The debate over fluoride in local drinking water supplies continues amid efforts to ban it statewide. The Bartow City Commission voted 3-2 Monday to keep fluoridation despite pushback from the community. It comes one month after Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo held a town hall at the city civic center on the issue. “Children don’t have a say,” Commissioner Leo L. Longworth said. “By removing their choice, we are placing our desires over the greater good of the community.” The majority of people in attendance urged the commission to remove it. Critics argue there are concerns over brain development in children, among others. Ladapo issued guidance in November to stop adding fluoride to drinking water systems in Florida. The mayor of Bartow also voted in support of removing fluoride from the water. “I believe a person has a fundamental right to choose for themselves,” Mayor Trish Pfeiffer said. The debate over fluoride comes after a federal judge in September ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate fluoride citing that high levels of the mineral could pose a risk. The judge cautioned that it’s not certain that the amount of fluoride typically added to water is causing lower IQ in kids, but he concluded that mounting research points to an unreasonable risk that it could be. “The fact that they think they can force the medication on the public is ridiculous, so that needs to be taken out of the water at the state level,” Justin Harvey said. Those in favor of keeping fluoridation mentioned the potential concerns of removing fluoride like increased cavities and other dental health issues. “To take it away… would be a disservice to citizens,” one public commenter said. Pediatric dentists have warned about the impact on low-income communities as well.