It looks like the odds are in favor of a domestic partner registry proposed for Volusia County. The County Council had its first discussion of the proposal on Nov. 5, when Councilman Josh Wagner brought the issue to the table.
Wagner said he heard about situations where people have been denied visitation of their partners in the hospital or in jail. He presented research indicating that in areas of Florida where similar registries exist, more than half of the couples who sign up aren’t gay, but are unmarried for financial or other reasons.
He also argued that the registry could serve as a tool to lure new businesses to Volusia County, citing a report that 83 of the Fortune 500 companies offer benefits for domestic partners. Wagner was recuperating from surgery and could not be reached for comment by press time.
County Chair Frank Bruno said because keeping the budget down is a priority for the county, the council requested more information from staff.
“We’d need to do it through the Clerk of Courts, so we asked what their level of cooperation would be and how much it would cost to implement,” Bruno said.
“We also asked for a report from the economic development director, as well as fine tune what we would have to have in the ordinance itself via the legal department.”
Bruno said once that information comes together, the proposal will come before the County Council again. Bruno is optimistic his fellow council members will support the registry.
“I am supporting it and I think there will be votes for it when we get all the information back,” he said. “We just don’t want to cost taxpayers any additional money right now.”
He estimates the County Council will take its second look at the proposal in December.
