Residents urge Temple Terrace to stop fluoridating drinking water
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Summary
Multiple residents and local health professionals urged the City of Temple Terrace City Council on March 28 to remove hydrofluorosilicic acid from the municipal water supply, citing state guidance, court rulings and medical studies; the council did not vote and members recommended monitoring pending state action.
Several residents and local health professionals addressed the City of Temple Terrace City Council on March 28 asking the city to stop adding fluoride — specifically hydrofluorosilicic acid — to the municipal drinking water.
Speakers said they were motivated by recent guidance from Florida’s surgeon general and court rulings. "People should be able to choose if they want to have fluoride or not," said Paul Hodgkins, a Hillsborough County resident, urging the city to halt fluoridation. Nurse practitioner Pat Metcalfe told the council the chemical in the water system "is classified as a drug and a neurotoxin," and said she had safety-data sheets and warnings she believes the public should review. Elise Curry, representing the Hillsborough Republican Executive Committee, cited guidance from the Florida surgeon general and a federal court order in the Northern District of California as part of the rationale for stopping fluoridation. Debbie Potts, a former Hillsborough County teacher, said recent research and a federal judge’s finding about developmental risk to children justified removing fluoride now.
Why it matters: speakers framed the issue as a local decision about a public-health treatment that they say carries developmental and cumulative risks for children and pregnant people. Several invoked Florida statute 381.026 (patient bill of rights / informed consent) and guidance from Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, saying that if fluoride is a drug it should require informed consent.
Council discussion did not produce a vote. Several council members said they wanted more information and suggested waiting for action at the state legislature before changing city policy. "If the state looks like it's gonna pass" legislation, one councilmember said, the council could defer; another councilmember said the council could hold a local hearing with experts if members request it. No formal staff direction or ordinance was approved at the meeting.
Context and next steps: Speakers repeatedly requested local action to remove fluoride now; council members expressed differing views on whether to wait for the legislature. The City Manager and other council members noted bills at the state level and suggested following that process but left open the option of a local informational hearing. No change to city water treatment was recorded during the meeting.
