June 5 (UPI) — Former Republican-turned Democrat Rep. David Jolly, D-Florida, has announced his intentions to enter the 2026 race for governor in a state largely dominated by GOP politics.
Jolly acknowledged his political disadvantage running for office in a state where Republicans maintain a fundraising advantage and statistically outnumber registered Democrats, but said he would try to win the support of nonpartisan voters who have been turned off by the highly fractious political climate.
“I’m for lower corporate taxes because I think it leads to greater economic growth,” Jolly said on his campaign website. “But I’m more for gun safety legislation because I think that reduces violence in our state.”
Jolly, who has been an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump and a centrist Republican, said his disagreements with the president were at least partly responsible for his decision to change parties.
Jolly posted on social media that Florida is in a crisis not just of policy, not “right versus left, but right versus wrong.”
Jolly has said he will focus on affordable housing, support a property tax cut, use the state’s tourist and development tax to create housing for the workforce and offer communities more block grants for housing.
He has also proposed restructuring Florida’s catastrophe insurance, replacing private insurance with state dollars in an effort to more effectively help residents who lose property during natural disasters. He said his plan could reduce homeowners insurance costs by as much as 60%.
Jolly flirted with a run for the U.S. Senate in 2016 but abandoned his efforts after Marco Rubio, now the U.S. Secretary of State who was eventually elected to the Senate from Florida, entered the race.
Jolly is the first Democrat to enter the 2026 gubernatorial race. He represented Pinellas County as a Republican in Congress from 2014-2017.
EDMONTON, Canada — Leon Draisaitl scored on the power play in overtime, Stuart Skinner made 29 saves and the Edmonton Oilers erased a multigoal deficit to beat the defending champion Florida Panthers 4-3 in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final rematch on Wednesday night.
After Tomas Nosek’s penalty for putting the puck over the glass, Draisaitl’s goal 19:29 into OT sent the home fans into a frenzy and made sure the Oilers would not start this series like they did a year ago, when they fell behind three games to none.
For a while, it looked like they would at least start out trailing. Draisaitl’s goal 66 seconds in was followed later in the first period by Sam Bennett deflecting a shot in past Stuart Skinner after falling into him.
Edmonton’s Kris Knoblauch unsuccessfully challenged for goaltender interference, with the NHL’s situation room ruling that his own player, Jake Walman, tripped Bennett into Skinner. The resulting penalty paved the way for Florida’s Brad Marchand to score the go-ahead goal on the power play.
Bennett scored his second of the night early in the second period to put the Panthers up 3-1. They entered 31-0 over the past three playoffs since coach Paul Maurice took over when leading at the first or second intermission.
With Connor McDavid leading the way, the Oilers rallied. Fourth-liner Viktor Arvidsson brought the crowd back to life early in the second, and fellow Swede Mattias Ekholm — playing just his second game back from an extended injury absence — tied it with 13:27 remaining in regulation off a perfect pass from McDavid.
At the other end, Skinner made a handful of saves that were vital to keeping the Panthers from extending their lead or tying it late in the third. Florida counterpart Sergei Bobrovsky did the same, in between derisive chants of “Sergei! Sergei!” that followed goals he allowed.
Skinner was greeted with friendlier chants of “Stuuuu” after saves, including one in the first minute of overtime on a quality scoring chance. Bobrovsky stone-cold robbed Trent Frederic nine minutes in but eventually cracked.
Game 2 is Friday night in Edmonton before the series shifts to Sunrise, Fla., for Games 3 and 4.
Dr. Santa Ono, former University of Michigan president, was rejected Tuesday as the next president at the University of Florida, amid conservative backlash over previous statements on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. File Photo by Heinz Ruckemann/UPI | License Photo
June 3 (UPI) — Dr. Santa Ono, the former president at the University of Michigan, was rejected Tuesday as the next president at the University of Florida amid backlash from Republicans over his earlier support of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Tuesday’s decision by the 17-member Board of Governors comes one week after UF’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved Ono as the finalist.
Ono was on track to become one of the highest paid public university presidents in the country. He was due to sign a five-year contract with a base salary of $1.5 million and incentives to earn as much as $15 million over the life of the deal.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed the 2023 bill banning DEI initiatives in public colleges, delivered a lukewarm response when Ono became the presidential pick, saying Ono’s statements made him “cringe.”
Other Republicans, including Sen. Rick Scott and Reps. Byron Donalds and Greg Steube expressed outrage.
“The UF Board of Trustees has made a grave mistake,” Steube wrote in a post last week. “Dr. Ono gave it his best ‘college try’ walking back his woke past, claiming he’s now ‘evolved.’ But I’m not sold. This role is too important to gamble on convenient conversions.”
Republican state Rep. Jimmy Patronis also questioned the presidential search committee’s decision to make Ono the sole finalist.
“UF sets the benchmark for education nationwide. There’s too much smoke with Santa Ono. We need a leader, not a DEI acolyte. Leave the Ann Arbor thinking in Ann Arbor,” Patronis wrote on X.
During questioning for the role, Ono stated he believed DEI programs do more harm than good. He said he closed the University of Michigan’s DEI offices in March and vowed DEI would not return to Florida’s campus, if he were president.
“The fact is some of my past remarks about DEI do not reflect what I believe, and that evolution did not take place overnight and it was shaped over a year and a half of thinking, discussions, listening to faculty, staff and students and their thoughts on the DEI program,” Ono said.
Ono, who was criticized for allowing an encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters to remain at the University of Michigan for a month, vowed last week during questioning to fight anti-Semitism at the University of Florida.
“Let me be very clear: based on my experience, I believe that anti-Semitism is not just one form of hatred among many,” Ono said. “It is a uniquely virulent and persistent threat, especially on college campuses today.”
A boat explosion on Memorial Day in Florida injured eleven people, including two children, according to Fort Lauderdale fire officials. A total of 13 people were aboard the boat at the Lauderdale Yacht Club when it exploded or caught fire around 5:45 p.m. EDT. Photo by City of Fort Lauderdale.gov
May 26 (UPI) — A boat explosion on Memorial Day in Florida injured eleven people, including two children, according to Fort Lauderdale fire officials, who declared a “mass casualty incident.”
A total of 13 people were aboard the boat at the Lauderdale Yacht Club in Fort Lauderdale when it exploded or caught fire near the New River Triangle sandbar around 5:45 p.m. EDT, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue responded to the yacht club, located along the Intracoastal Waterway.
The injured, including two children, were rushed to Broward General Hospital, with one burn victim flown by helicopter to Jackson Memorial-Ryder Trauma Center in Miami, according to first responders.
While there was no information on the conditions of those injured, first responders and witnesses said several people were in the water and others appeared to have suffered burns.
One witness, who lives nearby, told the Miami Herald he saw first responders treating a man.
“He was moving around and talking, but it seemed like he had severe burns on his arms because they had it wrapped in gauze and everything,” said Josh McCarty.
Other witnesses described the boat as a 40-foot motorboat, as investigators look into what may have caused the explosion or fire.
“There was this boat trying to leave the sandbar and when they went to start their boat up, it just exploded,” said witness Bret Triano.
“It was a huge fireball and people were kind of falling off the boat, so we were at the sandbar too, and we just tried to go help out.”
IT doesn’t get more exciting than sailing in style to a paradise Caribbean private island.
And even more cruise lines are now going all out to host passengers on their own islands.
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Splash out at Thrill Waterpark at Perfect DayCredit: Supplied
Royal Caribbean last week announced its second Perfect Day destination off Mexico, opening in 2027, which will include a waterpark with 30 slides, the longest lazy river in the world, adults-only beach clubs and a host of bars and restaurants.
Lisa Minot looks at existing private islands you can cruise to.
ROYAL CARIBBEAN
IT was Royal who upped the ante with the launch of its revamped Perfect Day at Coco Cay in 2019.
The £185million transformation of its Bahamas island included a new pier, thrill rides and chill zones.
There are seven beaches to laze beside the warm waters and six pools, including Oasis Lagoon, the largest freshwater pool in the Caribbean with swim-up bar and in-water loungers.
The Thrill Waterpark has 14 slides including the tallest in North America while Splashaway Bay and Captain Jill’s Galleon are perfect places for the kids to play.
There’s complimentary food at four restaurants as well as a host of bars and shops.
The adult-only Hideaway Beach opened in January last year and, for an extra charge, over-18s can enjoy a private beach, two pools, seven bars and two restaurants.
Also available to book for an extra charge are overwater cabanas, a zipline and tethered hot air balloon as well as kayak tours and snorkelling excursions.
GO: A week full-board on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas is from £1,064pp, sailing from Miami on November 8 and calling at St Maarten, St Thomas and Perfect Day at Coco Cay.
Inside the huge new cruise ship coming to the US next year – with waterpark, bumper cars, and 20 bars onboard
WITH its signature stripey lighthouse and two miles of white sand beaches, Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in the Bahamas is a regular port of call for MSC cruise ships.
They sail from their new private terminal in Miami as well as Port Canaveral in Florida and New York, including MSC World America, which made its debut in April.
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Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in the Bahamas is a regular port of call for MSC cruise shipsCredit: Supplied
The Italian cruise line has transformed a former sand excavation site in the last ten years, planting more than 75,000 trees and bringing back marine life and birds.
A newly-opened conservation centre on the island allows guests to discover their achievements and includes a land-based coral nursery and fully-equipped bio-lab.
But cruise guests will also appreciate the island’s laid-back vibe with food trucks and restaurants offering Bahamian specialities, barbecue classics, snacks and oodles of ice cream and beach bars serving tropical cocktails.
There’s a chance to explore the underwater wonders with snorkelling, kayak, paddle board and windsurfing excursions.
For a bit of luxury, you can relax in a cabana or take a sunset champagne cruise.
GO: Seven nights’ full-board on MSC World America is from £649pp.
Sailing from Miami on September 13, the cruise calls at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
ONE of the original private island pioneers, the Holland America line first started calling at RelaxAway at Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas in 1997 and it has been expanding its presence there ever since.
In summer next year, a major upgrade will see a new beach club and lunch venue on its original facilities on the south of the island’s stunning two-mile crescent of powder-soft white sand as well as a new pier at the north end of the beach that will be used by both Holland America and its sister cruise line Carnival.
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The Holland America line first started calling at RelaxAway at Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas in 1997Credit: Supplied
Thrill-seekers can enjoy horseback riding along the shore, snorkelling, jet skiing, and stingray encounters.
Families will love the Half Moon Lagoon Aqua Park, while nature enthusiasts can explore eco-tours and birdwatching.
Unique experiences include glass-bottom boat tours and a pirate ship-themed bar.
With beach sports, shopping and complimentary barbecue lunches, this is a high-end island escape for cruisers.
GO: A 14-night full-board Western & Eastern Caribbean cruise on Holland America’s Zuiderdam is from £1,379pp, departs Miami on November 8 and calls at Half Moon Cay, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Cozumel, Mexico, Miami, Bahamas, Amber Cove, Dominican Republic, Turks & Caicos.
MICKEY Mouse and pals now have two private islands to enjoy in the Bahamas.
Their original, Castaway Cay, opened in 1998 as part of the launch of the new cruise line.
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Mickey Mouse and pals now have two private islands to enjoy in the BahamasCredit: Disney Parks
And last year, they opened Lookout Cay.
As you would expect, there is a huge amount of fun activities for kids including kids’ clubs for three to 17-year-olds.
The family beach features plenty of umbrellas, chairs and hammocks plus tube and float rentals and an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet.
Water babies will love Pelican Plunge, a huge floating platform featuring water slides and cannons.
Spring-a-Leak is a water play area with freshwater jets.
Adults get their own Serenity Bay stretch of pristine sands as well as a restaurant and bar.
The island features a 12-acre snorkel trail dotted with sunken treasures including the submarine from the classic Disney attraction 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and there are miles of paths to explore on foot or bicycle.
Over at Lookout Cay, there’s more of a focus on nature and celebrating the island’s Bahamian location with a cultural centre where you can learn about traditions and crafts.
GO: A four-night full-board cruise on Disney Wish to the Bahamas, including calls at both Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay is from £920pp, based on two adults and two children sharing.
May 23 (UPI) — State parks in Florida are now protected from commercial construction after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the State Park Preservation Act into law Thursday.
The act, which will take effect in July, prevents developers from constructing hotels, golf courses or other commercial enterprises in any of Florida’s 175 state parks.
Pinellas County Democratic Rep. Lindsay Cross, who also is an environmental scientist, posted to social media Friday that the act establishes “protections for all 175 state parks against commercial development,” and also thanked “everyone who fought for this bill, and who stood up to preserve our home.”
Republican Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman, Highland Beach, called the passage of the act a “bipartisan, bicameral legislative victory,” on her X account Thursday, and then quoted “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss to close her post with “I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.”
The new law came after a backlash caused by a purported plan proposed by the state in 2024 and allegedly leaked by the Florida Wildlife Federation to allow commercial development at nine different state parks. All future developments are not completely banned but will instead need to be conservation-minded, and support nature-friendly activities such as camping, hiking and kayaking.
The Florida Wildlife Federation posted a note of appreciation to its website Thursday, with thanks given to the Florida Senate and House “for their unanimous support of this legislation every step of the way,” and it called the law “a massive win for wildlife, outdoor spaces, and future generations who will get to experience Florida’s natural wonders just as they should be: wild and natural.”
Genaro Garcia Luna, formerly a high-ranking government official, is serving a 38-year sentence for accepting bribes.
A Florida court has ordered Mexico’s former head of public security to pay more than $748m to his home country for his alleged involvement in government corruption.
Thursday’s ruling brought to a close a civil case first filed in September 2021 by the Mexican government.
The case centred on Genaro Garcia Luna, who served as Mexico’s security chief from 2006 to 2012. Garcia Luna is currently serving more than 38 years in a United States prison for allegedly accepting millions of dollars in bribes from the Sinaloa cartel.
The Mexican government alleges that Garcia Luna also stole millions in taxpayer funds, and it has pledged to seek restitution, namely by filing a legal complaint in Miami, Florida, where it says some of the illegal activity took place.
On Thursday, Judge Lisa Walsh in Miami-Dade County not only required Garcia Luna to pay millions, but she also ordered his wife, Linda Cristina Pereyra, to pay $1.7bn. Altogether, the total neared $2.4bn.
In its initial 2021 complaint, the Mexican government – led at the time by former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador – accused Garcia Luna, his wife and their co-defendants of having “concealed funds stolen from the government” and smuggling the money to places like Barbados and the US.
“Under the direction of the Defendant GARCIA LUNA, the funds unlawfully taken from the government of MEXICO were used to build a money-laundering empire,” the complaint wrote.
It alleged those funds were used to finance “lavish lifestyles” for Garcia Luna and his co-conspirators, including real estate holdings, bank accounts and vintage cars, among them Mustangs from the 1960s and ’70s.
A demonstrator holds a sign that reads in Spanish, ‘Garcia Luna is guilty’, in New York on February 21, 2023 [John Minchillo/AP Photo]
Separately, Garcia Luna faced criminal charges for corruption, with US authorities accusing him of pocketing millions while in office for working on behalf of the Sinaloa cartel.
Through his work with Mexico’s federal police and as its security chief, US prosecutors say Garcia Luna accessed information that he later used to tip off the Sinaloa cartel, letting them know about investigations and the movements of rival criminal groups.
Garcia Luna was also accused of helping the cartel move its shipments of cocaine to destinations like the US, sometimes using Mexico’s federal police as bodyguards – and even allowing cartel members to wear official uniforms.
In exchange, prosecutors say the cartel left money for him in hiding places, one of which was a French restaurant across the street from the US embassy in Mexico City. Some bundles of cash – offered in $100 bills – totalled up to $10,000.
After leaving office in 2012, Garcia Luna moved to the US. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. His defence lawyers have described him as a successful businessman living in Florida.
But in February 2023, a federal jury in Brooklyn, New York, convicted Garcia Luna on drug-related charges, including international cocaine conspiracy and conspiracy to import cocaine. The following year, in October, he was sentenced to decades in prison.
The Mexican government, however, alleged in its civil lawsuit that Garcia Luna also led a “government-contracting scheme” that included bid-tampering and striking dubious deals as a form of money laundering.
Those contracts included deals for surveillance and communications equipment. The Associated Press news agency reported that one such contract was falsified, and others were inflated.
Garcia Luna is the highest-level Mexican government official to be convicted in the US.
President Donald Trump (C), alongside coach Todd Golden (L), welcomes the 2025 NCAA men’s college basketball champions, the University of Florida Gators, to the White House in Washington on Wednesday. Attorney General Pam Bondi R) , who received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida, looks on. Pool Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA-EFE
WASHINGTON, May 21 (UPI) — President Donald Trump welcomed the University of Florida’s men’s basketball team to the White House on Wednesday afternoon to celebrate its 2025 NCAA championship season, praising the Gators’ teamwork, grit and determination.
Standing alongside head coach Todd Golden, Trump called Florida’s run “one for the history books” and noted the program’s place in history as the only NCAA Division I school to win three national titles in both basketball (2006, 2007, 2025) and football (1996, 2006, 2008).
The Gators finished a dominant 36-4 season with a 65-63 victory over Houston in what Trump described as “one of the most exciting games and championships” he had seen.
“You refused to let up when the odds were against you,” Trump told the team. “Lesser teams would have crumbled.”
Trump highlighted stellar performances throughout the season, including that by senior guard Walter Clayton Jr., who scored a career-high 34 points in the Final Four against Auburn and became the first player since Larry Bird in 1979 to score 30 points or more in both the Elite Eight and Final Four.
“He’s unbelievably special,” Trump said. “He’s going to be a very early draft pick if they’re smart.”
University of Florida Interim President Kent Fuchs, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a former Florida senator, and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who served at Florida attorney general.
Golden thanked Trump for the invitation and drew a comparison between the team’s culture and the country’s ideals.
“Mr. President, I’d like to think of our program similarly to how you think of the United States. We’re a meritocracy,” Golden said. “We work really, really hard. No matter what you look like, where you come from, if you put the team first and win, we’re going to play you.”
He then presented the president with a signed Gators jersey featuring the number 47, referencing Trump’s status as the 47th president.
Trump accepted the gift and invited the team to the Oval Office for commemorative coins and photos alongside members of his administration and several lawmakers.
The theme park rivalry in Orlando, Fla. is heating up.
This week, Universal will open its latest park, Epic Universe, a reportedly $7 billion bet for the Comcast-owned company and the newest salvo in its ongoing push to expand its tourism and entertainment empire.
That puts pressure on Walt Disney Co., whose Walt Disney World Resort has long dominated the Orlando vacation landscape, but is now seeing increased competition, particularly from Universal.
Sprawled across 750 acres, Epic Universe represents the biggest Universal theme park expansion since the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter 15 years ago.
It touts five different themed areas, four of which are tied to well-known franchises: “Harry Potter,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” Universal’s Dark Universe of classic movie monsters and Nintendo video game properties, in addition to a cosmic central Celestial Park hub.
The resort, which also includes three hotels, features technologically-advanced animatronics and detailed rides like Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment, which showcases many of Universal’s monsters. Reviews of the park have been largely positive, with critics highlighting the immersive nature of the attractions.
“Comcast has come on so strong with what they’ve developed and brought forth in the Orlando market,” said Dennis Speigel, founder and chief executive of Cincinnati-based consulting firm International Theme Park Services Inc. “Over the last 15 years, they have brought that distance between Universal and Disney much closer, and it has really become a prize fight. It’s the most intense and competitive situation in the industry.”
Disney was the first of the two to the Orlando market back in 1971, when it opened the Magic Kingdom at Disney World. It wasn’t until 1990 that Universal opened its own Orlando park, giving Disney a nearly two-decade head start.
Today, Disney World has four theme parks and two water parks, while Universal Orlando will have three, including Epic Universe and Islands of Adventure (opened in 1999), and a water park, Volcano Bay (2017).
Though Universal was late to market, its 2010 opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter land across Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure in Orlando pushed the theme park competition to new heights. Building a land solely around a specific intellectual property — instead of a general theme — was novel at the time, and the concept would later show up in Disney parks, such as Cars Land in Anaheim and later, “Star Wars”-themed lands in California and Florida.
Demand at the time for the “Harry Potter”-themed land pushed Universal’s attendance up 36% compared with the previous year, Speigel said.
“They realized after ‘Harry Potter’ that it was a new world order,” he said. “They’ve just kept the pedal to the metal on everything they’ve done in terms of growth and internal experience.”
There’s good reason for that.
Both Universal and Disney have honed in on theme parks as a profit-generating part of their business that is less volatile than the ever-changing media, television and film markets. Disney’s experiences division, which includes its theme parks and cruise lines, has long brought in the lion’s share of the company’s profit, particularly as pay TV shrinks.
“Disney has been pretty steady and consistent, but Universal is very rapidly expanding,” said Carissa Baker, an assistant professor of theme park and attraction management at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management. “They’re highly encouraging their theme park sector right now.”
Both companies have recently announced new properties — Disney in Abu Dhabi and Universal with a smaller kids resort in Texas, a theme park in Britain and a year-round Halloween Horror Nights-esque experience in Las Vegas.
“The plan is to keep driving growth in a business that we think we’re one of two players in a market that is, within media, not at all exposed to the shift in time on screens from one venue to another,” Comcast Corp. President Mike Cavanagh said during the company’s fiscal first quarter call with analysts last month. “Live experiences, parks experiences have been thrilling to people, and we think we lean into that and continue to do so.”
So far, he said, advance ticket sales and hotel bookings are “strong” for Epic Universe and the other Universal parks in Orlando. A one-day ticket starts at $139.
That’s why analysts have consistently flagged the upcoming park during earnings calls for rival Disney, querying executives about the potential pressure on Disney World and how the company plans to compete.
But if Disney is worried, it has shown little sign of it. Last week, Disney Chief Financial Officer Hugh Johnston said hotel bookings for the fiscal third quarter are up 4% compared with last year, with about 80% of available nights reserved. For the fourth quarter, bookings are up about 7%, with about 50% to 60% of capacity filled, he said.
That’s despite broader worries that concerns about a potential recession — spurred by President Trump’s tariffs on foreign goods — will dampen travel and consumer spending.
“Experiences is obviously a critical business for Disney and also an important growth platform,” company Chief Executive Bob Iger said on a recent earnings call. “Despite questions around any macro-economic uncertainty or the impact of competition, I’m encouraged by the strength and resilience of our business.”
The company has previously announced it is investing $30 billion into its parks in Florida and California, which will fund such additions as a “Monsters Inc.”-inspired land and a villains land in Disney World. The parks have also added attractions throughout the last 10 years, including the revamped Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ride (which replaced Splash Mountain).
Disney is betting that the influx of visitors coming to Florida for Epic Universe will still make a stop at its parks. Last year, Orlando tallied more than 75 million visitors, up 1.8% compared with 2023, according to the Visit Orlando trade association. Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences, said at an investor conference last week that Disney gets more tourists any time something new opens up in central Florida — even if it’s not a Disney property.
“If we just go back five or 10 years, and you think about what’s happened at Walt Disney World, we’ve always been on the offensive,” D’Amaro said. “If something is built new in Central Florida, like Epic Universe, and if it brings in additional tourists, I can almost guarantee you that new tourist coming into the market is going to have to visit the Magic Kingdom.”
May 15 (UPI) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Thursday banning fluoride in public water, making it the second state to do so.
DeSantis signed SB 700, known as the Farm Bill, during a press conference. The law, which is to go into effect July 1, prohibits local governments from adding fluoride and other “water quality” additives from the water supply.
DeSantis equated the use of fluoride in water — which is heralded as a trusted and tested public health preventative medicine strategy — as “basically forced medication on people.”
“People want to use it on their teeth, great. But it’s readily available now,” he said.
“We have the ability to deliver fluoride through toothpaste and … all these others things. You don’t got to force it and take way people’s choices.”
DeSantis framed the issue as one of “informed consent,” stating “forcing this in the water supply is trying to take that away from people who may want a different decision rather than to have this in water.”
Today I was in Dade City to sign SB 700, which among other things, prevents local governments from injecting fluoride into the water supply.
The bill reached DeSantis after having been overwhelming approved by the state’s House in a 88 to 27 vote late last month and the state’s Senate on April 16 in a 27 to 9 vote.
Florida’s ban comes after Utah in late March became the first state to prohibit fluoride in its public water and as the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Health and Human Services review potential health risks associated with the long-held medical practices.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has claimed that fluoride is associated with an assortment of diseases, including cancer, and he called it “an industrial waste associated with arthritis, bone fractures, bone cancer IQ loss, neurodevelopment disorders and thyroid disease.”
On Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced its intention to remove fluoride supplements from the market staring October.
U.S. cities have fluoridated their drinking water for decades in a effort to fight tooth decay, with Grand Rapids, Mich., becoming the first to do so in 1945.
The American Dental Association has been a vocal supported of fluoridated tap water amid the controversy and on Thursday published slides to its Facebook account showing that the practice reduces cavities by 25% in both adults and children, and is safe.
Its president, Brett Kessler, said in a statement issued following Utah’s ban that children will be the ones to suffer.
“Community water fluoridation programs save states money, save the federal government money and save people money,” he said. “I urge every dentist and community member to make their voices heard if there are proposals in your area that threaten the oral health of our communities.”
