Latest news with #OrlandoUtilitiesCommission
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announces he will sign fluoridation ban
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday he will sign into law legislation that bans local governments from adding fluoride to public drinking water, ending a decades-old practice that health professionals have long credited with slashing rates of tooth decay, especially in poor communities. Once DeSantis signs the bill, Florida will become the second state in the country to prohibit the cavity-fighting mineral, following Utah which ended fluoridation this year. 'It's forced medication when they're putting fluoride into your water supply,' DeSantis said. 'Why should this be forced on people? It really shouldn't be forced on people.' Both Orange County and the Orlando Utilities Commission — which combined serve about 370,000 customers and had resisted earlier calls to halt fluoridation — said they would change course once the bill is signed. In contrast, Seminole County and dozens of other municipalities in Florida in recent months – including Lake Mary, Longwood, Tavares and Leesburg — had moved on their own to ban the mineral from their water, as opposition to fluoride moved from a fringe issue to a mainstream political one. DeSantis compared fluoridation of public water supplies to government rules during the pandemic, which he disliked. He railed against COVID-19 face mask requirements, the closing of schools and the shuttering of restaurants and other businesses. 'Honestly, because we saw how out of whack many of these medical elites were during COVID, I think people are much more skeptical when these elites are trying to jam anything down our throats,' he said. DeSantis made the comments during a press conference in Miami while standing next to Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, who for months has strongly urged Florida to ban fluoride, citing research that the mineral can be toxic. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also has claimed fluoride is linked to various health problems. However, the American Dental Association, American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups have disputed those studies, and continue to endorse water fluoridation as one of the simplest, healthiest and most cost effective ways to reduce cavities, especially among young children whose teeth are forming. But Ladapo said those health professionals are citing old research. He compared them to the Peanuts comic strip character Linus, who clings to a blanket for security. 'We have professionals, doctors, dentists who are holding on to fluoride like that blanket,' Ladapo said. Fluoride, a mineral naturally found in water and soil, has been added to public water supplies in the United States since 1945. In Florida, utility providers add enough additional fluoride to bring levels to 0.7 parts per million — or about three drops in a 55-gallon barrel of water. The fluoridation ban is part of a wide-ranging agricultural bill approved by the Legislature last month that prohibits public and private utilities from putting health-related chemicals in drinking water. DeSantis said he would sign the bill as soon as the legislature officially transmits it to his office. Like DeSantis, state legislators in support of the prohibition called it a matter of personal choice and pointed out that most toothpastes and many mouthwashes contain fluoride. 'This is about your liberty,' state Rep. Danny Alvarez, R-Dover, said before voting for the bill last month. DeSantis, who acknowledged that fluoridation is beneficial to dental health, said the legislation would not prevent residents from adding fluoride to their own tap water. But opponents said ending fluoridation would be detrimental to poor families who cannot afford good dental care. They added that most dentists recommend using fluoridated drinking water along with toothpaste as one of the best ways to prevent cavities. 'This is a gift to conspiracy theorists at the expense of common sense and public health,' state Rep. Daryl Campbell, R-Fort Lauderdale said last month. 'This bill takes a safe and proven and affordable public health tool and rips it away' from low-income families. Orlando Utilities Commission, which serves about 150,000 water customers, will stop adding fluoride 'pending the governor's final signature,' spokeswoman Michelle Lynch said Tuesday. The fluoride should then dissipate from OUC's water system within 72 hours. Orange County, which delivers drinking water to about 220,000, will stop adding fluoride before July 1, when the ban would take effect, officials said. Tuesday's press conference took place just hours after Miami-Dade commissioners voted to override Mayor Daniela Levine-Cava's veto on a county ordinance banning fluoride in drinking water approved by commissioners last month. The anti-fluoride bill also would prohibit the labeling of plant-based foods as related to poultry, meat, milk or eggs, such as calling almond or soy milks dairy products. But the labeling prohibition would not take effect until at least 11 other Southeastern states enact similar bans. Florida Secretary of Agriculture and Consumer Services Wilton Simpson also attended Tuesday's event at the Rohde Building in Miami. 'Today, we announce that drinking water in Florida will hydrate, not medicate,' Simpson said. _____
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
South Street traffic squeeze officially underway in Downtown Orlando
After a one week delay, a new phase of construction is finally underway in the Summerlin Avenue Improvement Project near Downtown Orlando. Crews lined sections of South Street and Summerlin Avenue with new construction barrels Monday morning. A stretch of busy South Street was reduced from three lanes to one. Here's how the changes are expected to affect drivers over the next five months: South Street impact: Only one westbound lane of South Street will be open to traffic from South Mills Avenue to just west of Summerlin Avenue. Traffic on South Street will then resume three lanes. Summerlin Avenue impact: Traffic traveling north and south on Summerlin Avenue will be rerouted around the closure between East Anderson Street and Pine Street. The City of Orlando and Orlando Utilities Commission said the temporary changes are necessary because of the long-term project that aims to upgrade OUC's drinking water and Orlando's sanitary sewer and stormwater systems. For more information about this phase of the Summerlin Avenue Improvement Project, click HERE. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
South Street snarl: When will traffic delays begin near Downtown Orlando?
There's been a one week delay in some construction work that will significantly impact drivers near Downtown Orlando. Channel 9 has learned that lane closures along a section of South Street will now start on Monday, May 5. The stretch of busy road will go from three lanes down to a single lane. Here's how it will affect drivers: South Street impact: Only one westbound lane of South Street will be open to traffic from South Mills Avenue to just west of Summerlin Avenue. Traffic on South Street will then resume three lanes. Summerlin Avenue impact: Traffic traveling north and south on Summerlin Avenue will be rerouted around the closure between East Anderson Street and Pine Street. The City of Orlando and Orlando Utilities Commission said the temporary changes are necessary because of the ongoing Summerlin Avenue Improvement Project. The long-term project aims to upgrade OUC's drinking water and Orlando's sanitary sewer and stormwater systems. The South Street lane reductions are expected to be in place for about five months. For more information about this phase of the Summerlin Avenue Improvement Project, click HERE. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Traffic Alert: Extended closure for a section of South Street begins Monday in Orlando
Traffic headaches near Downtown Orlando could begin to rise on Monday. That's because on April 28, City of Orlando and Orlando Utilities Commission will start the next phase of the Summerlin Avenue Improvement Project. This part of the project will put the squeeze on traffic along a well-traveled stretch of South Street. Officials said the temporary traffic changes are necessary in their ongoing efforts to upgrade OUC's drinking water and Orlando's sanitary sewer and stormwater systems. What does it mean for motorists? For the next five months, drivers should prepare for delays on South Street and might even consider an alternate route. South Street impact: Only one westbound lane of South Street will be open to traffic from South Mills Avenue to just west of Summerlin Avenue. Traffic on South Street will then resume three lanes. Summerlin Avenue impact: Traffic traveling north and south on Summerlin Avenue will be rerouted around the closure between East Anderson Street and Pine Street. Detour signage should help drivers navigate the temporary changes. As for the traffic headaches, an occasional aspirin might help over the next 150 days. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Radio traffic sheds light on Orlando firefighters' call for help in 2024 house fire
An Orlando family says it has settled with the city after its house caught fire during Hurricane Milton. This comes as 9 Investigates received and reviewed the radio transmissions from that call. It happened in October 2024 as Hurricane Milton was barreling down on Florida. A power line fell, sparking a fire at the Darr family's house. Dispatchers listened as call after call came in. Dispatch said at least six to 10 calls came in concerning two to three houses, with one seeming to he almost completely burnt. Just after the fire engulfed their home, the couple's daughter posted a GoFundMe campaign to try to raise money for her parents to rebuild. Emily Darr is questioning the fire department, claiming they did not put the fire out when they first arrived that night. She wrote on the fundraiser description, 'After leaving the scene without notice, the fire continued to burn, and less than an hour later, it grew out of control, engulfing the entire house, truck, and food truck. When the fire department finally returned, it was already too late, and everything had been lost.' 9 Investigates got a hold of the the radio traffic from that day that shows exactly why fire crews left an active fire. They were worried about a live power line. Here is what the call said: Dispatch: 'Orlando to Engine 6. Be advised. OUC (Orlando Utilities Commission) is no longer responding due to the weather.' Response: 'Engine 6 to Orlando. I find that response unacceptable. We need them to control power to this before we can put this fire out.' Dispatch: 'Engine 6, stand by.' Second dispatcher: 'Orlando to Engine 6. OUC is not responding. You can return to service.' Without those firefighters, the flames grew and more 911 calls came in. Crews were dispatched again and arrived back at the scene of the fire for a second time with power to the home still active. Here's what happened next on the radio traffic: 'Heavy rescue to command. Engine 101′s officer is down. He is conscious and alert, but he looks like he might have been shocked.' Firefighters then demanded help, saying, 'Command, I need OUC here now.' On that second call, a firefighter was shocked by electricity, burning a hole in his foot. According to firefighters on scene, Orlando Utilities Commission finally turned the power off remotely after the injury. That allowed crews to fight the fire. However, it's unclear why the power couldn't have been remotely turned off in the first place. 9 Investigates reached out to Orlando Utilities Commission via email. The commission responded by saying it is working on our request. Now the Orlando fire union's president, Doug Zabin, says a full investigation from multiple agencies should be done and charges should be filed. 'It's just unconscionable to me that we're not looking into this situation. In my 23 years here at the fire department, this is the closest that we've come to losing a member in the line of duty. And to not have a transparent, full investigation and reviewing of everything that happened on that call and on that day to ensure that it never happens again, it's just unacceptable,' said Zabin. Zabin has asked the fire marshal to investigate. So far, the fire marshal has not agreed to look into the incident. As for the Orlando Fire Department, a representative said, 'With respect to the incident referenced, the Orlando Fire Department administration has reviewed all pertinent facts involved. We have determined that our current protocols do address this situation, which has also been covered in our Safety Officer training. Incidents of this type were also discussed by the Departments Health and Safety Committee and all Firefighter injuries are referred to Risk Management. As a result of this incident the Department is drafting safety messaging to remind fire personnel to review and reference the SOPs which outline important guidelines to respond to structure fires involving power lines, and we're in the process of partnering with OUC for additional training.' Do you have a story for WFTV's 9 Investigators? Click the banner below to submit a tip.
