BROOKSVILLE — City water users won’t be getting any more fluoride in their drinking water, the council decided April 1.
City resident Robert Antonek spoke during public comment and said that people get plenty of fluoride from sources besides drinking water.
“Fluoride causes problems,” he said, based on research he said he’s done. “It affects fetuses, it reduces the IQ in children,” and in countries where the water is fluoridated, the children develop blotches on their teeth, he said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the American Dental Association and other groups, fluoride has been proven to protect teeth from decay. Bacteria in the mouth produce acid when a person eats sugary foods, and that acid eats away minerals from the tooth’s surface. That makes the tooth weaker and increases the chance of developing cavities. The CDC says water fluoridation helps to rebuild and strengthen the tooth’s surface, preventing tooth decay.
But the issue is still sparking heated debates, 70 years after the chemical was first added to America’s water supply. Fluoride opponents are disputing long-established science to say that the substance lowers IQ and causes everything from acne to Alzheimer’s. Some researchers have reported that there is no special advantage to water fluoridation, and topical application is best. Another issue is the argument that fluoridation is a form of large-scale compulsory medication.
The issue has nibbled at the city for years. About 65 percent of voters said to keep fluoride in city water in a 2018 municipal election. That’s after the city first added the mineral in the 1980s, then stopped at some point.
The city also treats its water with chlorine, Utilities Superintendent David Kingsbury said, and legally the Water Department can’t take it out. The council in 2013 voted to approve that.
Removing fluoride, he said, would save the city $23,000 plus $7,000 for the fluoride deliveries.
Mayor Blake Bell is among those saying the use of fluoride is about medicating people without their knowledge. He noted while holding up a box of Crest fluoridated toothpaste, a warning says to keep it away from children under 6 and if you swallow toothpaste, you’re supposed to call poison control.
“I would love to see us remove fluoride,” Bell said, and Kingsbury agreed.
Public Works Director Richard Weeks admitted that the city hasn’t been adding fluoride for the past few months because of repairs being made to the system.
“As of right now, there is no fluoride in the water because the machine, all the pumps are under repair,” Weeks said. “So there is no fluoride.”
With the city’s decision, the repairs will stop.
The measure passed 5-0 on a roll call vote.
Chickens in the city
Little Addison McKethan was all ready to give her presentation during public comment about why she wants to be allowed to raise chickens in the city, but her dad, John, had to pinch-hit when she got a bit nervous.
“I’ll be kind of presenting on her behalf,” he said. “She gets a little bit nervous. She was really excited about this.”
She wanted to talk about the health and nutritional benefits of raising one’s own eggs, John McKethan said, and also to have responsibility for raising chickens.
People in Spring Hill can raise chickens, he said, and she wanted to say that she wanted to raise chickens in Brooksville but cannot right now.
“She’s not a big fan of the prices that we’re seeing for the eggs,” he said. “Her family has been going through a lot of eggs recently, especially with three little ones, and she sees the effects and wants to be able to raise her own.”
Community Development Director David Hainley said that, in fact, chickens technically are not illegal in Brooksville. There are four agricultural lots and they are allowed on 10-acre residential lots, he said.
In 2019, a commercial enterprise was cited for “having chickens running wild.”
“I would love to see us model what Hernando County allows,” Bell said. “It’s unfair, in my opinion, to not allow people who live in the city to not have chickens, but you can go right across to the county line and you can have five chickens in the county.”
No one’s allowed to have roosters, however.
Bell said he wanted to see Hainley come back with an ordinance that’s the same as Hernando County’s. He said he would have to go to the Planning & Zoning Commission first, and would be able to come back with something around June.
Fleeing firefighters
While the city is trying to keep its firefighter-paramedics to eventually reach Advanced Life Support status, neighboring counties are winning the battle to attract personnel, and the city is on the losing side because of its lower pay and benefits, Fire Chief Brad Sufficool said.
“All counties are paying top dollar for paramedics,” said Sufficool. He has held meetings to discuss alternatives, but said trained firefighter-paramedics can pretty much write their own ticket.
“They’re in high demand, short supply,” he said.
A new contract in Pasco County has created a “24/72” shift — also known as the “D-shift” — and the city lost a paramedic who had been hired in September but then left for Pasco. They work for 24 hours, then are off for 72 hours, Sufficool said.
“We’re competing with Pasco,” he said. “Money talks, and our pay is drastically lower than surrounding areas,” Sufficool said. “It’s tough.”
According to Pasco County’s job board, Firefighter/EMTs start at $52,000 per year plus benefits, and Firefighter/Paramedics start at $61,600 per year plus benefits.
Brooksville’s Fire Department offers $41,263 per year plus overtime to start, and a paramedic incentive of $7,500 per year, plus benefits. The stipend has been critical for attracting people, Sufficool said, but it takes time for people to get through provisional status because the city’s Fire Department has to coordinate with Hernando County.
Hernando County Fire Rescue offers $31,200 to start for a Fire Rescue Trainee; $45,427.20 for a Firefighter/EMT; and $52,024.96 for a Firefigher/Paramedic I.
In the latest contract signed in 2022 and running through September 2024, Hillsborough County’s starting pay for firefighters went to $55,386. Another county is offering a $10,000 signing bonus and offers Advanced Life Support.
Council Member Thomas Bronson noted that the counties that can pay more have higher populations and can tax more.
Bailey wondered if the current 5.9 millage is the lowest or among the lowest in the state, but noted that people want all these services. “They want, they want, they want, and yet it takes money,” he said. He’s not an advocate of raising taxes, but he said the city is going to get caught behind the times if it can’t get more money for facilities and services, and could be in dire straits.
Sufficool said he will be presenting options to reach his department’s goals and stay within the budget. Finding good people when your pay is “at the lower end of the spectrum” is tough, he said.
“We do have some good medics, he said. “But obviously, it is a battle.”
In other action
The council voted 5-0 to approve a proclamation honoring the life of Ed Johnson. His family came forward and thanked the members for the kind words and flowers. Johnson, who worked in the city’s Public Works Department, died in an accident while driving a city garbage truck.
The council voted 5-0 to approve a proclamation recognizing April as Autism Acceptance Month. Melissa Arceneaux, the mother of Ariel, a girl with autism, thanked the city.
The council voted 5-0 to approve a proclamation recognizing April as Donate Life Month. LifeLink volunteer Christine Daniels said more than 100,000 men, women and children are on a national waiting list for organ transplants, and more than 51,000 live in Florida. One donor can potentially save the lives of eight people, Daniels said. You should make your wish to donate known before you die, she added, because your family might be too distraught to deal with that decision after you die.
Carrieann Adkins, government affairs regional manager for Swiftmud, accepted a proclamation proclaiming April as Water Conservation Month.
The council voted 5-0 to honor Nora Lee Cole Hagood, who came to Brooksville in 1964 and was a loving grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother. She died Sept. 24, 2021, at the age of 81. “My grandma was a loving person,” said grandson Brian Lee. “She did a lot for families and the community.” The honor was delayed because of COVID.
