Tavares council votes 4–1 to stop adding fluoride to municipal water

The Tavares City Council voted 4–1 on Dec. 18, 2024 to stop adding fluoride to the city’s drinking water immediately, following scientific presentations and more than an hour of public comment.

Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo and University researcher Dr. Ashley Mallon appeared at council chambers to summarize recent research and a federal court ruling that directed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to consider regulatory action on fluoride. Ladapo told the council the federal ruling and published studies showed “neuropsychiatric risks” and that current community fluoridation levels leave “too little margin of safety.” Mallon reviewed North American and international studies and cited a National Toxicology Program review she said found moderate confidence that higher fluoride exposure is associated with lower child IQ.

The presentations drew both support and opposition. Local dentists and health professionals told the council they see real benefits from fluoridation in preventing dental decay; Dr. Maria Kloss, an endodontist who practices in Tavares, said she regularly treats severe cavities and warned of increased pain and medical complications if community fluoridation ends. Opponents including registered nurses and residents urged removal on precautionary grounds and argued the practice is a medical intervention that should not be mandatory.

Council members said the decision weighed scientific uncertainty against constituent concerns and the precautionary principle. Vice Mayor Pfister moved to remove fluoride from the city water system immediately; the motion carried on a voice vote, recorded as 4 in favor and 1 opposed. The motion included instructions to “turn over whatever bags of [fluoride] we have left” to the appropriate hazardous-waste handling and to effect the change promptly.

City staff and consultants did not provide a detailed implementation timeline at the meeting. Officials said operational steps—scheduling the cessation at the water plant, updating procurement and hazardous-material handling, and notifying county and regulatory partners—would be carried out by utilities staff and reported back to council. The council did not adopt an ordinance at the meeting; the action was taken as a motion and vote on the agenda item.

The federal court ruling cited by speakers was issued Sept. 24, 2024, and ordered the EPA to undertake further regulatory review; the National Toxicology Program report referenced by presenters reviewed 72 studies and identified concerns about neurodevelopmental outcomes while noting uncertainty for drinking-water fluoride concentrations below 1.5 milligrams per liter. Presenters and speakers repeatedly distinguished between fluoride in toothpaste (topical use) and systemic exposure from drinking water.

The council’s decision will be implemented by staff; follow-up items the council may see include operational implementation details, disposal receipts for remaining product, and notifications to county or state partners. Several council members urged staff to return with precise timelines and cost implications.

The council’s motion and vote ended a lengthy agenda item that included policy presentations, extensive public comment both for and against fluoridation, and a council discussion that included proposals to table the matter for a referendum—an option some members preferred but which the majority did not adopt at this meeting.