(LifeSiteNews) — Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis is touting yet another political victory after he banned local governments from adding fluoride to their public water.
DeSantis signed SB 700 earlier this month in Miami. He celebrated the move in an X post.
“With wide access to topical fluoride, there’s no need to medicate entire communities without their consent. The Free State of Florida says no to forced medication, and we’re proud to lead the nation on this effort!” he exclaimed.
DeSantis’ decision was preceded by an announcement made by Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo last November that recommended fluoride be removed from the water supply because of its association with neuropsychiatric disorders and lower IQ in children.
Ladapo officially enacted his recommendation after a U.S. District Court ruled in September 2024 that the current U.S. recommendation of 0.7 milligrams per liter water fluoridation “presents an unreasonable risk of injury to health.”
Before DeSantis’ signing of the bill, Lee County, Florida commissioners voted 5-0 in February to remove fluoride from its water supply.
The compound is touted by the American Dental Association as a beneficial tool in the fight against cavities despite widespread evidence that it causes other health problems.
Ladapo congratulated the commissioners in an X post that heralded the move as being “backed by science” and that it will “improve the health of your communities.”
Water fluoridation gained media attention during the 2024 presidential race. After Donald Trump was elected, he told NBC News that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s proposal to remove fluoride from public water supplies “sounds okay” to him.
The issue obtained even more attention after a report published by the Department of Health and Human Services last August revealed excessive fluoride consumption in children has been linked to a two- to five-point IQ reduction.
That startling admission prompted Edward Chen, an Obama-appointed federal judge, to order the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen regulations around fluoride.
Data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2020 revealedthat roughly 73 percent of the U.S. population has access to fluoridated water through public water systems, though that number is likely to decrease. Grand Rapids, Michigan, was the first city in the U.S. to add fluoride to its water supply in 1945.