Florida Activists To Push For Domestic Partner Registry In Orange Country

Equality advocates in Orange County, Florida are will pressure Mayor Teresa Jacobs to support a countywide domestic-partner registry, which would provide “a handful of rights in certain situations, such as allowing visitation at a hospital or to make funeral arrangements after a loved one’s death.” Organizers “plan to flood Jacobs with personal stories, adding to the positive feedback she has received from Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Orange County Comptroller Martha Haynie and her own legal staff.” “She hasn’t said no, but why isn’t she saying yes?’’ asked attorney Mary Meeks of the Orlando Anti-Discrimination Ordinance Committee. “It’s caused us to be worried.” Last month, the Orlando City Council voted unanimously to enact a domestic partnership registry, becoming the first city in Central Florida “to grant gay couples some of the rights that come with marriage.”