Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed SB 700, which, in part, stops local governments from “unilaterally” adding fluoride to the water supply.
It comes as part of the Florida Farm Bill, which DeSantis has been in favor of, rallying for it the day prior.
DeSantis appeared in Miami on Tuesday to support the measure, which he said “bans local governments from unilaterally adding fluoride to public drinking water.”
“We have other ways where people can get access to fluoride,” DeSantis said during his remarks. “When you do this in the water supply, you’re taking away a choice of someone who may not want to have over exposure to fluoride, and there have been studies done … that there are impacts to pregnant women to children about having too much.”
DeSantis wrote on social media, “The Free State of Florida says no to forced medication, and we’re proud to lead the nation on this effort!” DeSantis added.
DeSantis’s signature on the bill comes as Florida’s Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has continued to speak out of the dangers of adding fluoride to the public water supply, advising that individuals can strengthen their teeth without consumption of this “neurotoxin.” He formally called on Florida communities to remove fluoride from the water supply in November 2024, and some localities followed suit.
“Due to the neuropsychiatric risk associated with fluoride exposure, particularly in pregnant women and children, and the wide availability of alternative sources of fluoride for dental health, the State Surgeon General recommends against community water fluoridation,” the guidance issued in December states.
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“Adding fluoride to water increases the risk of neuropsychiatric disease in children and reduces their IQ. We can strengthen teeth without consuming this neurotoxin,” Ladapo said at the time.
This aligns with the goals of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has described fluoride as an “industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease.”
Prior to DeSantis’s action, Florida’s Miami-Dade became one of the latest localities in the Sunshine State to vote to remove fluoride from the water supply.
“Our residents are going to be able to make the choice themselves whether they want to ingest something that’s usually prescribed by a doctor, or whether they can just have clean water,” Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez, who sponsored the measure, said at the time.
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