A national coalition is supporting the idea of more offshore oil and natural-gas exploration off the coast of Florida. The coalition, called Explore Offshore, is backed by the American Petroleum Institute and the Florida Petroleum Council. However, environmentalists and politicians continue to point to the BP Oil spill as they oppose the White House’s proposal to open previously protected parts of the Atlantic Ocean and eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas drilling. Jim Nicholson, c-chairman of Explore Offshore, said the chances of a disastrous accident like that of the BP Deepwater Horizon in 2010 happening again is nearly impossible.