Sarasota Closer To Having Domestic Partner Registry

Sarasota is one step closer to granting domestic partnership registries in the city allowing unwed couples certain legal benefits.

The City Commission unanimously approved the domestic partnership registry ordinance on its first reading during Monday night's meeting, setting it up for a second reading approval at a future meeting.

"This is a very easy one," Commissioner Paul Caragiulo said. "If you want a progressive city, you gotta have progressive policies."

The efforts were led by former commissioner Ken Shelin, who first proposed the idea in May.  

The city already recognized domestic partnerships for city employees where domestic partners can share health and life benefits, which is another reason why Mayor Suzanne Atwell supports the registry. 

"This domestic partner registry—this adds to my pride in my city, in my commission for their commitment to an inclusive approach to all its citizenry," she said. 

The ordinance is modeled after one in Orlando, which Gulfport also used and approved this year. 

Here’s what the domestic registry does, Gulfport Patch reports:

It specifies the following rights and legal effects:

• Health Care Facility Visitation
• Health Care Decisions
• Funeral/burial Decisions
• Notification of Family Members
• Pre-need guardian designation
• Participation in Education

According to the ordinance, domestic partners are two adults who have chosen to share one another's lives in a family relationship. Two persons are considered to be domestic partners if:

• They consider themselves to be members of each other's immediate family.
• They agree to be jointly responsible for each other's welfare.
• Neither of them is married under the laws of the State of Florida, is a member of another domestic partnership, or civil union with anyone other than the co-applicant.
• They are not blood related in a way that would prevent them from being married to each other under Florida state law.
• Each is at least 18 years of age and competent to contract. 

A crowd dressed in red to show up to support the ordinance at Monday evening's meeting, many with the Unitarian Universalist Church.

The church's president, Julie Leach, spoke in support of the ordinance. She shared how helpful a registry is to her husband, Minister Brock Leach, who also serves as a chaplain at Tampa General Hospital.

"We can tell you just how important it is to be able to quickly identify and contact someone's partner and family in a medical emergency," she said. "A registry such as the one proposed tonight will benefit our entire community."

Resident Dennis Stover shared how he and his partner Phillip King once had a commitment ceremony in Indianapolis that wasn't legally recognized and welcomes the registry, but he also keyed in that the registry is not just for gay couples.

"Just a few weeks ago we sat at our dinner table with six other friends who are all domestic partners, who are not gay," Stover said. "These are couples in our community of stature … that live together, that cohabitate together and have a partnership that's not gay, that's not lesbian, not transgender, not bisexual. These are heterosexuals. They also would appreciate this domestic partnership registry as we move forward."

Vice Mayor Willie Charles Shaw echoed Stover's comments.

"Florida used to have common law marriages, and we were not able to be recognized," Shaw said. "We had uncles and aunts who had nephews and nieces — they were never able to be a part [of legally defined families]. I'm so very happy to see this come to fruition."

The commission approved one tweak to the ordinance that will be reflected in the second reading where the city will take care of filing the affidavit with the county Clerk of the Court, and would build in the $10 charge into the registration fee.

As previously written, the domestic partners would have had to file the document themselves.

"This is something we certainly can take care of," City Auditor and Clerk Pamela Nadalini said. "It may not be something we can file that day and we may have to batch it with other documents."

The ordinance also builds in the ability to work with Sarasota County if the County Commission would ever approve a domestic partnership registry ordinance.

Commissioner Terry Turner complimented Shelin's work on the ordinance.

"This took five months because you brought us a coherent and well researched proposal," he said. "We don't often get one that well done."

If the ordinance is approved on second reading, a 90-day period would be set up for the City Auditor and Clerk to prepare the legal forms and fees for commission approval, said City Attorney Robert Fournier.