FLORIDA — Hundreds of new laws rolled out in Florida on Tuesday, July 1, and among those new laws is the banning of fluoride in the state’s water systems.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill to remove fluoride from the drinking water in May following concerns from public health advocates, including Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo.
But Lake County Supervisor of Elections Alan Hays, who served 12 years in the state House and Senate and almost 50 years as a dentist in Central Florida, said that he’s worried about the effect it will have on the community, and especially children.
“The irony of this whole thing is it’s going to apply to everybody regardless of income level but the cash cow for the dentist that’s going to come this way because it’s going to create a whole lot more decay and a whole lot more demand for dental services,” Hays said. “And that’s not what we as a dental profession stand for. We stand for prevention, and we’re trying to do everything we can to help our patients not need our services.”
Prior to this statewide ban, several local governments across the Sunshine State had already voted to remove fluoride from the drinking water, such as Tavares in Lake County and Longwood and Lake Mary in Seminole County, plus Lakeland in Polk County and Manatee County.
The debate over whether to remove fluoride from the water has been a heated one for the past several months.
Some have said that keeping fluoride in the water raises public health concerns.
In November, that message was backed by Ladapo after he attended a city council meeting in Tavares, where the topic of water fluoridation was being debated.
He claimed it is a “public health malpractice” and that exposure to fluoride poses neurological risks, including behavioral and attention deficit problems among pregnant women and young children.
City officials supporting the removal of fluoride have publicly said that people could still get their intake of fluoride should they want it, through toothpaste or mouthwash.
The American Dental Association has said in the past that Ladapo’s recommendations were “misinformed and dangerous.”
As for the Centers for Disease and Control, it has deemed water fluoridation as being safe and effective.
Florida is the second U.S state to remove fluoride from its water systems, with Utah being the first.
Original article online at: https://mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2025/07/01/fluoride-ban-goes-into-effect-in-florida