Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation into law on May 15, 2025 that would ban adding any water additives for any purpose other than to meet drinking water standards. This includes a ban on fluorides in the water. The bill (Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services - SB 700) goes into effect July 1, 2025, making Florida the second state behind Utah to ban fluoride in public drinking water.
Fluoride is a naturally occurring ion present in groundwater, fresh and salt water, rainwater, soil, plants, and foods. Historically, community water fluoridation, the process of adjusting the amount of fluoride in drinking water to a recommended level to prevent tooth decay, was considered to be a viable method to systematically deliver fluoride to all community members. Today, fluoride is widely available from multiple sources, sparking debates throughout the country regarding the need and safety of continued deliverance via drinking water. Research on the impacts of overall fluoride exposure in the population have led to many cities across the U.S. and several European countries to eliminate water fluoridation.
To ensure compliance with the water quality standards required under SB 700, the City of Pembroke Pines, which is among 27 Broward County cities with public water systems actively fluoridating, has discontinued purchasing fluoride and will stop dosing any remaining quantities prior to June 30, 2025. The State of Florida regulations require that fluoride levels remain below 4.0 mg/l (parts per million, ppm) in drinking water, while the City of Pembroke Pines has maintained a concentration of less than or equal to 0.7 mg/l (ppm) leaving its water treatment plant (before the ban). More info can be found HERE.