Florida is now the second state to prohibit fluoride in public water

Gov. Ron DeSantis referred to water fluoridation as “forced medication,” stating that it infringes “informed consent.”

Florida is now the second state to officially prohibit fluoride in public water supplies.

On Thursday, Governor Ron DeSantis approved SB 700, the Florida Farm Bill. While the legislation does not explicitly mention "fluoride," it effectively prohibits the mineral by restricting "the use of certain additives in a water system." The new law will take effect on July 1.

"You’ve had this debate, and really Florida’s led on this, too, partially because our Surgeon General, Joseph Ladapo, has really led the charge by going to counties and saying forcing fluoride into your water is actually not good" DeSantis stated during a news conference on Thursday afternoon. "Yes, use fluoride for your teeth, that’s fine. But forcing it in the water supply is basically forced medication on people. They don’t have a choice."

DeSantis stated that adding fluoride to water infringes “informed consent.” He further claimed that the substance has been shown to have harmful effects on pregnant women and children, encouraging healthcare experts, including Ladapo, to discuss its adverse impacts.

A 2019 study suggested that children born to mothers with higher levels of fluoride in their urine during pregnancy tended to have slightly lower IQ levels; however, the findings were not definitive.

The governor contended that residents have alternative means to obtain fluoride if they wish and emphasized that governments should not require it.

“There’s nothing preventing you in your house from adding fluoride to your water,” DeSantis said.

In Miami, DeSantis enacted the bill when Mayor Daniella Levine Cava rejected a recent fluoride ban approved by the county commission last month. Last week, NBC South Florida announced that the commission voted 8-4 to override Cava's veto.

Cava, a member of the Democratic Party, has publicly criticized prohibiting fluoride in the state.

“I am deeply disappointed by the Florida Legislature’s decision to pursue a statewide ban on water fluoridation, a decision that disregards the overwhelming consensus of dentists, doctors, and medical experts and will end a practice that has been in place for decades to protect our health,” she stated in a press release last month.

Florida is taking cues from Utah, where Governor Spencer Cox, a fellow Republican, enacted legislation in late March that prevents individuals and government bodies from introducing the mineral into the state's water systems. This made Utah the first state to implement such a ban, which took effect last Wednesday.

The anti-fluoridation movement is on the rise, seemingly driven by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who claims that consuming fluoridated water offers no “systemic advantage.”

Leading public health organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Dental Association, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advocate for water fluoridation. They argue that consuming fluoridated water promotes dental strength and lowers cavity rates. Research consistently indicates a 25% reduction in tooth decay.

Proposals to prohibit fluoride use have been introduced in Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and North Carolina. Meanwhile, Hawaii, which has never required water fluoridation, records the “highest prevalence of tooth decay in the United States,” with only 11% of its population benefiting from fluoridated community water systems. This information is drawn from a 2015 study conducted by the state health department that assessed third graders across Hawaii.