Port St. Lucie pauses adding fluoride to drinking water; utility director to convene expert panel

Port St. Lucie's Utility Systems Director Kevin Matiasik told the City Council on Jan. 13 that he had temporarily suspended the city's plan to add fluoride to the municipal water supply and will convene a group of experts to recommend next steps.

The suspension followed a public comment from resident Surio C. Banks, who urged the council to maintain fluoridation at 0.7 milligrams per liter and submitted a multi-page report. Matiasik said the decision to pause was based on recent information, including guidance from the Florida Surgeon General, case law and studies raising concerns about potential neurological effects in children.

Why it matters: Fluoride in public water has been a long-standing public-health practice intended to reduce tooth decay; changing that policy affects residents who rely on municipal water and those who cannot afford routine dental care. Matiasik said the pause will allow the city to review new studies and legal guidance and to seek consensus on a course of action.

Banks urged the council during the public-comment period to adopt a 0.7 mg/L standard and said he had submitted a 15-page report for city review. Matiasik told the council he "did make the ... call to temporarily suspend the addition of fluoride based on a variety of information, including, that of the Florida Surgeon General, some case law, and some studies." He said he had reached out to the state health department and the local dental society and planned to bring a recommendation after assembling a task force.

Council members expressed support for a precautionary pause while experts review the record. Councilwoman Caraballo said she appreciated the decision: "I want to thank you for your prudence in the decision that you made." Councilman Pickett asked whether dental-office fluoride treatments would change if the city removed supplemental fluoride from the system; Matiasik said naturally occurring fluoride remains in groundwater and that dentists and the medical community will be part of the review.

Matiasik said he expects to bring a formal recommendation back to council "by the end of this month," and that the task force would weigh public-health benefits, current fluoride availability in other sources and potential risks.

No formal ordinance or council vote was recorded on Jan. 13; the action was an operational suspension by city staff and a direction to assemble experts and return with recommendations.

The city acknowledged receipt of Banks's written materials and said staff would forward them to utilities and the city manager's office for the task-force review.

The council recorded no timeline for when the panel's meetings will be public; Matiasik said he would share the information with residents who requested it and with the council when available.

Ending: The pause leaves the question of municipal fluoridation unresolved; the city will decide whether to resume, modify or discontinue addition of fluoride after expert review and a forthcoming staff recommendation.