Toho Water Authority to host community meetings on fluoride
Contact: Caitlin Dineen, cdineen@tohowater.com or 407-473-2225
Kissimmee, FL – Toho Water Authority (Toho) invites customers to participate in a series of community engagement meetings to discuss supplemental fluoride in its water supplies. With growing national and state-level conversations about water additives, Toho is committed to hearing directly from its customers on this important topic.
Toho’s water supply contains naturally occurring fluoride at approximately 0.35 mg/L and the utility adds supplemental fluoride to the recommended 0.7 mg/L level, which is consistent with current U.S. Department of Health and Human Services guidance. In response to recent discussions about fluoride and guidance from the Florida Surgeon General recommending against community water fluoridation, Toho hired a third-party to assemble available information about community water system fluoride practices, benefits, and concerns. Toho will present this information during the scheduled community meetings.
“These meetings serve as a way for Toho to gather customer feedback on their views and opinions on fluoridated water,” said Todd Swingle, Toho’s Chief Executive Officer. “We will closely track community sentiment and deliver those findings to our Board of Supervisors to support a decision regarding supplemental fluoride addition in Toho’s water supply.”
Community Meeting Schedule:
- April 7 | 5:30-6:30 PM | Buenaventura Library
- April 11 | 4:30-5:30 PM | Poinciana Library
- April 13 | 12:30-1:30 PM | Veterans Memorial Library (St. Cloud)
- April 17 | 6:30-7:30 PM | Hart Memorial Central Library (Kissimmee)
Each meeting will consist of a brief presentation of the fluoride information review, a question-and-answer session with Toho leaders, and an opportunity for customers/attendees to submit their vote on supplemental fluoride. Each meeting will offer the same structure, and residents do not need to attend multiple meetings.
Toho is also opening a 30-day public comment period on April 1, offering even more opportunities for customers to share their opinions on fluoride. Residents can engage with Toho by sending their thoughts via email to fluoride@tohowater.com through April 30. Customers must submit their name, home address and Toho account number as part of Toho’s verification process for this community conversation.