Equality Florida Reacts To Stalling of Domestic Partnership Bill

Sarasota County Sen. Nancy Detert said she could not support the bill because it was too broad.

Just a few months after Sarasota started its domestic partnership registry, a push is being made for a statewide registry for gay and straight unmarried couples to retain some of the legal benefits of marriage. However, the initiative is stalled in a Florida Senate committee. On Tuesday, Feb. 19, the Florida Senate Committee on Children, Families and Elder Affairs tabled a bill that would create a statewide domestic partnership registry. According to WFSU Media, lawmakers expressed concerns about its constitutionality. Sen. Nancy Detert (R-Venice) said she supports the idea of allowing all couples certain rights, like hospital visitation, according to the report. However, she is concerned about its constitutionality because it grants all …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

What's Tampa Bay Saying?

Should Florida Counties Allow Domestic Registry?

Pinellas County will become the sixth county in Florida to adopt a domestic registry, if commissioners approve the proposal.

St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Gulfport already have their own local domestic registries recognizing same-sex marriages. Now Pinellas County expects to vote in 2013 on a proposal for a countywide domestic registry that grants domestic partners – gay and straight – many of the same rights as married couples. A public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 15. Although domestic registries are catching on across the nation, from Key West to Kansas City, Florida has a constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union between a man and a woman. Should Pinellas County, Florida, adopt a domestic registry? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Even as Florida counties adopt domestic registries, the state will not recognize them. Do you agree? …

•  59 Comments
• Photos (1)

Sarasota Domestic Partnership Registry Could Begin Tuesday

City Commissioner will consider whether to allow couples to register for its Domestic Registry beginning Tuesday.

Election Day in Sarasota could double as Domestic Registry Day if the Sarasota City Commission decides to allow couples to register starting Tuesday. Commissioners will consider at their Monday meeting whether to allow couples to register for its Domestic Partner Registry beginning Tuesday during what's called an implementation period, that lasts until Dec. 4, when the permanent process will be in place. “The City is pleased to offer the Domestic Partnership Registry with the benefits offered as a service to interested individuals who reside in or visit the City of Sarasota,” said Pamela M. Nadalini, City Auditor and Clerk in a statement. The commission approved the registry Oct. 15 that allows couples, gay and straight, to be recognized …

• Photos (1)

Sarasota Closer To Having Domestic Partner Registry

Sarasota City Commission approves Domestic Partner Registry on first reading, advancing it for a second reading for passage.

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…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)
• Documents (1)

Group Wants Domestic Registry In Sarasota

Domestic registry would allow gay and straight couples legal rights to healthcare decisions, funeral decisions and other rights in Sarasota.

A group of residents is pushing for expanded gay rights in Sarasota by requesting to establish domestic registry in the city. The measure, which is gender/sexual orientation neutral, would grant couples certain legal rights in a partner’s life without challenging laws on civil unions and gay marriage, said Grace Carlson, of Carlson Marketing Studio, who led the presentation with former commissioner Ken Shelin during Monday’s city commission meeting at City Hall.  “It’s not a civil union; it’s not a marriage. This is definition that is recognized by the state of Florida,” Carlson said. “It’s defining a relationship between two loving, committed adults who share a residence and a common life who provide and care for one another and immediate…

•  7 Comments
• Photos (1)
• Documents (1)