Fort Myers City Council is the first in SWFL to keep fluoride. Council listens as dentists plead to protect poor kids' teeth

Local governments in Florida and across the country recently have debated — and, in some cases, stopped — the longstanding practice of adding fluoride to water supplies. Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has urged more communities to take that step, appearing personally at a hearing in Tavares late last year as the city halted the practice.

The measure, introduced in the state House, includes numerous issues related to the state Department of Agriculture. Many local governments have ended fluoridation in recent months.

With the backing of Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, a Senate Republican on Thursday filed a wide-ranging bill that would bar public water systems from adding fluoride to water supplies.

The anti-fluoride movement may be trickling into Texas. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller called on Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas legislature to enact a statewide ban on fluoride and other additives in public water.

FOX 13’s Kellie Cowan has a look at the “Florida Farm Bill,” which would ban water additives – including fluoride – across the state. The Florida Legislature will consider the measure during its annual session,

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller urged state officials to ban the decadeslong practice of adding fluoride to public water, echoing similar calls from the Trump administration. On Wednesday, Miller told The Dallas Morning News he was swayed by newly confirmed U.