Miami-Dade’s mayor said she is vetoing the plan to remove fluoride from drinking water after county commissioners voted in favor of its removal last week. NBC6’s Steve Litz reports
Miami-Dade's mayor said she is vetoing the plan to remove fluoride from drinking water after county commissioners voted in favor of its removal last week.
Mayor Daniella Levine Cava held a news conference Friday to announce her veto.
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WATCH HERE"While it may be relatively simple to stop adding fluoride as directed in the resolution, the long-term effects of doing so are anything but simple and so we must consider the long-term consequences," Levine Cava said. "Ending fluoridation could have real and lasting harm, especially for children and families who cannot afford regular dental care."
County commissioners voted on April 1 to stop adding fluoride to tap water, and Levine Cava had until Friday to veto the item.
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In order to override her veto, commissioners would need 2/3 of the panel to vote in favor of an override. And that vote must happen at the next commission meeting.
Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez, who sponsored the measure to ban fluoride, responded to the mayor's veto in a statement Friday.
"By vetoing this bipartisan resolution, our mayor is acting like a typical politician, relying on partisan pollsters and tired talking points, while putting people's health at risk, repecially pregnant women, infants, children, and other vulnerable groups," Gonzalez's statement said, in part. "Removing fluoride from our drinking water has received overwhelming scientific and public support, including from state to national levels of government."
Levine Cava's office said she has spoken with doctors, dentists, public health experts, community leaders and residents to weigh the impacts of ending fluoridation.
Adding fluoride to the water is a decades-old practice aimed at supporting dental health. Miami-Dade has added fluoride to water since 1958, Levine Cava said.
Some, including Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, have said fluoride could lead to developmental issues in children and could be harmful to babies in the womb.
In a statement Friday, Ladapo called Levine Cava’s decision to veto the Commission’s 8-2 vote to end water fluoridation "a sad development for the people in her community, and a step backwards for public health."
"The Commission, led by Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez, made the right call in response to growing scientific evidence about water fluoridation's risks, particularly to children and pregnant women. My hope is that the Commissioners stay true to their beliefs and override the veto, on behalf of the Miami-Dade families they represent," Ladapo's statement read.
A bill that would prohibit local governments in Florida from adding fluoride to water is currently going through the state legislature.
