City of Winter Haven Votes to Remove Fluoride from Water Supply

by James Coulter

 

Lower IQ, bone weakness, thyroid dysfunction, and dental fluorosis. These were some of the potential health risks allegedly caused by fluoride that many concerned citizens raised at a recent city commission meeting.

 

Nearly 20 Winter Haven residents took to the podium Monday evening to voice their concerns about, or support for, their city’s fluoridated water. These concerns prompted city commissioners to vote 3-2 to approve a resolution to discontinue adding fluoride to the city’s water supply system.

 

The resolution was considered at the request of the commission due to growing concerns about fluoridated water, as well as a recent court hearing, “regarding the effects of fluoride in public water supply,” according to a city memo.

 

Furthermore, discontinuing the fluoridation of the City water supply is a potential cost-saver. Currently, obtaining fluoride to add to the city’s water supply costs $48,000 annually, and thus the city would save as much money by discontinuing the fluoridization process.

 

Before discussing and voting on the resolution, City Commissioners opened the floor for public discussion. For over an hour, nearly 20 residents approached the podium to express their concerns about, or support for, fluoride in the water.

 

The City started adding fluoride to the city’s water system following the adoption of a resolution on Sep. 22, 1986. The fluoridization of water is not mandated by federal or state law. Instead, it is authorized solely by the Governing Board of the City. Regulations regarding safe levels in drinking water are administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

 

One resident, Debbie Owens, read aloud the warning written on a box of fluoridated toothpaste, which warned to get medical help and contact a poison control center if toothpaste is consumed.

 

She claimed that the potential protection against tooth decay was not worth the risk of thyroid disorders, lower IQ, and other potential risks linked to fluoride consumption.

 

“We are discussing IQ for children,” she said. “You cannot put a price on that, and you cannot put a price on your health.”

 

John Lynn, Chair of the Polk County Republican Liberty Caucus, mentioned a recent federal court hearing, which ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency must strengthen regulation of fluoride across the country under the Toxic Substance Control Act.

 

Lynn also mentioned how President-Elect Donald Trump was planning on placing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a key role overseeing public health issues, including fluoridated water. As such, he urged the city to get ahead of the curve on this hot-button issue.

 

“I ask that you remove it from the water supply,” he said. “If folks want fluoride, they are free to get it, but it should not be dispersed by the government.”

 

However, while many residents spoke out against fluoride in the city’s water supply, others spoke in favor of it, claiming that it helped prevent tooth decay in young children, especially those who did not have access to proper dental care.

 

Paul Palo, who has served as a practicing dentist for 33 years, mentioned how 75 years of research showed that fluoridated water was safe. He also mentioned that 1 out of 6 people in the city were living in poverty, and how fluoridated water helped provide dental protection for them.

 

“Water fluoridation levels the playing field for the haves and the have-nots.”

 

Joanna Smith, who has worked 36 years in the dental field, saw through her own career the difference fluoridated water can have on dental care. She mentioned how many people in her parents’ and grandparents’ generation required much dental care due to tooth decay, while her children and grandchildren do not have any cavities.

 

“So many people cannot access dental care,” she said. “So I hope you would keep it in the water.”

 

Commissioner Clifton E. Dollison considered himself a “poster child for fluoride.” He grew up in a poor part of town as a child. He did not visit the dentist until he was an adult. At his first checkup, the dentist informed him that he did not have any cavities, most likely due to the fluoridated water.

 

“I would love to air on the side of people helping people,” he said. “I do not want to cause harm to anyone…I would hate to think we would do away with something that is beneficial to those who are less fortunate in our community.”

 

Commissioner Brad Dantzler inquired whether there was a local charity that offered dental care and education. He suggested that the money that would have otherwise been spent on fluoridating water could be donated to such a charitable organization instead.

 

“I would like to see this money allocated for dental education in elementary schools,” he said. “Education would be a great utilization of those funds if this passes tonight.”

 

A motion was made to remove fluoride from the city’s water supply, and the motion passed with a vote of 3-2. Commissioner Clifton E. Dollison and Mayor Nathanial Birdsong offered the ‘nay’ votes.

 

Now that the resolution has passed, the City is expected to stop adding fluoride to the water supply by Jan. 1, 2025, “or as soon as reasonably practicable thereafter taking into consideration operational efficiencies and objectives of the operation of the City’s utility system.”