Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed a bill prohibiting local communities from adding fluoride to drinking water, making the Sunshine State the second in the nation after Utah to enact such a measure.

The GOP-led Florida Legislature passed the measure April 29 as part of a broader agriculture bill. Although fluoride isn’t specifically mentioned, the measure — which takes effect July 1 — does prohibit the use of “certain additives in a water system which do not meet specified requirements.” It defines additives as “any chemical, additive, or substance that is used in a public water system for the purpose of meeting or surpassing primary or secondary drinking water standards; preventing, reducing, or removing contaminants; or improving water quality.”

“It’s forced medication when they’re jamming fluoride into your water supply,” DeSantis said during a news conference in Miami. “And they did it because if you have fluoride, 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. 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.”

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