On Wednesday, Gonzalez announced on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that he has invited Florida Surgeon General and staunch anti-fluoride believer Joseph Ladapo to testify before the county Safety and Health Committee about community fluoridation in hopes of convincing the county to end the widely-accepted health practice.
"I just met with Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo to discuss his concerns about fluoride in our drinking water and its effects on neurological health, IQ, and disease propensity," he said in a video on X. "This issue is crucial to public health, especially our children, and it's important that we examine the science, listen to experts, and consider the impact on our communities."
Ladapo added in the video, "Commissioner, thank you very much for coming down here and speaking with us. Thank you for leading these efforts in Miami-Dade. It's so important for the community. They are going to be healthier because of your efforts when we get the extra fluoride out of the water."
Like Ladapo, Gonzalez has spread the unfounded claims that the mineral poses a danger to children by lowering IQ levels and increasing the risk of neuropsychiatric disease, despite decades of research proving that community fluoridation is key in preventing tooth decay and one of the ten great public health interventions of the 20th Century. Public health experts have emphasized that 0.7 milligrams of fluoride per liter of water in drinking water is not a danger to the community.As Chairman of the Safety and Health Committee, I have formally invited the @FLSurgeonGen , Dr. Joseph Ladapo to testify before us on the effects of fluoridation in our water supply. Protecting public health must come first! @HealthyFla pic.twitter.com/SApf8fQKnP
— Commissioner Roberto J. Gonzalez (@RobJGonzalezFL) February 12, 2025
Following Ladapo's press conference in November where he called fluoridation a "public health malpractice," and urged officials across the Sunshine State to stop adding fluoride to their community water supplies, Gonzalez applauded him. (X users added a community note reading, "None of the attached studies found any statistically significant correlation between fluoridation of water and any variable relating to cognition or IQ.")
"The science has been ignored on this for a long time, we need to act quickly and help our residents from unnecessary toxins," Gonzalez wrote on X in November.
Despite the commissioner's insistence that the county ends community fluoridation, Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department Director Roy Coley previously told New Times that the department's current fluoride practices are in line with public health recommendations that fluoride at appropriate levels is an effective public health measure. The county also regularly samples the drinking water supply to ensure it meets all regulatory standards, Coley said.
"The department remains committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of our community and will adjust our fluoridation practices if needed based on any changes to regulatory requirements or scientific consensus," Coley added.
Since Ladapo and the Florida Department of Health issued a "community water guidance" against water fluoridation in November, at least a dozen local governments have stopped adding fluoride to their water supplies.
