Dr. Lorna Bennett, MD

As a father of four children with a deep background in health and wellness—including serving as the lead speaker at over 300 regenerative medicine seminars—I have always prioritized accurate, responsible, and child-focused medical care. My experience with Dr. Lorna Bennett at Bennett Pediatrics was not only deeply disappointing—it was professionally negligent, dismissive, and outright dangerous. I brought forth evidence-backed concerns regarding the illegal administration of prescription medication to two of my children by a non-medical adult. Both children experienced negative side effects, and were misdiagnosed by an after-hours clinic with conditions that lacked proper testing or symptom correlation. Dr. Bennett dismissed these concerns outright, defending other clinics' failures and refusing to critically assess the risk posed to my children. One of the most disturbing examples came when my young daughter was stuck by an uncapped needle while taking out the trash at her mother’s home. Dr. Bennett’s response? She compared it to needle sticks nurses receive, completely minimizing the uncontrolled, unsupervised nature of the incident and ignoring the traumatic context. This isn’t care—it’s dereliction of duty. In another case, my daughter tested Class 5 for cat allergies—a medically significant reaction that should have prompted immediate recommendations to remove allergen exposure from the home. Initially, Dr. Bennett stated the cats needed to go—but then, inexplicably, reversed her stance and pushed pharmaceutical treatment instead. This wasn’t medical discretion—it was an intentional downplaying of an urgent environmental health risk. My daughter has a clearly documented history of severe allergic reactions to cats and dogs—confirmed by formal allergy testing showing a Class 5 reaction to cats and Class VI reaction to dogs, which indicates an extremely high risk of significant respiratory distress. She has no history of allergic reactions to any other environmental triggers. Prior to the introduction of cats into her mother’s household, she was a vibrant, healthy child—able to run, play, and live life fully without the need for medical intervention. Since that exposure began, her health has taken a steep and devastating downturn. She now suffers from persistent respiratory symptoms, including coughing fits so severe she sounds like a 90-year-old chain smoker. She’s been placed on daily steroids and albuterol, and is being pharmaceutically managed rather than medically protected. Let me be clear: this didn’t come out of nowhere. It’s not genetic, it’s not mystery asthma. This is a direct result of long-term, repeated exposure to known allergens, despite documented evidence and professional acknowledgment that such exposure posed a serious risk. Instead of acting on this information to remove the trigger, Dr. Lorna Bennett and others chose the path of least resistance—excusing the presence of the cats, downplaying the severity, and pushing medication as a substitute for safety. This isn’t care. It’s institutional betrayal. During a recent visit, Dr. Bennett offered yet another disturbing deflection: she claimed my daughter’s severe respiratory decline was likely due to her vaccine status, despite no clinical basis and no consistent pattern among her siblings. My two older daughters, with nearly identical vaccine schedules, have no history of asthma. My youngest—who is further behind in vaccinations than Tessa—hasn’t developed symptoms. This wasn’t a medically grounded explanation. It was a distraction—a sleek, baseless excuse to avoid addressing the real issue: prolonged exposure to a medically confirmed allergen. Dr. Bennett had no data, no evidence, and no accountability. Just a sales pitch. Parents don’t bring their children to pediatricians to be sold misleading narratives. They come for care. For protection. For truth. And at Bennett Pediatrics, you will find none of that. During yet another visit, a ringworm lesion the size of a quarter was missed during a head-to-toe evaluation—even after two ER visits and an urgent care trip within six days. Instead of addressing these errors, Dr. Bennett focused the appointment on an unsolicited conversation about divorce, accompanied by religious commentary that had no place in a pediatric health visit. This clinic operates with a dismissive, “prescribe-and-dismiss” mindset, offering superficial evaluations, excusing errors made by other providers, and silencing informed parental input. I entered as a highly engaged, experienced parent—and was treated as though my concerns didn’t matter. That’s not medicine. That’s malpractice. I urge every parent to avoid this practice. Dr. Lorna Bennett does not advocate for children—she pacifies dysfunction and enables harm. This is not an emotional rant. This is a public record of medical negligence. I have submitted a formal complaint to the Florida Board of Medicine regarding Dr. Lorna Bennett’s conduct and failure to protect my children. This isn’t about harming her business—this is about demanding a higher standard for those entrusted with our children's lives. I am not just a concerned father—I am a medically literate, highly involved advocate, and I will continue to speak out until our healthcare system stops enabling harm and starts prioritizing truth. If you are a parent who values critical thinking, accountability, and real medical care—look elsewhere. Your children deserve better than what Bennett Pediatrics has to offer.

Dr Bennett is an amazing physician. She has been my daughter's doctor for over a decade. In fact, when she left Tavares and started her own practice in Clermont, we followed her there. There are probably 20 other pediatricians closer to us than she is, but she is worth the drive, that's how great she is. I have never seen a physician that took as much time as she does with their patients (and I'm a nurse myself). I have never had issues with the office staff, ever. They are all very respectful and polite. Dr Bennett is highly recommended!

We have been taking my son to Doctor Bennett for about 5 years now. She takes the time to thoroughly help my sons needs who is on the autism spectrum. She has even done research on medications I have read about and consulted with colleagues for the best approach in determining what we can do to help my son. She goes above and beyond in supporting my sons needs. Even after hours and the weekends, Dr. Bennett has helped us get medications. Most physicians would make you go through a big runaround with an answering service. Hands down, Dr. Bennett is the best pediatrician I have ever had in my 34 years of being a father. I wish we could have had her for my other 2 sons as they were growing up.

Dr. Bennett is amazing. My children have been her patients for 13 years and she is the best. She recognizes immediately what is wrong and my boys get into a lot of messes!

Horrible. Very unprofessional. Office staff is very rude. They treat people like dirt. Not a good doctor at all. She missed a large problem going on with my child.

This office has poorly trained staff who lack communication skills, professionalism, and empathy. My children have been patients here for 3+ years and they are quite inconsistent with appointments times and not returning calls. The front desk rep is rude and bends the truth to save her rear end. Apparently there is a new office manager and some changes have been implemented within the practice, but when I called earlier in the day and specifically shared what I was calling for it was never made aware to me that there was a charge. I drove from Orlando to this office only to be hit wit the surprise. Paying isn't the issue, that fact that the information was not shared after asking the rep if there was anything else I would need and told no is where there is a problem. I could have chosen to get what I needed elsewhere and avoid the drive to Clermont. Instead of her taking accountability for being wrong she told the Dr. she felt threatened by me all the while she was the one who caught

They wonderful, High-level now especially in Fl the clinics do not expand that much time nicely to people. They take the time they patient with people make sure I understand every detail. Good clinic... I hope we have more clinic more compassionate Dr like that

We love Dr. Bennett! I met her in the hospital after the birth of my 3rd child and just fell in love with her. When my pediatrician at the time was giving me a hard time trying to get my newborn seen for jaundice because of health insurance issues Dr. Bennett's worked it all out and he was able to be seen the next morning. That was almost 3 years ago and we just love her and her staff. She takes her time and answers all your questions. She is on call whenever there is an emergency even at 2 am!

Dr. Bennett and staff are wonderful. Dr. Bennett has always been very thorough during visits and has such a genuine, caring touch. Highly recommend this office!!

She is a very nice Doctor who takes time with her patients. I would recommend her to friends and family.