Countywide Domestic Partnership Registry Launching April 15

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

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

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

• St Petersburg Branch Office: 545 First Ave. N., Room 153, St.

• Clerk's Tyrone Branch Office: 1800 66th St. N.

• Clearwater County Courthouse: 315 Court St., Room 150

• Clearwater North County Branch Office: 29582 U.S. Highway 19 N.

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, including same-sex couples, to have a say in decisions regarding family 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.

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.

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 St. Petersburg coverage on domestic registries

St. Pete's Domestic Partnership Registry Moves Forward

Domestic Partnership Registry in St. Pete Begins Today

A Statewide Domestic Partnership Registry in Florida?

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