Countywide Domestic Partnership Registry to Start April 15

Pinellas County will launch a countywide domestic partnership registration starting April 15.

Four Offices of the County Clerk – two in Clearwater and two in St. Petersburg – will register domestic partners in Pinellas County.

The countywide domestic partner registry is “an important service for our citizens, which reflects our community’s values of fairness and equality,” said Board of County Commissioners Chairman Kenneth T. Welch, in a press release.

Domestic partnership registrations recognize adult couples that include same sex partners.

Registrations will be accepted at the following Clerk of the Circuit Court offices during regular office hours, starting April 15:

• Clearwater County Courthouse: 315 Court St., Room 150, Clearwater
• North County Branch Office: 29582 U.S. Highway 19 N., Room 101, Clearwater
• St Petersburg Branch Office: 545 First Ave. N., Room 153, St. Petersburg
• Clerk's Tyrone Branch Office: 1800 66th St. N., St. Petersburg

The filing fee for registering as domestic partners is $50, although a reduced fee may apply for those applicants who have already registered their partnerships in a Pinellas County municipality.

The move by the county to launch a domestic partner registry follows the adoption of similar programs by municipalities, including Clearwater, Gulfport and St. Petersburg.

Registering enables partners to have a say in decisions regarding health care, end-of-life care, funeral and burial arrangements, pre-need guardian designation, and participation in education.

The ordinance creating a countywide domestic partnership registry was approved by the Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 15, with staff given 90 days to prepare for the registrations.

For more information

More information about the domestic partnership registry may be found online at www.pinellascounty.org/Humanrights/pdf/domestic.pdf and forms relating to the domestic partnership registry may be found online at www.mypinellasclerk.org.

For more Clearwater coverage on domestic registries

Domestic Partner Registry Comes to Clearwater

Should Florida Counties Allow Domestic Registry?

Domestic Partnership Registry Gets OK in Pinellas County

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