The BBL death, probation and doctors of a Miami plastic surgery clinic
The consequences stemming from the death of a Brazilian butt lift patient came down Thursday on a Doral plastic surgery center that’s now on state probation as part of those consequences.
The surgeon from that incident is no longer at Venus Cosmetic Institute, which also goes by Daso Plastic Surgery. The doctors at Daso include an octogenarian who once mistook fat for an appendix and other doctors whose board certifications appear to be overstated.
Here are some other facts about Venus/Daso, which occupies a corner of the second floor in a Doral strip mall, 7902 NW 36th St. Suites 201 and 202.
BBL death, fine and punishment
A June 7, 2023, Brazilian butt lift by Dr. Fermin Morales, no longer listed as a doctor at Venus/Daso with the Department of Health, ended tragically for the 40-year-old patient referred to in state paperwork as “S.L.”
READ MORE: Miami plastic surgeon’s bad injections caused a Brazilian butt lift death, state says
A Brazilian butt lift is a form of liposuction in which fat is sucked from the back and abdomen area and injected into the gluteal area. The fat cannot, however, be injected into the gluteal muscles.
Despite Morales’ documenting using ultrasound guidance, the administrative complaints against Morales and Venus/Daso said he did inject fat into her glute muscles.
“The following day, S.L. presented to Venus Cosmetic Institute for a post-operative massage but was found unresponsive in the car by staff,” the complaint said. “S.L. was transported to Jackson West Medical Center by emergency medical services, where she died later that day.”
An autopsy “found copious globules” of fat in S.L.’s glute muscles and “fat globules in blood” in her left lung vessels.
Among the punitive actions to which Venus agreed, as stated in Thursday’s Final Order from the Florida Department of Health, are a $5,000 fine; $2,188 in case reimbursement costs; and a two-year probation during which there will be twice-a-year inspections by the Department of Health.
To find the final order, the name you’d put into the department’s license search is “Venus Cosmetic Institute.” State corporate records say Venus Cosmetic has been at 7902 NW 36th St., Suite 201-202 since at least 2014.
Venus/Daso’s surgeons and board certification claims
As of Sunday afternoon, Daso’s website lists three surgeons: Fernando Lora, Clive Persaud and Stephanie Stover.
READ MORE: A doctor removed fat instead of an appendix in Coral Gables. He’s been fined (again)
Lora is the doctor who got fined in 2023 for going in to remove a patient’s appendix and removing only fat during a scheduled appendectomy at Coral Gables Hospital. Earlier that year, he got fined as Miami Surgical Center’s designated physician (the doctor in charge of rules compliance) for that place’s multiple violations, including uncapped vials on an anesthesia cart and missing surgical logs.
READ MORE: Violations at a Miami surgery center selling Brazilian butt lifts cost a doctor $5,000
The Daso Plastic Surgery website calls the 83-year-old Lora a “board certified surgeon” but the only certification claimed on his Florida Department of Health license profile is the American Board of Surgery. According to that board, Lora’s certification expired July 1, 1990.
The website also called Persaud a “double board-certified surgeon,” but there’s nothing under “Specialty Certification” in his Department of Health profile. Checks of the American Board of Surgery, American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery turn up no board certifications.
Stover’s license profile lists American Board of Plastic Surgery and American Board of Surgery certifications, although the latter board says her certification expired in 2013.
Board certification isn’t required for a doctor to perform a specialty such as plastic surgery nor is it a guarantee of quality care. According to the ABMS website board certification provides ongoing independent evaluation to assure doctors are “skilled and clinically competent.” But, like a level of education on a resume, it’s something that shouldn’t be claimed if it hasn’t been attained.
Stover was put on probation for a year and fined $5,000 in 2021 after the death of a Brazilian butt lift patient at West Miami-Dade’s Xiluet Plastic Surgery.
Stover’s not among the Venus/Daso staff on the surgery center’s Department of Health record, which is supposed to be up to date. Not mentioned on the Daso site but listed among staff is designated physician Dr. Giralt Yanez Ramos.
This story was originally published March 9, 2026 at 4:30 AM.
