Pinellas Park Council Votes to Add Fluoride to Community Water System
The Pinellas Park City Council has voted in favour of adding fluoride to community water supplies.
After hearing both sides of the argument, the council voted unanimously in favour of bringing fluoridated water back to the local area on January 24th.
The council will apply for funding from the state to cover the cost of the fluoride programme and building work at the water stations could begin as soon as July. Keith Sabiel, Public Utilities Director, said that the running costs would equate to around $1.40 per person after the infrastructure was in place.
A vote was taken following a small meeting earlier this week. Mayor Bill Mischler invited those in favour and against fluoridation to make their cases before the council took a vote.
Many of those who spoke at the meeting in October also put their case forward at a previous meeting, which concluded in a 4-3 vote in favour of stopping fluoridation as of January 1st.
Dentists and public health experts were strongly in favour of adding fluoride to the water supplies. Dentist, Dick Tomlin, who has worked in the area for more than 40 years, said that he was supporting the cause because fluoride contributes to a “direct improvement” in his patients’ oral health. Dr Haychell Saraydar, a senior dentist at the Pinellas County Health Department, said that fluoride was the best form of defence against tooth decay for children living in poorer communities.
Join this Discussion
