By Richard Danielson, Times Staff Writer
Thursday, April 5, 2012
TAMPA — In a historic vote, this city Thursday became the first in the Tampa Bay area to create a registry where unmarried partners can register as domestic partners.
"You're making a statement that Tampa is a welcoming city," said R. Zeke Fread, 60, of Palma Ceia, who has been with his partner for 32 years, moments before the City Council's unanimous vote to adopt an ordinance creating the registry. "I've never been so proud to live in Tampa."
Tampa now joins Orlando, Gainesville, West Palm Beach and Key West, as well as the counties of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, in allowing unmarried couples to register as domestic partners.
"I am so very pleased to bring forth this ordinance that represents a small step in bringing dignity and equality to all," said Yvonne Yolie Capin, the council member who proposed the registry.
But don't rush down to City Hall just yet. The city clerk has 90 days to set up the registry.
When it's ready, the registry will recognize the unmarried couples' abilities to visit each other in the hospital, make medical decisions for partners who are incapacitated, make funeral arrangements for a partner who dies and be notified as a family member in an emergency involving a partner.
Both same-sex and straight couples will be sign up, but the ordinance says nothing about the registry "shall be construed as recognizing or treating a domestic partnership as a marriage."
Tampa's registry will be open to couples of two people who are 18 or older, not married and not related by blood, who live together and consider each other as immediate family. It will safeguard their ability to:
• Visit each other in health-care facilities.
• Make medical decisions for a partner who is incapacitated.
• Make funeral arrangements for a partner who dies.
• Be notified as a family member in an emergency involving a partner.
• Participate in the education of the child of a domestic partner.
While this is the Tampa Bay area's first domestic partnership registry, it follows the similar actions by several communities and law enforcement agencies. The city of Tampa, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office and the St. Petersburg Police Department already offer health benefits to same-sex domestic partners of their employees.
In other business, council members unanimously re-elected Charlie Miranda as chairman for the coming year and chose Harry Cohen, on his 42nd birthday, as vice chairman, replacing Mary Mulhern.
Richard Danielson can be reached at Danielson@tampabay.com and (813) 226-3403.