A Tampa-based orchid grower seeking to enter Florida's highly restricted medical marijuana market tried to convince a state appeals court that health officials erred in granting a handful of medical marijuana licenses to competing firms last year.

Louis Del Favero Orchids Inc. is challenging a settlement agreement between the Florida Department of Health and what are known within the industry as "one-pointers."

The agreement, finalized in April, provided licenses to eight firms but reduced the remaining licenses that were expected to be available under a 2017 law. That law was aimed at implementing a 2016 constitutional amendment that broadly legalized medical marijuana.