A Florida city voted this week to remove fluoride from its drinking water, with one city commissioner citing Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s past comments on the matter as one of the reasons.
The city commission in Winter Haven, Fla. voted 3-2 Tuesday to remove fluoride from the city’s water by January 1 next year or “as soon as reasonably practical thereafter,” NBC News’s affiliate WFLA reported . Government overreach was cited as one of the issues as well.
“The government really should not be involved in healthcare, or what goes into the bodies of citizens,” Mayor Pro Tem Brian Yates said on Tuesday, according to WFLA. “Those really should be left up to the patient and the [healthcare] provider.”
During the lengthy debate, Commissioner Brad Dantzler referenced the concerns Kennedy, who President-elect Trump tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, shared on the campaign trail.
“I’ll tell you that after the recent election, President Trump has named Mr. Kennedy to be his H-something-something director, and Mr. Kennedy has made it well known and has publicly said that he wants fluoride out of the water around the entire country,” said Dantzler, who voted in favor to remove fluoride, according to WFLA.