No member of Congress could claim a greater love of animals than U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, according to the U.S. Humane Society. The organization gave Buchanan a 100+ percent grade on its 2015 legislative scorecard, the highest possible score. “We feel very humbled by this,” Buchanan said. “I feel very passionate about this area.”

Buchanan, in fact, was the only Republican in the U.S. House to achieve such a high grade from the Humane Society. Earning a 100-percent score means voting on the side of animal protection issues on every piece of specific legislation identified by the Humane Society as critical to the organization’s mission. Earning the 100+ designation came from Buchanan serving as a prime sponsor of one of those bills, legislation to protect horses and consumers by prohibiting the transport and export of U.S. horses for slaughter for human consumption. Buchanan said he had been startled by reports of the sale of horses for this purpose to outlets in Canada and Mexico, and was also upset by a string of horse slaughters in Southwest Florida last year. “We thought this was the right thing to do,” Buchanan said of the bill.

Buchanan has also worked on establishing a refuge for the Florida Panther, work he has done largely in his role as co-chairman of the Florida Congressional delegation and alongside Democratic co-chair U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fort Lauderdale. Hastings was the only other Florida representative to earn a 100+ rating.

This is the first year Buchanan has received the top score from the Humane Society. Last year, he was among the top three Republicans in terms of score. But he said party had little to do with how representatives perform on issues like animal protection, and that legislation on matters like wildlife protection should be bipartisan. “Everybody represents a different region,” he said. “These issues are important to me but also to our part of the country. We just try to do work that reflects my feelings and the feelings of Southwest Florida.” 

Graphic shows Human Society grades for Florida U.S. House Representatives. Source: 2015 U.S. Humane Society Legislative Scorecard.

Sol Meyer Deli is slated to rebrand as Doc Sam’s and open with a kickoff ribbon-cutting on March 2. The new brand reflects the deli as a “brainchild of Dr. Myles Samotin and managing partner and chef Scott Mullen.” New marketing materials promise “NYC Flavor with a Modern Twist.” 

Doc Sam's, 1473 Main St, Sarasota, 941-955-3354.

Goodwill Manasota on Thursday will celebrate the opening of its newest retail store. The new Cass location on South Tamiami Trail in Sarasota includes a drive-through for donations. The sales floor at the Cass location is approximately 3,600 square feet and will offer more than 10,000 pieces of apparel along with books, electronics, housewares, new goods and other fantastic finds. 

Goodwill Manasota

ROBRADY design received two Good Design Awards from the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies. ROBRADY received the awards for its design work with both Lockheed Martin on the FORTIS exoskeleton and EarthLinked on its Geothermal Heating System. Both products represent exemplary design through aesthetic styling, efficient manufacturing and green sensibility, according to the awards organization.  

ROBRADY design