- January 23, 2025
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The city of Ormond Beach is no longer adding fluoride to its water supply.
The change, which went into effect the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 22, follows a unanimous policy decision by the City Commission at its meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 21. During his closing comments of the meeting, City Commissioner Travis Sargent made a motion to stop fluoridating the city's water, citing recent guidance by the state surgeon general.
The city had been adding fluoride to its water since 1957.
"I think a lot has changed since the '50s," Sargent said at the meeting. "I think we are seeing the results of this chemical in our water — what it's doing to our children, just the long-term effects that we are just now seeing."
In late November, State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo recommended against community water fluoridation due to the "neuropsychiatric risk associated with fluoride exposure," a press release by the Florida Department of Health stated. It listed safety concerns for children such as the reduction of IQ, cognitive impairment and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, as well as the chance for increased neurobehavioral problems in children whose mothers ingested fluoride during pregnancy. The Health Department also reported sleep cycle disturbance, skeletal fluorosis, puberty impacts for adolescent girls and suppression of the thyroid gland as other safety concerns.
“It is clear more research is necessary to address safety and efficacy concerns regarding community water fluoridation,” Ladapo said in the press release. “The previously considered benefit of community water fluoridation does not outweigh the current known risks, especially for special populations like pregnant women and children.”
However, health organizations such as the American Dental Association, Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Medical Association all support community water fluoridation.
According to the ADA, fluoridation is the most effective public health measure to prevent tooth decay.
In September, a California federal district court ruled in favor of a group of citizens who sued the Environmental Protection Agency after it denied a petition to stop community water fluoridation. The ADA and 12 other groups have issued a letter to the EPA to file an appeal on the court's ruling, according to a press release.
In the letter, the ADA challenged the August 2024 report from the federal National Toxicology Program that led to the claim that of lowered IQs for children who are exposed to fluoride at more than twice the recommended level, stating the report is based on "only 19 studies that rely on atypical fluoride exposure levels, invalid biomarkers, and insufficient sample size," alleging the agency changed peer reviewers after its original ones reported the first two drafts "would not survive scientific scrutiny."
"It would be regrettable to compromise nearly 80 years of public health success due to challenges in effectively communicating the science, which often extends beyond the simplicity of a sound bite," the letter states.
Volusia County Councilman Troy Kent, who served on the Ormond Beach City Commission from 2003 to 2022, spent 16 years advocating for the removal of fluoride from the city's water.
"I am so proud of the leadership of Ormond Beach," Kent said. "They were able to get something across the finish line that I was unable to do, and to me, this is some of the most positive news that I could hear coming out of Ormond Beach City Hall."
At best, fluoride is a medicine, Kent said.
"At worst, it's a poison, but we should not be medicating our residents with the water that they're consuming," he said. "It's wildly inappropriate and should not be happening."
In 2017, the city of Ormond Beach received no bids for hydrofluosilicic acid, the chemical used to fluoridate city water supplies. Though he urged the commissioners to stop water fluoridation then, the commission voted 4-1 to continue.
Sargent told the Observer that he was pleased that it was a unanimous vote to remove fluoride from the city's water this time around. Stopping the practice, he added, is saving the city about $14,800 a year.
He also referenced the California federal district court ruling and said that the new information is further proof of why the city needed to act now.
"Back in the '50s, maybe we didn't have this information and this was a way to provide fluoride to people for better teeth, to help with that" Sargent said. "But now, I think fluoride's in almost every toothpaste."
Additionally, both Kent and Sargent said the state surgeon general's guidance carries significant weight.
"My hope now is that other local communities and communities beyond Volusia County will follow the lead of Ormond Beach and stop medicating and/or poisoning their resident with the water," Kent said.
According to DOH, five Volusia County cities currently add fluoride to their water: Daytona Beach, DeLand, Holly Hill, New Smyrna Beach and Port Orange.
In a statement on Facebook, the city of Ormond Beach said that fluoride is readily available today in toothpaste, mouth rinses and dental treatments; it's also found in several processed foods and drinks.
"This change ensures Ormond Beach residents still receive clean, safe, and high-quality water while allowing individuals to make their own choices about fluoride use," the city wrote.
