Pinellas County to end fluoridation by year's end

Pinellas County plans to halt adding fluoride to drinking water on Dec. 31, chief assistant county administrator Mark Woodard said Thursday.

The County Commission, which voted 4-3 Tuesday to stop fluoridating water, will be asked Tuesday to approve the shutoff date.

The time period allows the county to notify its customers in bills, who are on 60-day billing cycles. The county also will have enough time to notify cities, such as Clearwater, Largo and Pinellas Park, that receive drinking water from the county.

It will cost $1,864 to print bill inserts notifying customers of the elimination of the $205,000-a-year practice.