SANFORD, Fla. – Commissioners in Seminole County voted on Tuesday to end its decades-old fluoridation program, becoming the latest local government to remove the additive from drinking water.
No decision was expected at the information session Tuesday, but in the end, the county attorney said the vote by commissioners could move forward.
The final vote was 4 to 1, with Commissioner Lee Constantine voting against.
“I am no scientist, I am no expert, but I pride myself in doing as much research as I possibly can,” said County Chair Jay Zembrower. “I put this in the category of evolving science from the standpoint of where there was a time and point in history where this was good practice, proper practice, based on the science at that time.”
Commissioners heard from County Utilities Director Johnny Edwards during the session and then took public comment. A packed room of people spoke four and against fluoridation.
Fluoride is a naturally found mineral in water, and Seminole County currently adds enough to bring levels up to 0.7 parts per million, which is a federally recommended standard.
Seminole County has been adding a small amount of fluoride to the community drinking supply since 1988, like other cities and counties throughout the country have done for decades.
Dentists say fluoride is beneficial in reducing tooth problems, and several medical groups, including the American Dental Association, still advocate for community fluoridation.
The issue became a hot topic again in recent months after Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo urged local governments to end the programs. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has also come out against fluoride programs.
Both officials say that fluoride exposure is linked to neurodevelopment issues, including IQ loss in children.
However, the studies being cited involved larger amounts of fluoride than the current recommended value for drinking water. Researchers say there is little data to suggest that fluoride is linked to health problems at current recommended levels.
On Monday, Kennedy announced that he would tell the Centers for Disease Control to stop recommending fluoride in drinking water.
Nevertheless, several municipalities have stopped community fluoridation programs in recent months, including the cities of Longwood, Lake Mary, Tavares, Leesburg, Palm Bay, Melbourne, and Ormond Beach.
A representative from the Florida Dental Association urged the county to keep its program, saying the science was still sound.
“No country in the world is stopping water fluoridation over a court case, over a national toxicology program or the Cochrane reviews — nobody because those things do not rise to the level of science that we need to make decisions on,“ the representative told commissioners.
In the end, however, four out of five commissioners chose to end the program.
“We need to remove it and the fact that if you want to think about the potential of harm, in the improvised community,” said Commissioner Andria Herr. “Think about the potential of a neurodiverse child in an improvised community and the inability of that parent to advocate for that kid — and I can’t fathom it. I lived that life, so take it out. I would love to make this motion when it’s time.”
Florida lawmakers are also trying to pass a ban on community fluoridation in a House bill and a Senate bill on agricultural policy. The Senate version of the bill passed its last committee stop on Tuesday.
