Florida Detox and Wellness Institute Staff 

Serving Patients With Kindness and God’s Grace

Dr. Marvin “Rick” Sponaugle

Founder and Medical Director of Florida Detox and Wellness Institute 

Marvin “Rick” Sponaugle was born in Franklin, West Virginia. While majoring in chemistry at West Virginia University,the soon to be Dr. Sponaugle was awarded the Alpha Epsilon Delta National Chemistry Honor Society, Beta Theta Pi National Merit Scholarship and Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities.

After graduating with the honor of Phi Beta Kappa, the upcoming Dr. Sponaugle accepted one of four scholarships given by the state of West Virginia for WVU School of Medicine. After receiving his MD degree at WVU, Dr. Sponaugle attended the University of Florida Medical Center where he performed specialty training in anesthesiology, intensive care medicine and pain management.

In 1985, Dr. Sponaugle began private practice in Tampa Bay. He served as Chief of Anesthesiology for two Tampa Bay hospitals, Medical Director of three surgical centers and founded the Watermark Pain Treatment Center. While treating chronic pain patients, Dr. Sponaugle began to examine the painful detoxification protocols commonly used throughout America. Those standard drug detox protocols were not only painful, they were also medically dangerous. The opiate detox protocols used in drug rehab centers were particularly stressful to the heart and brain.

Dr. Sponaugle founded Florida Detox, Inc. with the intent to revolutionize drug and alcohol detoxification treatment. Using his cardiac and intensive care expertise, Dr. Sponaugle analyzed the physiology of Oxycontin withdrawal and immediately began improving the drug detoxification process for opiate pain medication. Initially, utilizing a computerized ultrasonic heart monitor known as trans-esophageal echocardiography in patient studies, Dr. Sponaugle was able to design a painless, safe, heart and brain protective detoxification protocol for Oxycontin-like pain medicine. Dr. Sponaugle has proven the extraordinary safety of his rapid detox protocol, having successfully treated over 5,000 patients including a heart transplant patient who was addicted to 3,000 milligrams per day of Oxycontin.

Board Certified in both Addiction Medicine and Anesthesiology, Dr. Sponaugle is currently changing the paradigm of addiction treatment from a historical foundation of simply ‘talk therapy’ to a more scientific and fully integrated treatment program that balances brain chemistry, corrects hormonal and nutritional deficiencies that commonly cause addiction, detoxifies the brain of common neurotoxins that cause addiction and accelerates recovery by optimizing full body and brain health.

Dr. Sponaugle has received national recognition for his landmark advancement of drug and alcohol detoxification protocols. His pioneering work produces the lowest addiction relapse rate in America. He receives patients from Dr. Phil and has been featured on numerous national media networks including Dr. Phil, CNN, FOX News, ABC News, CBS News and NBC News.

Click here to view Dr. Sponaugle’s Curriculum Vitae.

Dr. Ed Norman – Chief of Anesthesiology

Dr. Edward Norman is Board Certified in Anesthesiology and has served as Chief of Anesthesiology at two different hospitals over the last 20 years. An author of several anesthesia publications, Dr. Norman is also a member of the Florida Society of Anesthesiologists, Florida Medical Society, American Medical Association, American Society of Anesthesiologists, International Anesthesia Research Society, and the Pinellas County Medical Society Board of Trustees.

Dr. Norman has a great interest in the advancement of detox treatment and addiction medicine. He has diligently studied much of the innovative research including correlation of personality profile and functional brain scans. He is intrigued with the success experienced at Florida Detox when patients are detoxed and treated for the underlying cause of the addiction, instead of accepting the diagnosis of “drug addict” or “alcoholic”.

After graduating from Rutgers Medical School, Dr. Norman completed a 4 year residency at St. Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey. He then followed up his education at St. Barnabas Medical Center with an Obstetrical Anesthesia Fellowship.

Dennis Becker – Clinic Nurse

Dennis Becker is the Clinic Nurse at Florida Detox specializing in medication management and follow-up care. Previously a manager of psychiatric units, Dennis is well experienced with patients and addiction. Dennis has worked in the field of Addiction Medicine and Psychiatry for over 15 years. He has previously served as Nursing Director for inpatient psychiatric care and addiction units in Minneapolis. He brings great medical experience and spiritual guidance to our patients at Florida Detox.

Dennis was raised in the Midwest and felt the “call of God” on his life for ministry during his High School years. In following that call, Dennis graduated on the Dean’s List from Crown College with a degree in both Theology and Inter-cultural Ministries in 1978. After completing his formal education at Crown, Dennis began his public ministry with the Christian and Missionary Alliance. While serving in active ministry, Dennis’ roles have included Senior Pastor of several growing churches; church planting of new churches; and re-development/re-structure of several churches in the Midwest. Dennis also spent a term serving in Mali, West Africa, with the Christian and Missionary Alliance. It has always been Dennis’ dream/goal to reach the un-reached people of our world!

Dr. Tom Petit, Ph.D – Counselor

Dr. Tom Petit, Ph.D., is a nationally Board Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor as well as a Florida Licensed Mental Health Counselor and State Qualified Counseling Supervisor. As a former college instructor, Dr. Petit currently serves as a visiting professor at Reformed Theological Seminary. During his twenty years of private practice, Dr. Petit has developed a unique model that gives individuals, couples, and families practical help for living according to their God-intended design. Counseling focuses on redeeming the years spent chasing counterfeit fulfillment with the aim of living out God’s original design and personal plan for each person’s life.

Through his affiliation with Florida Detox, Dr. Petit offers short-term outpatient intensive and long-term follow up counseling, addressing the personal and spiritual aspects of any addiction. His model of counseling provides Christ-centered spiritual direction for a new path for living addiction-free.

As a certified IDAK Career Assessment Counselor, Dr. Petit also provides a testing service for clients seeking to identify their natural God-given talents and fitted careers. The IDAK test blends interests, values, experiences, and personality traits to identify natural talents and provide suggestions for career options.

Florida Detox and Wellness Institute Staff

Back row (left to right):
Dennis Becker, Gary Crump, Ryan Sponaugle, Cathy Ultrino, Greg Bulmer, Susan Hofer,
Patty Gingras, Paula Grady, Sheryl Bohlender, Jane Funk, Elaine Hayes, Patricia Jackson,
Kim Sponaugle, Dr. Rick Sponaugle, Dr. John Moritz 

Front row (left to right):
Latonya Smith, Crystal Johnson, Dawn Horetski, Anna Henderson, Andreas Pasiourtis,
Stefani Korfias, Michelle Wright, Audra Caputo