WLRN Public Media | By Julia Cooper
Commissioners in Miami-Dade — the state’s most populous county— voted Tuesday to stop adjusting fluoride levels in local drinking water, despite widespread opposition to water fluoridation bans from national health organizations.
The measure passed by an 8-2 vote, but County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava could opt to veto the measure in the next 10 days.
The county has added fluoride to the local drinking supply since 1958. The resolution, sponsored by commissioner Roberto Gonzalez, instructs the county’s water and sewer department to stop the long-held practice within 30 days.
The move follows a hearing in March when the county’s Safety and Health Committee heard testimony from anti-water fluoridation proponents, including the State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, who also attended Tuesday’s commission meeting. No supporters of fluoridated water were invited to the presentation.
This story was originally produced by WLRN, South Florida’s only public radio station at 91.3 FM, as part of a content sharing partnership with MIA Media Group. Read more at WLRN.org
