Florida communities are continuing to debate the effects of water fluoridation since the state’s surgeon general cited several studies showing the risks associated with the practice.
Discussions about water fluoridation’s safety heightened last year after the National Toxicology Program concluded in a report that higher levels of fluoride exposure are associated with lower IQ in children. The report has been heavily contested by healthcare organizations.
In November, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, MD, PhD, recommended against community water fluoridation.
Several Florida cities have since voted to discontinue water fluoridation, and a bill has also been filed to prohibit all public water systems in the state from adding fluoride, despite pushback from local dentists and healthcare organizations about the benefits of fluoride as a public health measure.
Here are 16 updates about water fluoridation in the state since last year:
December 2024
1. The Naples (Fla.) City Council voted to stop adding fluoride to its water supply.
2. Commissioners in Leesburg, Fla., voted to move forward with a $600,000 project to add fluoride to the city’s water supply after a heated debate.
3. The Tavares (Fla.) City Council voted to remove fluoride from the city’s water supply.
4. Port St. Lucie, Fla., temporarily stopped adding fluoride to its water supply after Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, MD, PhD, spoke against the practice.
January 2025
1. The Palm Bay (Fla.) City Council unanimously voted to keep fluoride out of the city’s water supply.
2. The Melbourne (Fla.) City Council voted to remove fluoride from its water supply Jan. 15.
3. The Niceville (Fla.) City County unanimously voted to end the use of fluoride in its water supply.
4. Fort Pierce, Ormond Beach and Immokalee, Fla., opted to discontinue water fluoridation in their communities.
5. Officials in Cocoa City and Titusville, Fla., began considering ending water fluoridation in their communities.
February 2025
1. Commissioners in Lee County, Fla., voted Feb. 4 to stop adding fluoride to its drinking water.
2. Commissioners in Hillsborough County, Fla., failed to pass a measure that would have ended water fluoridation in the county.
3. The Delray Beach (Fla.) Commission voted 3-2 to keep fluoride in the city’s water supply.
4. Florida Sen. Keith Truenow introduced Senate Bill 700, which would prohibit all public water systems in the state from adding fluoride to their water supplies.
5. Officials in Longwood, Fla., voted unanimously to remove fluoride from the city’s water supply.
March 2025
1. Dr. Ladapo advised Miami-Dade County to stop adding fluoride to its water supply March 11.
2. The Florida Senate Agriculture Committee unanimously voted to advance Senate Bill 700, which would prevent local governments from adding fluoride to public water supplies.