While a new administration considers allowing offshore oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, U.S. Reps. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Sunrise, on Monday introduced legislation that would ban drilling off Florida’s coast until at least 2027. “Florida’s beaches are vital to our economy and way of life,” says Buchanan. “Our coastal communities depend on a clean and healthy ocean.”

The move could put Buchanan, co-chairman of Florida’s Congressional delegation, at odds with President Donald Trump and his administration. A recent proposal from the administration could open up more than 70 million acres off Florida’s coast to oil and gas drilling as soon as this August. The president on Friday signed an executive order beginning a five-year development plan for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and off the US eastern seaboard. Trump has criticized an Obama-era ban for closing off 94 percent of offshore areas to oil exploration.

Opposition to drilling off Florida’s coast has long been a bipartisan priority for Florida congressional leaders, though that seemed to wane in 2009 amid pressure at the state and federal level to allow drilling in the Gulf and even within 10 miles of land. But political winds in Florida shifted heavily against drilling after the 2010 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, which resulted in a spill that threatened Florida’s west coast and caused a steep decline in travel to the state, particularly from international visitors. Buchanan noted he maintained opposition to drilling before and after the disaster, and says continuing to ban drilling will prevent a similar explosion to the 2010 event that killed 11 people and resulted in more than 4 million barrels of oil flowing into the Gulf. 

A spectrum of political forced in Southwest Florida applauded the introduction of a new ban. “When we look at our revenue from visitors and at the environment, drilling off our beached would not be good for our local economy and quality of life,” says Jack Brill, vice chairman of the Republican Party of Sarasota. And Glenn Compton, chairman of Manasota-88, a conservation organization based in Nokomis, says Buchanan’s move deserves praise. “This is an appropriate move on Mr. Buchanan’s part,” Compton says. “Drilling for oil off the state of Florida should never be done. There’s too much risk. And the areas that could be open for exploration are some of the most environmentally sensitive areas in the Gulf of Mexico.”

But others say the ban keeps the nation dependent on foreign oil at the expense of jobs in America. “Environmentalists use the fear factor when talking about drilling for natural gas and oil off of Florida’s shores. The same is true for some of Florida’s Congressional delegation, such as Rep. Vern Buchanan,” says Rich Swier, who runs Sarasota-based conservative blog drrichswier.com. “Fear is not good public policy. What is good public policy is insuring that Floridians have access to cheap and reliable power in the foreseeable future.” 

Coming all the way from Vietnam, the quilling cards at Artisans’ World Marketplace put the art back in card-making with handcrafted paper sculpture adorning each one. Also called paper-scrolling or paper filigree, some say that quilling began with the ancient Egyptians, but it remains best known for its use in the Renaissance period, when nuns and monks in particular would make use of the gilded paper trimmings left over from bookmaking. Spooling the strips of paper into tight coils, the artisan shapes and glues them into intricate, striated patterns and images, creating a three-dimensional adornment for everything from cards to balsa eggs. At Artisans’ World Marketplace, find quilling cards for special occasions—birthdays and anniversaries—or simply to dress up your correspondence. Between swans and butterflies, dogs and cats, manatees, dolphins and sailboats—all realized in vibrant looping paper construction—finding the perfect card is a breeze. And shopping at a store dedicated to fair trade, rest easy knowing the artisan is fully compensated. 

Pictured: Blue Heron paper filigree from Artisans' World Marketplace. Photo by Wyatt Kostygan.

Artisans' World Marketplace, 128 South Pineapple Ave., Sarasota, 941-365-5994.

Check out the Light Blonde’s super soft, conversation-starting tees, currently featured at Apricot Lane Boutique in St. Armands. These crowd-pleasing, comfy t-shirts are hand-made in Fort Worth, TX and come with a cute printed phrase that will surely stop traffic while you're gallivanting through Whole Foods or in dire need of a quick stress-relieving stretch at the Yoga Shack. However, you won’t be distressed while wearing these trendy washed tees featuring funny, encouraging, thought-provoking messages from faith and positivity aimed to inspire and spread the love.  

Apricot Lane, 464 John Ringling Blvd., Sarasota, 941-960-1435.

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System welcomed a new family practice physician to its First Physicians Group (FPG) network, with Dr. George Toth joining the FPG Internal Medicine/Pediatrics & Family Practice in its North Port office. Board-certified in family medicine, Toth earned his medical degree at Semmelweis Medical University in Hungary in 1999. He completed his residency in family practice at the University of Florida, Gainesville, in 2003. He is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, Florida Academy of Family Physicians and the International Society for the Study of the Aging Male. Prior to moving to Sarasota, Toth worked the last four years as a primary care physician at the El Paso VA Health Care System in El Paso, Texas and as staff physician for Orlando VA Medical Center in Lake Baldwin, Florida. Previously, he worked as a primary care physician with Tampa General Medical Group, Tampa Community Health Clinics and the St. Lucie County Health Department for 12 years. Toth’s leadership experience includes serving as Chief of Medicine Service at the El Paso VA Health Care System, family medicine chief at Tampa General Hospital and interim medical director at Tampa Community Health Clinics. He also served as an associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of Central Florida and University of South Florida, and helped design the ambulatory clinical rotations and core curriculum for physician residents at Texas Tech University. 

First Physicians Group

ITelagen, a leading provider of healthcare IT support, system administration and support services, including professional services, training and hosting for various industries, has announced the opening of new office space in Sarasota. The Sarasota location will join existing offices in Jersey City, NJ and Charlotte, NC and become the company’s new headquarters. Additionally, the relocation of company headquarters is one piece of the puzzle as ITelagen combats a 4.5 percent unemployment rate in the industry and faces the ever-complex challenge of hiring and retaining millennials. The new office space is located at 5901 North Honore Ave., and offers existing employees and new hires with 6,238 sq. ft. of space, totaling 32 workstations. Building amenities also include a 6,000 sq. ft. game room, a 2,000 sq. ft. chef’s kitchen, 2,000 sq. ft. café, 3,000 sq. ft. gym and onsite child daycare. ITelagen is a leading provider of IT services, EHR support and EHR cloud-based hosting for healthcare. ITelagen provides unlimited onsite and remote technical support for businesses, and monitors the activity of servers 24/7, to ensure the security of client applications. Its cloud-based system supports and manages patients’ EHRs, assists with coding and billing records, medical and insurance claims and categorizing insurance collections. ITelagen also provides disaster recovery and related services to update and back-up data. 

ITelagen

Dr. Mathew J. Bateman has been named dean of the Lake Erie College of Medicine’s (LECOM) School of Dental Medicine in Bradenton, where he has served as interim dean since last summer. Bateman has served as LECOM’s assistant dean of curriculum, evaluation and faculty and is the institutional director of planning, assessment, accreditation and research, overseeing institutional strategic planning and accreditation for all of LECOM’s programs, grant applications and management and institutional research. Bateman completed his undergraduate education at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, before attending a doctoral program at the University of Iowa, where he served as a teaching assistant for several dental anatomy courses and studied histology. Bateman became a post-doctoral fellow at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and upon completion, became an assistant professor at Chadron State College in Nebraska, where he taught anatomic sciences, conducted research and served as site coordinator for the college as part of the Nebraska Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence program. Bateman joined LECOM in 2006 as a basic sciences faculty member, teaching in all disciplines of anatomy. In 2009, he earned his Doctor of Health Education (D.H.Ed.) degree from A.T. Still University, School of Health Management in Kirksville, MO. While completing his second doctoral degree, he served as the assistant director of the LECOM Lecture Discussion Pathway in Erie, PA, helping to oversee medical students’ pre-clinical education. Bateman was later named assistant dean of curriculum, faculty and assessment. 

LECOM School of Dental Medicine