More than 20 couples lined up to register as domestic partners on Aug. 1, the first day the City of St. Petersburg began registering couples in compliance with a new ordinance. The new domestic partnership registry, modeled after a similar one put into place in Tampa earlier this year, allows unmarried couples, both gay and straight, to register for protections within the city limits.
See a photo gallery of couples getting registered!
The first couple to register was St. Petersburg City Councilman Steve Kornell and his partner, Bobby Poth. Also on had the first day was Equality Florida executive director Nadine Smith and her partner, Andrea Hildebran Smith. The women had their young son Logan, in tow.
Several news outlets were on hand to cover the historic day and same-sex and opposite-couples have registered since the DPR opened.
The registry allows for unmarried couples to be notified in cases of emergency, allows for hospital visitation, funeral planning and a child’s education. It also provides accessibility in the case of one partner being jailed.
On Aug. 6, the City of Clearwater began registering domestic partners, which benefitted many living in the northern part of the county. Soon, the City of Largo could join the growing list of cities offering DPRs in Tampa Bay.
“The Largo City Commission will bring the domestic partnership registry to the Sept. 10 work session,” said Largo commissioner Michael Smith. He added that the public won’t be able to speak at that particular meeting, but that the DPR is on its way to becoming a reality in the city, which has a checkered past with the LGBT community.
If the registry survives the Sept. 10 work session, the public will have a chance to voice its opinion on the ordinance later in the month. And Largo residents have a history of speaking out on ordinances that benefit the LGBT community. In 2007, hundreds of residents turned out at commission meetings when then-City Manager Steve Stanton announced plans to transition to become Susan Stanton. After nearly two decades with the city, the commission voted to fire Stanton after hearing several hours of commentary from area residents.
A domestic partnership registry could bring out some of those same residents, but it could also bring out many more supporters. Smith, who is the first openly gay elected official in Largo, believes the environment has changed and that the success of registries in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Gulfport and soon in Clearwater have proven their viability.
“It’s not a gay or straight issue, it’s a human issue,” Smith said during a July commission meeting.
In St. Pete, Clearwater and Tampa, couples can register as domestic partners for a fee of $30. In Gulfport, the fee is $25. A registry in Largo would have a similar fee attached. A Facebook group called “Pass the Largo Domestic Partnership Registry” is encouraging residents to attend commission meetings and to write letters in support of the ordinance.
In Pinellas County, commissioners are expected to discuss a county-wide registry at its Sept. 25 meeting.
