North Miami Seaside, County commissioners delay determination on whether or not to take away fluoride from water system after holding listening to – WSVN 7News | Miami Information, Climate, Sports activities

MIAMI (WSVN) – The nationwide debate on fluoride in the water system has made its way to Miami-Dade as two commissioner boards held a meeting on whether to remove it from the public water supply.

The meeting in North Miami Beach Tuesday night was more of a town hall to discuss the pros and cons of fluoride in water.

“I don’t want to be involved with any fluoride,” said one speaker.

“What should we do, as residents of this community, to be able to continue trying to avoid this exposure?” said a second speaker.

“If you guys want more decay, no problem. You can have it. You want more cavities? We’re OK with it. We’re not really,” said another speaker.

Fluoride has been added to the water system in Miami-Dade County since at least 1958, and it is supposed to help prevent tooth decay. However, some recent studies find that it may harm children.

Both sides of the argument was presented at the city meeting as residents await a vote on what commissioners will do on the matter.

Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo attended this meeting where he had some advice for the room.

My sense is that you keep fighting for the things you believe are right, you keep fighting for it,” he said.

By the end of the meeting, however, commissioners decided to kick the can down the road and did not take a vote on the issue.

Earlier in the day, Tuesday, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez led the charge on the same topic.

“What we’re here for is to listen to the experts on the most up-to-date science regarding fluoride and its benefits or risks to the health of our residents,” said Gonzalez.

Ladapo also attended this meeting. He pondered whether it should continue being added to the water system.

“The debate here is whether it should be added to your water,” said Ladapo.

He said there is a wealth of evidence showing babies and pregnant women are most at risk if they consume fluoride water.

“We have a substantial amount of research that shows that fluoride is neurotoxic,” said Ladapo.

The panel of other speakers also presented studies that appeared in a 2024 National Toxicology Program Report.

“And of those 72 (studies on fluoride and IQ), 64 found that fluoride was associated with lower child IQ,” said University of Florida professor Dr. Ashley J. Malin.

“It has been shown to reduce the IQ in babies, basically dumbing them down,” said Dr. Claire Stagg.

However, some county commissioners listening during the meeting seemed skeptical of the arguments being made.

“I’ll tell you this, I’m in government, but I don’t trust government,” said county commissioner Keon Hardemon.

“My concerns are that you are presenting one side,” said county commissioner Marleine Bastien.

Another commissioner, about an hour into the meeting, tried to move on to other matters.

“It would be nice to move on to actual business of the county,” said county commissioner Eileen Higgins.

But Gonzalez, the committee’s chairman, did not want to do that.

“Absolutely. Commissioner Higgins, when you have a committee and you are chairing it, you will be able to make that decision,” he said.

The meeting wrapped up in Miami-Dade with no decision on how to move forward on the matter. County commissioners are set to bring up the topic again at the next board meeting in the coming days.

The issue of fluoride in the water may end up in the state’s hands anyway as the Florida farm bill is making its way through the legislature. If passed, it would ban fluoridation in public water systems.

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