Pinellas County commissioners previously voted to remove fluoride from the county's water.
But Tuesday, that decision was reversed with another vote. Commissioners approved the addition of flouride.
The level of fluoride in the drinking water will be adjusted to 0.7 parts per million (PPM). This water fluoridation program will provide a level recommended for optimal dental health which can significantly reduce the occurrences of tooth decay.
Fluoridation ended in October 2011, leaving about 700,000 residents, or about 75 percent of the county, with less fluoride in their drinking water than federal health agencies recommend.
All of the commissioners appear to be on board with bringing fluoride back - except one, Norm Roche.
"Whether special interest groups, a few dentists or a few of my colleagues or an editorial board, like it or not, there are questions remaining with respect to the particular chemical we use to fluoridate our water," Roche said. "And under that premise I don't think we should be putting it back in the water until those questions are answered."
But according to Bay News 9's partner newspaper the Tampa Bay Times, Roche was planning on supporting the measure along with the rest of the commissioners.
That came after a backlash from voters who voted out two commissioners earlier this month, replacing them with ones who supported fluoridating the water. Janet Long and Charlie Justice, both Democrats, each made cavity-fighting an issue in their campaigns.
Commissioner Kenneth Welch, who has supported keeping the fluoride all along, said reversing the decision is a good idea.
"Folks thought we took a real step backwards when we stopped fluoridating the water based on really no good science," Welch said.
Fluoride could be back in the county's water supply before the end of the year.