A previously registered anesthesiologist in the Sunshine State had his medical license revoked after saying online he wouldn’t treat “MAGA” Republicans, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced on Thursday.
“Effective today, Erik Martindale is no longer a registered nurse in Florida,” the Republican official posted on X. “Healthcare is not contingent on political beliefs, and we have zero tolerance for partisans who put politics above their ethical duty to treat patients with the respect and dignity they deserve.”
Martindale faced massive backlash from conservatives over his divisive social media post.
VIRGINIA’S NEW ‘MODERATE’ GOVERNOR GOES FULL CALIFORNIA ON DAY ONE
“I will not perform anesthesia for any surgeries or procedures for MAGA,” he wrote in a now-deleted Facebook post. “It is my right, it is my ethical oath, and I stand behind my education. I own all of my businesses and I can refuse anyone!”
The nurse later claimed his Facebook and Instagram accounts had been hacked, implying he didn’t post the anti-MAGA statement. Both of his accounts appear to have been taken down.
The revocation of Martindale’s license came three days after Uthmeier said he was “paging” the Florida Board of Nursing about the nurse’s online rhetoric.
The situation in which Martindale found himself is very similar to another politically divisive statement made by a separate Florida nurse, who wished White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt would suffer a “fourth-degree tear” in childbirth.
HERE’S WHERE HOUSE AND SENATE RETIREMENTS STAND IN 2026
The perinatal injury is a particularly severe laceration that extends through the anal sphincter and into the rectal lining, and it requires four to six weeks to heal. A fourth-degree tear is uncommon, affecting only about 0.03% to 0.2% of pregnant women.
“I hope that you f***ing rip from bow to stern and never s*** normally again, you c***,” labor-and-delivery nurse Lexie Lawler said in a TikTok video. The original video appears to have been taken down, but it was recirculated by Libs of TikTok.
Pregnant with her second child, Leavitt is expecting a baby girl in May.
Lawler had her license revoked by Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo on Wednesday after Uthmeier called for the punishment. She was also fired by her employer last week.
There are no reports that Martindale has been fired yet.
FLORIDA AG ‘PAGING’ NURSING BOARD TO REVOKE LICENSE OF ANESTHESIOLOGIST WHO WON’T TREAT REPUBLICANS
Yet another similar case involved a Virginia nurse, who encouraged single women to find Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on dating apps and drug them with an anesthetic that causes temporary paralysis. After investigating her TikTok videos, Virginia Commonwealth University Health terminated Malinda Cook’s employment.
Cook now finds herself under a criminal investigation led by Virginia Commonwealth University police for threatening to harm ICE officers, according to Fox News. The police said it previously assisted with the hospital’s investigation.
