Lee County joins a growing number of Florida municipalities that have voted to stop putting fluoride in their water amid growing evidence that the practice is harmful to children’s brains.
(LifeSiteNews) -- Lee County, Florida, has joined a growing list of municipalities in the Sunshine State that have stopped fluoridating their water supply.
Last Tuesday, commissioners voted 5-0 to remove the controversial compound, which is touted by the American Dental Association as a beneficial tool in the fight against cavities despite widespread evidence that it causes health problems.
County lawmakers received praise from Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo, among others.
“Congratulations to the freedom loving people of Lee County & the courageous county commissioners,” Ladapo said on X. “Your decision to stop water fluoridation is backed by science & will improve the health of your communities.”
According to various media outlets, Lee County has followed Everglades City, Cape Coral, Marco Island, Immokalee, Naples County, Collier County, and Bonita Springs Utilities in not fluoridating its water.
Ladapo has shown bold leadership on an array of health issues in recent years. Last November, he issued a statement urging elected officials to remove fluoride from their water. He said that studies clearly show it to be a “neurotoxin” that can impair the intelligence of children, damage their pineal gland, and negatively impact their thyroid.
Water fluoridation was a top-tier campaign issue in the battle for medical freedom last year. During the 2024 presidential race, Donald Trump told NBC News that Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s proposal to remove fluoride from public water supplies “sounds okay” to him.
Since then, Trump appointed Kennedy to be head of the Health and Human Services Department. His confirmation vote is expected to take place any day.
Water fluoridation garnered national headlines also because a bombshell report published by the Department of Health and Human Services last August revealed that excessive fluoride consumption in children has been linked to a two to five-point IQ reduction. The startling admission prompted Edward Chen, an Obama-appointed federal judge, to order the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen regulations around fluoride. Kennedy drew attention to the ruling on X.
Medical freedom activist Maija Hahn is encouraging concerned Floridians who want to urge their cities to end water fluoridation to attend city meetings in the coming days. She posted an image on X showing the place and time of town halls this week.
2020 data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that roughly 73 percent of the U.S. population has access to fluoridated water through public water systems, though that number is likely to decrease if Kennedy is approved by the Senate.
