Sarasota’s County Commissioners unanimously voted to green light a countywide domestic partner registry that would offer a handful of protections to non-married couples living in the county.
The commission’s vote is a starting point in the creation of the ordinance, which will be crafted by the Sarasota County Attorney’s office. It will then be presented at two public meetings, where residents of the county can speak directly to commissioners about the proposal. If commissioners approve the reading of the ordinance in both meetings, it will move forward to becoming law.
Several counties throughout Florida have passed similar ordinances and the City of Sarasota did so last year. Couples could register as domestic partners within the City of Sarasota last fall. It’s unclear how those couples would be included in the county’s registry if it’s created, but many suspect it would work similarly to Pinellas County’s domestic partner registry.
In that county, those who registered with the cities of St. Petersburg, Clearwater or Gulfport, could pay a slightly smaller fee to be included in the county’s registry.
The Sarasota County ordinance is expected to be ready for the board’s June 19 meeting.
