Latest news with #Miami-DadeCountyCommission
Miami Herald
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Miami-Dade honors Haitian filmmaker behind new political thriller showing nationwide
Robenson Lauvince, a Haitian filmmaker who is making history with a political thriller showing in theaters nationwide, has been honored by the Miami-Dade County Commission. Lauvince is the person behind the film 'July 7: Who Killed the President of Haiti?' A fictionalized account of. the incidents surrounding the July 7, 2021, assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, the film stars an all Haitian cast, including Haitian-American actor Jimmy Jean-Louis, and features the soundtrack 'Rasanble' by J Perry and Paul Beaubrun. The film premiered on Friday and is currently showing in over 100 AMC and Regal movie theaters, a first for the Haitian film community, Lauvince said. Lauvince's honor came via Miami-Dade District 2 Commissioner Marleine Bastien, who wanted to honor his milestone and representation of Haiti on the big screen to a global audience. Bastien was joined by Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava while reading the proclamation. May is Haitian Heritage Month.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
DeSantis says he'll sign bill banning fluoride from public drinking water
Florida Channel screenshot of Gov. Ron DeSantis in Miami on May 6, 2025. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis praised legislation Tuesday (SB 700) that would make Florida the second state in the country to ban fluoride from its water supply. He hasn't actually signed the legislation yet but promised to while in Miami, just hours after the Miami-Dade County Commission voted to override Mayor Daniela Levine-Cava's veto of an ordinance banning fluoride in drinking water. 'It's forced medication when they're jamming fluoride into your water supply, and they did it because you have fluoride [and] 'it will help with dental.' And I'm not saying that's not true, but we have other ways where people can get access to fluoride,' DeSantis said. 'When you do this in the water supply, you're taking away a choice of someone who may not want to have overexposure to fluoride.' The bill itself never mentions the word 'fluoride.' Instead, it bans 'the use of any additive in a public water system which does not meet the definition of a water quality additive' as defined in statute. Joining DeSantis at the press conference were Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Florida's surgeon general, who issued a recommendation in November against community water fluoridation due to what he called the 'neuropsychiatric risk.' Since then, more than a dozen local governments in Florida have banned fluoride in their public water drinking systems. Ladapo compared health care professionals still opposed to removing fluoride from the drinking water supply to the comic strip character Linus with his blanket. 'We have doctors, dentists, public health leaders who are holding on to fluoridation like that blanket,' he said. 'I mean, it doesn't matter what the evidence shows, right? Whatever the studies show about potential harms to children and pregnant women and who knows about the rest of us. They're just holding on to it. That's okay when you're a kid, but we're grownups here. We're adults, we're responsible for the lives of other people who have to make good decisions.' The Florida Dental Association said that members were 'disappointed' in the decision to end what they said was one of the most 'effective, safe and affordable protections against tooth decay.' 'The Florida Dental Association strongly reinforces that fluoridation is a naturally occurring mineral, not a medication, that is already present in the water in many parts of the country, including Florida,' said Dr. Jeff Ottley, the president of the group. 'Water fluoridation has been researched for more than 80 years, and overwhelming, credible scientific evidence consistently indicates that fluoridation of community water supplies is safe and effective at preventing and repairing tooth decay.' The fluoride provision was just one part of the Florida farm bill pushed by the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Simpson said he looked forward to discussing the many other parts of the legislation that aids the agriculture community in the state but that 'today we announce that drinking water will hydrate, not medicate.' There are similar moves afoot on the national level. U.S. Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month to reconvene an independent panel of health experts to examine the role that fluoride plays in water sources and whether it is detrimental to public health. Utah became the first state to ban fluoride in drinking water in late March. That measure will go into effect on Wednesday. Also joining the governor was Miami-Dade Republican Sen. Ileana Garcia, sponsor of the recently passed bill (SB 56) on geoengineering and water modification activities. The measure would make unapproved cloud seeding and similar activities third-degree felonies, punishable by up to five years in prison and fines up to $100,000. Again, DeSantis has yet to receive the bill but promised to sign it. 'We are sending a powerful message to the nation and the world that we prioritize our environment and the right of our citizens to clean, unmanipulated skies,' said Garcia. 'We are setting an example of responsible governance, demonstrating that we will not allow unchecked experimentation with our atmosphere.' During an earlier committee stop, Garcia acknowledged 'a lot of skepticism' about the proposal in light of conspiracy theories about 'chemtrails.' She said her intention was to 'try to separate fact from fiction and to start to create a methodology where people feel comfortable by confirming what it is that they're seeing, creating a system to log, track, investigate if necessary.' Marla Maples, former wife of President Donald Trump, testified in support of the proposal at its first committee hearing earlier this year and attended Tuesday's event. The bill prohibits the 'injection, release, or dispersion, by any means, of a chemical, a chemical compound, a substance, or an apparatus into the atmosphere within the borders of this state for the express purpose of affecting the temperature, weather, climate, or intensity of sunlight.' DeSantis said that while no such geoengineering is taking place in Florida, the law is needed because of climate change advocates who want to attempt to 'solve global warming by putting stuff into the atmosphere.' Similar proposals have been heard in other state legislatures this year, including in Arizona and Utah. Tennessee passed such a measure last year. Once they are signed by the governor, both bills would go into effect on July 1. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Florida will ban water fluoridation amid battle between public health, personal freedom
Florida will become the second state in the nation to prohibit fluoridation of public water supplies, reversing decades of public health policy in favor of a new mindset that discounts experts and embraces individual autonomy. 'It's forced medication when they're jamming fluoride. And they did it because if you have fluoride, it'll help with dental. And I'm not saying that's not true, but we have other ways where people can get access to fluoride,' Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday in Miami. 'When you do this in the water supply, you're taking away a choice of someone who may not want to have overexposure to fluoride.' The state House and Senate passed the fluoride ban last month. DeSantis traveled to Miami to announce he'd sign the legislation, a decision that was expected, hours after the Miami-Dade County Commission overrode the county mayor's veto of a measure putting an end to fluoridation of the county's water supply. The statewide ban, once DeSantis signs Senate Bill 700 into law, would go into effect July 1. For DeSantis, it is a return to his approach during the COVID pandemic, when he carved out a political brand for himself. As the pandemic wore on, he eased restrictions he initially imposed, challenged the public health establishment, and touted Florida as a place for people who wanted to flee public health restrictions in their home states. DeSantis' staff resurrected the slogan on Tuesday, placing a sign on the lectern where he spoke proclaiming 'Free State of Florida.' Public health People with expertise in dentistry and public health, both practitioners who have experience treating public health and scientists who study public health — decried the pending enactment of the law as a move back in time that will degrade people's health for years to come. 'You're going to increase the amount of dental disease because of the lack of fluoride in the water,' said Dr. Bruce Tandy, of Delray Beach, who retired after 40 years and remains active in the field teaching dental students at Nova Southeastern University and helping with a Florida Dental Association that provides free dental care for people in need. 'All my professional friends, we were just shaking our heads. This just doesn't make sense,' Tandy said. State Sen. Barbara Sharief, a Broward Democrat, an advanced practice registered nurse who also has a doctorate in nursing practice and founded a pediatric home health care company, unsuccessfully sought to convince her colleagues to vote against the measure last month. 'I've seen firsthand how critical fluoridation is to our children's health. I'm deeply concerned that three years from now we'll be right back here scrambling to reverse this damage as preventable dental diseases will surge in our child population,' Sharief said during the Senate debate. 'When communities stop fluoridating, cavities increase (and) school absences due to dental pain increase,' Sharief said. Tandy said 'science overwhelmingly supports fluoridation in the water. We've seen over the years it's been called one of the great public health wins that we've accomplished in this country and around the world.' Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, a DeSantis appointee, said science doesn't support fluoridation. At the Miami event with the governor, he likened those who want to continue fluoridation to Linus, the 'Peanuts' cartoon character who would never relinquish his security blanket. 'This fluoridation is like, I think of Charlie Brown,' Ladapo said. 'I can't remember his name, but the little guy holds his blanket, right? And I love it, hold your blanket. But unfortunately, he's a kid, but what we have instead, we have professionals, there are doctors, dentists, public health leaders who are holding on to fluoridation like that blanket,' he said. 'It doesn't matter what the evidence shows, right? Whatever the studies show about potential harms in children and pregnant women and who knows about the rest of us, they're just holding on to it,' Ladapo said. 'It's really cute when you're a kid, but you can't hold on to that blanket as a grown-up.' Ashley Malin, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Florida, also appeared at the DeSantis event. She said 'major milestones' in research show that stopping fluoridation would 'protect the brains of children in Florida from an unreasonable risk of harm for generations to come.' Fluoride levels Dr. Aileen Marty, an infectious disease expert and professor at Florida International University's medical school, said the amount of fluoride added to water supplies is safe and effective. Fluoride is naturally occurring, she said. In some places it's too high, but in many places, including typically in South Florida, it's too low, she said. Too little fluoride increases dental problems, which can lead to more widespread physical problems in the human body, she said. The objective, Marty, Sharief and Tandy said, is 0.7 milligrams per liter, which is sometimes described as parts per million. 'Fluoride at 0.7 milligrams per liter is safe. The so-called toxic dose would require a person to drink 128 gallons of water in one sitting, which is a physical impossibility,' Sharief said. 'This isn't a debate about liberty, it's a debate about responsibility.' Tandy discounted data that's been cited by opponents from a study in Pakistan and India — 'at fluoride levels that were six times what we're actually putting in the water to use it as a basis to scare technique to let people think that IQ levels for kids were going down because there is fluoride in the water, versus the research that's gone on for over 50 years that basically talks about the efficacy of .7 parts per million in the water.' Political decision For decades, opposition to fluoride in drinking water was the realm of fringe conspiracy theorists, exemplified by the 1964 film classic 'Dr. Strangelove.' An insane Air Force general, Jack D. Ripper, launches a nuclear attack against the Soviet Union. Ripper was so obsessed with fluoridation of water, which he called 'the most monstrously conceived and dangerous communist plot that we have ever had to face,' that he drank only distilled water or rainwater. The Cold War is long over, but the battle over fluoridation has raged anew in recent years. State Rep. Daryl Campell, a Broward Democrat, told his colleagues that the legislation was 'a gift to conspiracy theories at the expense of common sense and public health.' State Rep. Daniel Alvarez, a Hillsborough County Republican, told his colleagues before they voted that the issue was 'not about fluoride. This is about your liberty,' adding it was about facts, 'not conspiracy.' 'This would honestly be a joke if it didn't have such dangerous consequences,' state Sen. Tina Polsky, a Broward-Palm Beach county Democrat said during the debate on the legislation. 'On a deeper level it has to do less with science and less with fluoride and more of sense of who's in charge,' said Charles Zelden, a professor of history and legal studies at Nova Southeastern University who periodically teaches a course in conspiracy theories. 'It's about an attitude toward authority, expertise, and it's a way of saying we know better than the experts. It's a power play. It's a way of saying, 'We're in charge.' 'It's happening on a lot of levels with the MAGA movement. It's a way of saying we don't accept your established views. Look at their thoughts on COVID. Other examples are measles, or autism and vaccinations. It's a way of saying we don't accept your established knowledge,' Zelden said. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has said he supports ending fluoridation of water supplies. Marty said the fluoride debate mirrors what is happening across the board in medicine 'in the last 100 days. I think there's a lack of general recognition of how science works. It's very important to emphasize science is not something you believe in. It's based on empirical measurements and studies and hard data,' Marty said. 'The science of fluoride, like much of what's going on here, is being questioned by people who haven't even done the work, haven't even done the studies,' she said. 'People who should not be trusted are unfortunately being held as experts.' DeSantis and other supporters of banning fluoride said it's a matter of 'informed consent.' 'Jamming fluoride in the water supply irrespective of whatever for the teeth when you can get that other ways, you know, that's impinging on other people's ability, you know, to have access to water in ways that they may not want to be exposed to, to what is essentially a forced medication,' the governor said. Marty said the argument that personal freedom should outweigh the public health benefits is a 'super slippery slope.' People could offer the same reasoning for why they shouldn't be required to wear seat belts, 'because it's against my will' or arguing that 'I don't feel like stopping at the stop sign. I didn't see anybody coming.' 'At what point do we have rules in society that help society operate and keep the vast majority of people safe and healthy,' she said. The fluoride ban was part of a much larger piece of legislation dealing with state agriculture policy. It passed the House and Senate largely along party lines, with Republicans voting yes and almost all Democrats voting 'no.' Utah is the only other state that's passed a fluoride ban. Weather modification DeSantis also said he would also sign Senate Bill 56 to ban geoengineering and weather modification activities. Some conspiracy theorists are concerned about so-called chemtrails. 'We're not engaged in any of that, but people have concerns, because you have all these people that are saying, 'Well, the way to fight climate change is to inject this stuff and block the sun,'' DeSantis said. The sponsor, state Sen. Ileana Garcia, a Miami Republican, briefly fell ill as she was praising DeSantis' promise to sign it into law. She sat down for a few minutes and was tended to by Ladapo, the surgeon general, then returned to the lectern. DeSantis said later she appeared to be fine. _____
Miami Herald
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Miami-Dade County Commission picks a new member from West Miami
Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade County Commission picks a new member from West Miami Former city of West Miami Vice Mayor Natalie Milian Orbis reacts as commissioners (from left) Vice Chairman Kionne L. McGhee, René Garcia, Oliver G. Gilbert III and Eileen Higgins pulled out her chair at a commission meeting after being appointed as the new county commissioner on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. pportal@ A longtime county employee and West Miami leader secured a seat on the Miami-Dade County Commission on Tuesday to replace Kevin Cabrera, the District 6 commissioner who left office to become President Donald Trump's ambassador to Panama. Natalie Milian Orbis, 38, was appointed to Cabrera's seat by a majority of the remaining 12 commissioners, who opted against a special election to instead select someone to fill out the remaining two years on Cabrera's first term. Milian Orbis is a member of the West Miami City Commission and on leave from her full-time post as director of the County Commission's Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board. She's giving up both posts to become a county commissioner and has already filed to run for a full term as the District 6 commissioner in 2026. 'She has been a valuable team member in Miami-Dade County for 18 years,' Chair Anthony Rodriguez said ahead of the vote. Three commissioners, René Garcia, Eileen Higgins and Micky Steinberg, voted against the appointment because they wanted District 6 voters, not commissioners, to pick Cabrera's replacement. District 6 includes Miami Springs, Virginia Gardens and West Miami, as well as portions of Miami, Hialeah and Coral Gables. Milian Orbis had no competition for the appointment vote. Another candidate, former Miami Springs Mayor Maria Mitchell, withdrew her application late last week. 'It's an honor to be able to serve,' Milian Orbis told the media after the vote. 'I feel blessed to have this opportunity.' She said she resigned her West Miami post ahead of her private swearing-in as county commissioner. Milian Orbis did not speak after the appointment vote and left with a Clerk of the Courts staffer to be sworn into office. Rodriguez told her to take a seat on the commission Tuesday once the swearing-in was completed. The appointment of Milian Orbis, a Republican, keeps the one-seat Democratic advantage in place on the nonpartisan commission since she's replacing a fellow Republican. She's also a Cabrera ally and was the former commissioner's pick to succeed him. Her husband, Manuel Orbis, worked as Cabrera's chief of staff but has since left for a senior position in the independent Miami-Dade Tax Collector's Office. Though she took the District 6 chair for the first time on Tuesday after the vote, Milian Orbis is no stranger to the dais. Before joining the Hispanic board staff, Milian Orbis worked for multiple commissioners as a legislative aide, including for Cabrera's predecessor, Rebeca Sosa. Sosa hired Orbis for her first full-time county job in 2006. With Milian Orbis' county appointment, the West Miami City Commission will need to fill her seat. She was appointed to a vacant seat on the city commission in early 2024, then was elected to a full four-year term later that year. This story was originally published May 6, 2025 at 12:50 PM.
Miami Herald
06-05-2025
- Health
- Miami Herald
Miami-Dade commission defies mayor, votes again to end adding fluoride to water
Miami-Dade County Miami-Dade commission defies mayor, votes again to end adding fluoride to water Dr. Joseph Lapado, Florida's surgeon general, urges Miami-Dade commissioners to end adding fluoride in tap water during a March 11, 2025, hearing in downtown Miami. On Tuesday, May 6, 2025, the commission voted to end the fluoridation program, overriding a veto by Mayor Daniella Levine Cava of legislation with the fluoride ban. cjuste@ With Florida poised to order a halt to adding fluoride to water supplies statewide, the Miami-Dade County Commission on Tuesday once again voted to end the dental-health practice in the Miami area, too. County commissioners voted 8-4 to override Mayor Daniella Levine Cava's veto of Miami-Dade legislation passed last month ordering a halt to the county's fluoridation program for drinking water. Levine Cava needed five commissioners to vote with her to sustain the veto and fell one short. Voting against the override were commissioners Marleine Bastien, Eileen Higgins, Raquel Regalado and Micky Steinberg. 'We made a decision for the people. And the people are sick and tired,' said Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez, the sponsor of the legislation ending Miami-Dade's fluoridation program. 'They're sick because their government has been poisoning them.' The fate of the veto was a symbolic footnote for the state's new sweeping ban on adding fluoride to drinking water — legislation awaiting the governor's signature that would force a halt to the practice across Florida. The state legislation passed the Florida Legislature on April 29, four weeks after the Miami-Dade commission voted 8-2 to ban fluoridation locally. The state bill awaiting Gov. Ron DeSantis' sign-off would go into effect on July 1. With Levine Cava's April 11 veto overridden, the original county resolution stopping fluoridation is now in effect. It instructs the county's Water and Sewer Department to halt adding fluoride to tap water within 30 days. If the schedule is followed, Miami-Dade residents should see an end to fluoridation in early June, weeks before the state ban would go into effect. Before the local override vote, Levine Cava had criticized the state legislation as ignoring medical expertise in favor of fringe science. 'It disregards the overwhelming consensus of dentists and doctors and medical experts,' said Levine Cava, a Democrat in a nonpartisan office. The eight county commissioners who voted Tuesday to override Levine Cava's veto and kill the county's fluoridation program included four Democrats and four Republicans. DeSantis, whose administration helped the push for passing Miami-Dade's anti-fluoridation legislation, scheduled a press conference in Miami on Tuesday afternoon, with Regalado saying during the meeting that she expected DeSantis to sign the state fluoridation ban (which is part of an agriculture bill) at the event. Ahead of the initial Miami-Dade vote to end fluoridation on April 1, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, the governor's surgeon general, had urged county commissioners to pass the legislation, citing research finding health risks for developing fetuses when pregnant women drink fluoridated tap water. Large medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Florida Dental Association, reject claims that microscopic amounts of fluoride in tap water bring a health risk. Instead, the groups maintain that communities are bound to see increases in cavities and dental infections once fluoride is no longer available in drinking water — particularly in low-income families without adequate access to dentists. Most groundwater naturally contains fluoride, but local governments across Florida add more to boost oral health. Currently, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends fluoridation, and Miami-Dade and other governments keep fluoride amounts well below the threshold considered safe by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Voting to override the mayor's veto were Gonzalez, three fellow Republicans — J.C. Bermudez, Rene Garica and Anthony Rodriguez — and four Democrats: Danielle Cohen Higgins Oliver Gilbert, Keon Hardemon and Kionne McGhee. Of the four who voted against the override motion, all were Democrats except for Regalado.
