The latest fight to remove fluoride from drinking water arrived in one of Florida’s biggest counties on Wednesday but was pushed back in a close vote. Keeping fluoride out of drinking water has quickly become a priority once again for Republicans across the state and nation.

Hillsborough commissioners shot down a motion to remove fluoride from the county's drinking water. Why it matters: Conservatives have fashioned fluoride into an issue of medical freedom, leading communities across Florida and the nation to halt the practice of adding the mineral to drinking water.

A decades old debate over fluoride in drinking water has resurfaced in Hillsborough County. Commissioners voted on whether to remove fluoride from the public water supply with supporters calling it a public health necessity and opponents warning of potential risk.