about Fetner.

In other words, Mellado seems to be driving the process to align with his own litigation.

Mellado’s conflict is brazen and obvious.

The question is, what do current Board members know about this blatant orchestration and what are they going to do about it? Further, when will his actions bring enough embarrassment to the state that someone in Tallahassee decides Mellado’s weaponization of the respected Board of Dentistry has to stop?

Finally, how long is the Board going to leave Fetner in the metaphorical torturous virtual dentist’s chair without ending this sham of an investigation? This whole matter has groundlessly and intentionally hurt Fetner, his family, his practice and his community.

It feels like people with personal and political agendas are drilling decay and cavities into the process and fairness.

It needs to stop.