FL: OFFICER RECOGNIZED SUSPECT ON TELEVISION
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SEMINOLE COUNTY, Florida (WESH) — A Central Florida man accused of posing as a licensed nurse was arrested again, this time in connection with working at a Lake Mary rehabilitation facility last summer.
Joseph Kinney, 56, faced a Seminole County judge this week on a charge of unlicensed practice of a health care profession, a third-degree felony.
Lake Mary police say Kinney worked as a registered nurse at Aviata at Lake Mary, a rehab and nursing facility on North Sun Drive, from June 24 to Aug. 11, 2025. Investigators say Kinney’s nursing license was revoked in 2022, but he was working under someone else’s name and license.
WESH 2 reached out to Aviata for comment but did not receive a response.
According to a capias request from Lake Mary police, a sergeant with the department recognized Kinney from a news story about his arrest in Volusia County last September and realized he had been the nurse caring for her relative at the Lake Mary facility.
The sergeant told investigators she observed Kinney practicing nursing, including reviewing her relative’s medical chart, when she visited in August 2025. While Lake Mary police wrapped up their investigation in October 2025, the State Attorney’s Office in Seminole County didn’t issue a warrant until January 2026.
A spokesperson for the State Attorney’s Office said the three-month gap was likely due to the nature of the case: “a nonviolent licensure violation with no arrest yet.”
Kinney was arrested July 1 in Volusia County on the warrant and was brought to Seminole County this week.
The new arrest comes just days after court records show Kinney resolved his Volusia County cases. He was accused last September of applying for nursing jobs using another person’s ID and license and was hired at facilities in Seminole and Orange counties.
On June 30, Kinney entered a plea of no contest in Volusia County to two counts of unlicensed practice of a health care profession and one count each of possession of a Schedule IV substance and possession of a fraudulent driver’s license.
He was placed on five years of probation with adjudication withheld. Conditions of his probation include that he is not allowed to work in any health care position or job, must complete a mental health evaluation and follow recommended treatment, and must submit proof of current work or any jobs he is applying for.
Willa Hill, executive director of the Florida Nurses Association, said the case raises concerns about patient safety and whether current hiring safeguards are strong enough.
“We’re always concerned when this happens because we feel like it’s sort of a stain on the profession,” Hill said. “We need to make sure and pay attention to this because it is a public safety issue. … I think that we have some safeguards in place, but it seems like we need to look again at how this is being done.”
Kinney has bonded out of jail. He is due back in court at the end of August.
The American Nurses Association sent WESH 2 the following statement:
Patients and communities deserve to know the nurse providing their care has met rigorous education and clinical requirements and has earned, and maintains, a valid nursing license. Licensure exists to protect the public. It confirms that an individual has the preparation, demonstrated competence, and ethical foundation required to deliver safe, high-quality care, and it provides clear accountability through state boards of nursing.
When someone falsely claims to be a licensed nurse, they can put patient health and safety at risk. Nursing care requires critical thinking, sound clinical judgment, and the ability to recognize and respond to rapidly changing conditions. An unlicensed individual likely lacks essential training, thereby creating dangerous gaps in assessment, medication safety, infection prevention, and the appropriate escalation of care.
Healthcare organizations typically use multiple safeguards to verify licensure, including primary-source verification through state boards of nursing and national databases, credentialing and privileging processes, ongoing monitoring and re-verification, and internal audits. These systems are vital, and the American Nurses Association (ANA) strongly supports continued vigilance and improvements to prevent fraud.
Further, ANA supports the work of law enforcement and regulators to investigate credentialing fraud and hold accountable anyone who undermines the nursing profession and endangers patients.
Nursing’s impact is felt in every community, every day, and for 24 consecutive years, nurses have been ranked in a Gallup poll of the American public as the most trusted healthcare profession. That trust is earned through education, accountability, and an unwavering commitment to ethical, patient-centered care.
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