Interest in an upcoming domestic
partner registry in Orlando is expected to be high.
According to the Orlando
Sentinel, all 16 appointments at the City Clerk's Office
available for the first day the registry takes effect were quickly
snatched up by eager couples.
“I think there's going to be
incredible interest. We're going to see a big surge in the
beginning,” Equality Florida field director Joe Saunders told the
paper.
The registry, which was approved by
local lawmakers earlier this month, will give couples limited rights
such as visiting a partner in a hospital, making health care
decisions for an incapacitated partner and making funeral
arrangements for a partner. Unmarried gay and straight couples can
record their relationship at City Hall for a $30 fee.
“It's not as many rights as marriage,
but it helps couples during very difficult times,” said Orlando
Commissioner Patty Sheehan, who pushed for the registry.
The first couple scheduled to sign
Orlando's registry will be Sheehan and her partner, Jocelynn White.
Orlando is following in the footsteps
of several Florida municipalities in enacting the registry, including
the cities of Miami and Gainesville and the counties of Broward,
Miami-Dade and Palm Beach.