OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Toho Water Authority leaders held the first of four community meetings Monday to discuss the fluoridation of water in Osceola County.

Toho Water leaders say they want to be as a transparent as possible when it comes to this discussion about fluoride as the conversation gets louder at the national level.

What You Need To Know

  • Toho Water Authority held their first of four meetings Monday about fluoridation at the Buenaventura Lakes Library

  • The water provider wanted to ensure they were transparent with their consumers about fluoride by providing data and listening to feedback

  • Toho Water says they will take feedback from all four meetings and online public comments to share with their Board of Supervisors

The Buenaventura Lakes Library in Kissimmee was the site for the first of four Toho Water Authority meetings to discuss fluoridation.

The water provider worked with Carollo Engineering to share the history of fluoride and what levels are considered dangerous.

Opponents of fluoridation say there’s data that shows fluoride levels above 1.5 milligrams per liter can have cognitive impacts on children.

Toho Water says their levels do not go above 0.7 milligrams per liter.

The Centers for Disease Control and the majority of dentists say water fluoridation is both safe and effective.

However, many towns have voted to remove fluoride from drinking water, such as Lake Mary and Lakeland.

Toho Water Authority officials say they want to make sure they hear from the community before a decision is made to continue or end the current fluoride treatment for their consumers in Osceola and South Orange counties.

“We want to know their thoughts on fluoridated water, the supplemental supply that toho adds to its water supplies and want to really know their thoughts on it because they’re the ones that are drinking it," explained Toho Water Authority Director of Public Relations and Communications Caitlin Dineen.

Residents who attended Monday's meeting say they want to make sure they’re heard.

Toho Water also has an online comment form available via email.

“Toho has no stance, and that’s the big thing I want our residents to take away. We are not, Toho is not saying keep the fluoride or take away the fluoride," Dineen shared. "We’re going to the residents to say tell us your thoughts and we will gather that information and present it to our Board of Supervisors for an August vote on this topic.”

Before that August vote, Dineen says the Toho Water Authority will take the feedback from the meetings and public comment to their board of supervisors for review in June.

The next meeting will take place on Friday, April 11, from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Poinciana Library in Kissimmee.