I’m glad to see that Brevard Commissioner Rita Pritchett is having a “conversation” with Mims citizens on fluoride treatment of our water system.

I sincerely hope our local dental association and Mims citizens can convince her to change her mind and rescind her previous order to stop fluoridation of Mims water. In the event she does not, in my opinion she should be recalled based on incompetence, (i.e. ignorance of the proven scientific benefits of fluoridation of water, especially for young children); and malfeasance, (abuse of power by ordering a change to a known health benefit without consulting them or debating the issue, an order based on her own self-serving agenda and bias against fluoridation).

A county commissioner in today’s world should certainly have some education in the scientific realm that affects her decisions regarding the health and environment of her constituents. And no commissioner should be allowed to inflict such a decision on her district without debate and permission from the rest of the board, assuming that they would not agree to such a decision in their own districts. That they “agreed” (which is debatable) is appalling and does not speak well of their competence to be county commissioners. Even more appalling, after some commissioners admitted publicly they did not understand her request, they refused to revisit the issue.

And why, of all the major issues with our Indian River Lagoon, septic tanks along the river, streets that need paving or repaving, etc., are we even talking about fluoridation?

Hudson Haile, Titusville

*Original letter online at https://www.floridatoday.com/story/opinion/2021/06/09/letters-and-feedback-june-9-2021/7575141002/

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