TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday praised efforts by Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo to push localities to remove fluoride to drinking water, saying he expects HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to soon follow suit.
Ladapo issued a recommendation in November warning municipalities, counties and other government public utility boards against putting fluoride in drinking water. Ladapo’s recommendation boosted ongoing efforts by libertarian advocacy group Stand for Health Freedom, which began a campaign two years ago and has since helped convince more than a dozen localities from using the additive.
The campaign began after the Medical Freedom movement surged in popularity as DeSantis and Ladapo fought Covid-19 restrictions imposed by the Biden administration.
Fluoride has been added to public water supplies since the 1940s in an effort to stop children from getting tooth cavities. But recent studies convinced Ladapo late last year that fluoride could also lead kids to have lower IQ scores and behavioral problems.
DeSantis grew up in Dunedin, where city leaders first voted to add fluoride to drinking water in 1992. He went on to attend Yale, where he played baseball, then Harvard for law school. The 46-year-old said he probably drank more Gatorade than water as he played sports, but he pointed to recently completed research showing fluoride could be harmful to child development. He also said residents should be able to decide whether they ingest fluoride, and suggested Kennedy will follow soon Florida’s lead.
“When you’re forcing it into the water supply, that’s not really giving people the choice,” DeSantis said. “I think you’re going to see HHS lean in the direction under Bobby Kennedy, and I think to me that’s the way to go.”
President Donald Trump promised to make Kennedy his HHS secretary during his campaign last year after Kennedy dropped his own bid for the White House. Kennedy later made a post on social media saying he believed Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water.
The Legislature will also consider a fluoride ban when they discuss a bill sought by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services during this year’s 60-day legislative session, which kicked off Tuesday. Language found in HB 651 and SB 700 would permit additives that improve water quality and ban additives used for health purposes, such as fluoride.
The measure would take away control from localities, some of which already rejected the parallel campaigns run by Stand for Health Freedom and Ladapo. They include Hillsborough County and Delray Beach, where local leaders voted to continue adding fluoride last month.
House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell, who represents part of Hillsborough County, said she was happy to hear local leaders had decided to keep using fluoride. She also expressed concern for the proposed statewide ban, saying the state has already preempted too much authority.
“We’re seeing more preemption bills from this Legislature, always trying to insert their nose in local governments and local communities,” Driskell said. “Frankly, we don’t need that.”
DeSantis said most people already receive enough fluoride from toothpaste, which he believes would make the water additive unnecessary. But dental experts, including Florida Dental Association President Jeff Ottley, have said ingesting fluoride in drinking water will help children grow stronger teeth. The fluoride in toothpaste only helps strengthen the surface of a tooth.
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