No Books, No Brains, No Bicuspids: Florida’s Official New Motto
- Danika Joy Fornear
- May 8
- 3 min read
Updated: May 9
In a move that has public health experts face-palming across the nation, Governor Ron DeSantis has officially banned communities in Florida from adding fluoride to public drinking water. The new law, signed this week, forbids local governments from using one of the most widely studied and effective tools for preventing tooth decay.
DeSantis claims it’s about “medical freedom.” But let’s be clear—this isn’t about freedom. It’s about fearmongering, misinformation, and stripping away one of the few remaining public health protections still available to low-income Floridians.
And while Florida’s kids lose fluoride, Ron DeSantis continues to enjoy support from Florida’s sugar industry—whose products, ironically, are a leading cause of tooth decay. This isn’t a conspiracy—it’s a contradiction. A loud, sugar-coated, common-sense-defying contradiction.
Let’s Talk About Fluoride (Because DeSantis Clearly Didn’t)
Fluoride has been added to drinking water in communities across the U.S. for over 75 years. The CDC calls it one of the ten greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. It reduces cavities by up to 25%, especially in children and especially in underserved areas. It’s safe. It’s cheap. It works.
The American Dental Association, the World Health Organization, and even the U.S. Surgeon General agree: community water fluoridation is an essential part of oral health and health equity.
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Now, thanks to DeSantis’s latest culture war sideshow, all of that is off the table in Florida.
Who’s Hurt Most? Poor, Rural, and Working-Class Families
If you’re wealthy, banning fluoride doesn’t affect you. You’ve got a dentist, you’ve got insurance, you’ve got fluoride treatments, and your kids probably brush their teeth with toothpaste that costs $10 a tube.
But if you’re one of the millions of working-class Floridians in a rural or low-income community—this law hits you where it hurts.
You might not have dental coverage. You might have to drive 90 minutes just to see a pediatric dentist. And you might live in a place where that fluoridated tap water was the only defense against tooth decay for your children.
Now? You’ve got nothing but higher risks, more pain, and more ER visits when those cavities become infections.
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And About That Sugar
Let’s be clear: banning fluoride doesn’t directly help Big Sugar. But it sure adds insult to injury when the governor stripping away a basic dental health safeguard also happens to be quietly supported by the sugar industry—the very people whose products drive tooth decay in the first place.
During his first campaign for governor, DeSantis vowed not to take sugar money. But since taking office, his political committee has received millions in donations from groups funded in part by Florida Crystals and U.S. Sugar—some funneled through the powerful Associated Industries of Florida.
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He also signed the 2021 “Right to Farm” bill, which effectively shields agricultural giants—like sugar companies—from lawsuits over pollution and other harms, including the toxic smoke from pre-harvest cane burning that impacts Glades communities.
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The contradiction is hard to ignore. DeSantis will defend sugar producers and protect polluters—but he won’t protect your kid’s teeth.
What This Really Means
This isn’t about fluoride. It’s about a pattern. A pattern of anti-science leadership, where policies are made not for the people who need them most—but for the headlines, the donor class, and the culture war clickbait machine.
In banning fluoride, DeSantis has traded evidence-based health care for extremist talking points. And once again, it’s the poorest, most vulnerable Floridians who will pay the price.
If this makes you angry—it should. If it makes you want to scream into the void—go ahead. But then do something about it. Support independent media. Call your local officials. Vote smarter. And most importantly: stop letting this man rot your rights, your health, and your future.
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