As Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs continues to undertake “research” regarding the establishment of a domestic partner registry, on Thursday, Orlando implemented the region’s first Domestic Partner Registry, with the first couples beginning to register with the City at 10:00 a.m.
In December, the Orlando City Council approved an ordinance that created the City’s first-ever Domestic Partner Registry. The ordinance provides vital legal protections for gay partners and unmarried straight couples.
“I support the domestic partnership registry because I believe it keeps us competitive with other world-class communities,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “A domestic partnership registry helps us recruit employers who share our commitment to inclusion while attracting and retaining a diverse workforce that knows they’ll have protections for their families.”
The protections under the ordinance include:
- Hospital visitation
- Rights to health care decisions
- Correctional facility visitation
- Rights to funeral/burial decisions
- Guardianship and the right for both domestic partners to participate in the education of their children
Meanwhile, in Orange County, the situation is different as there is currently not a domestic partner registry. Advocates have raised concerns that couples who live in unincorporated Orange County, but are registered with the City, could face tough choices in where to go for help in an emergency.
Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs in a statement yesterday said, she is committed to “evaluating the merits of creating an Orange County domestic partner registry and to bring this issue to the Board of County Commissioners for a discussion.” Jacobs added that she is completing her “due diligence” and examining what government action might be required and the associated financial and possible legal ramifications.
Equality Florida, in a separate statement, praised the implementation of Orlando’s domestic partnership registry and added they are counting on Jacobs to take swift action on a countywide registry.
“In her short tenure, Mayor Jacobs has proven herself to be a bold leader, unafraid to buck the status the quo when challenged to do the right thing,” said Joe Saunders Equality Florida’s Field Director. “We are counting on those qualities to guide the Mayor to support the swift passage of a countywide registry. No family should be left without the legal protections necessary to take care of their loved ones.”
Jacobs also said that, while she continues to research the issues surrounding a domestic partner registry, she is “strongly inclined to expand the scope of our registry to include widows, widowers and couples in relationships who do not live together.”
