A California-based think tank estimates
Florida's economy will get a $182 million boost over three years from
the weddings of gay and lesbian couples.
Florida began issuing marriage licenses
to gay couples on January 6 after the Supreme Court refused to
intervene in a judge's ruling striking down the state's ban on gay
marriage.
According to the Pensacola
News Journal, Florida marriage license issuances were up by
roughly 3,000 for the first quarter of 2015 as compared to last year.
“We've had a big increase since that
law passed,” said Ann Smith, manager for the Escambia County
marriage department. “It's been pretty steady. We've issued for
people in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia – so people are traveling
here to get married.”
Researchers from UCLA's Williams
Institute estimate that 24,248 couples will marry in Florida in the
first three years of marriage equality, resulting in a $182 million
economic boost.
Same-sex couples on average spend less
on a wedding than their heterosexual counterparts, said wedding
planner Sara Gilliane.
“A lot of the couples have been
together for such a long time, but now that it is legal they can
actually have a ceremony so there definitely has been an increase,”
she said.