Dr. Miami to Santina Rizzi Sorry You Felt Undervalued, But You Were Like Family

Published April 15, 2026 5:59 PM PDT

Dr. Miami is getting ripped online by a former employee who says she wasn't paid fairly when she worked for him ... and he tells us he's sorry she feels that way.

Santina Rizzi has a couple viral TikTok posts where she complains about being undervalued by Dr. Miami ... saying she was denied a raise after boosting his social media engagement and follower count.

It's not just finances ... Santina also claims Dr. Miami told her she needed liposuction on her arms, provided the surgery, then sent her on a work trip where she complained about pain. Santina says she had to get her arms drained on the trip by another doctor.

Dr. Miami tells TMZ … he saw Santina as a daughter, not an employee. He says she came to his home for Shabbat dinners and traveled with his family to Israel.

The doc says their relationship was close and like family, and adds ... "When it comes to family and business there’s a risk, but we take that risk. Everyone that works here is family."

Dr. Miami says he's sad she moved on, and is more sad she had that experience ... he says he doesn't want to invalidate what she's expressing, but says from his perspective, his team is happy and paid well.

He says there's no bad blood on his end ... and he's forever grateful for the work she did for his social media presence, and wishes her the best and would hire her back.

As for Santina's liposuction claims, Dr. Miami tells us ... "I have a very different perspective, I’m a plastic surgeon and am supposed to make patients feel better. People come to me with insecurities, I don’t create insecurities. Not sure what she’s referring to, the surgery went beautifully. I would never put her at risk in any way. In regard to the situation with her arms, I don’t remember details but remember she did get drained by another office."