The board of pharmacy can take action against a licensee only when the licensee has been given notice of the action and an opportunity to explain the licensee’s side of the story at some sort of formal or informal hearing. This due process right is guaranteed to all citizens as a way to prevent unfair government action. As you read this case, ask yourself what the pharmacist could have done to avoid having this problem occur with the Florida Board of Pharmacy. 

If a pharmacist is required to always keep his or her address up to date with the board of pharmacy and if the pharmacist fails to do this, whose fault is it if the board of pharmacy cannot find the pharmacist to notify the pharmacist of impending disciplinary action? 

Should the board of pharmacy be required to hire a private detective to find a pharmacist against whom administrative action is contemplated? 

On the other hand, if a single telephone call or a brief letter can get the board the information it needs about a pharmacist’s whereabouts, is this too much to ask of the board of pharmacy?