With the backing of Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, a Senate Republican on Thursday filed a wide-ranging bill that would bar public water systems from adding fluoride to water supplies.
Sen. Keith Truenow, R-Tavares, filed the bill (SB 700), which addresses numerous issues related to the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Simpson has dubbed the proposal, which will be considered during the legislative session that starts March 4, the “Florida Farm Bill.”
Local governments in Florida and across the country recently have debated — and, in some cases, stopped — the longstanding practice of adding fluoride to water supplies.
A news release last week from Simpson’s office said Rep. Kaylee Tuck, R-Lake Placid, will sponsor the House version of the bill.
“Nobody is thirsty for unnecessary additives,” Truenow said in a statement included in last week’s news release. “Safe, clean drinking water is our chief goal. Prohibiting fluoride in public water systems ensures that individuals and families have the final say over their health.”
Dental and other health groups have called for continuing the addition of fluoride to water.
“Insufficient fluoride exposure can have significant negative effects on oral health,” the Florida Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics said in a December news release, adding that tooth cavities are the “most common chronic disease in childhood” and disproportionately affect “children of lower socioeconomic status who are less likely to have access to dental care.”
Among the Florida governments who have recently voted to end fluoriation are Winter Haven, Fort Pierce, Niceville, Ormond Beach, Immokalee, Naples, Tavares, Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Palm Bay, Melbourne, and Lee and Collier counties.
The Lakeland City Commission has a hearing Monday to hear from the public about the issue. Manatee County commissioners plan to consider an ordinance to end the practice. And a Clearwater City Council member plans to introduce a similar motion.
Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo last year issued guidance recommending the removal of fluroide for public water systems, citing a recent report by the National Institutes of Health that showed a link between higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in kids.
It includes studies involving levels at about twice the recommended limit for drinking water, not the 0.7 milligrams per liter of water, which has been the standard to support oral health since the 1950s.
