With the backing of Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, a Senate Republican on Thursday filed a wide-ranging bill that would bar public water systems from adding fluoride to water supplies.

A new bill filed in the Florida Legislature, supported by the agriculture commissioner, seeks to ban public water systems from adding fluoride. Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25 Sign up for our Newsletters Cities like Fort Pierce,

Local governments in Florida and across the country recently have debated — and, in some cases, stopped — the longstanding practice of adding fluoride to water supplies. Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has urged more communities to take that step, appearing personally at a hearing in Tavares late last year as the city halted the practice.

The proposal would bar public water systems from adding fluoride to the water supply, but naturally occurring fluoride is already in JEA’s drinking water.