In a Historic Vote, the Miami-Dade County Commission Approves Extending Employee and Health Benefits to the Domestic Partners of County Employees and Creating a DP Registry.

In a historic 8 to 4 vote today (Tuesday, May 20) the Miami-Dade County Commission passed into law the Domestic Partners and Family Health Coverage Ordinance. The county now has 90 days to implement the ordinance which gives county employees the ability to extend health insurance benefits to their domestic partners and the dependents of their domestic partners. 
 
In addition, the ordinance creates a domestic partner registry that county employees, county residents and visitors may use to officially register a domestic partnership.  These registries are important as many private sector companies rely on them to extend their own health and employee benefit packages to the domestic partners of their employees.
 
"This is a great day for county employees, a great day for Miami-Dade County and a great day for those that believe in basic decency, fairness and equality for all Americans," says Heddy Peña, Executive Director of SAVE, a GLBT political activist group that has long fought for the ordinance. 
 
Be sure to check back with GaySoFla.com to find out when and how you can be among the first couples to register.  We will continue to follow the story as it happens.                                                           

The County Commission voted as follows:

Bruno A. Barreiro, Chair: YES
José "Pepe" Diaz: NO
Audrey M. Edmonson: YES
Carlos A. Gimenez: YES
Sally A. Heyman: YES
Barbara J. Jordan: YES
Joe A. Martinez: NO
Dennis C. Moss: YES
Dorrin D. Rolle: NO
Natacha Seijas: NO
Katy Sorenson: YES
Rebeca Sosa: YES
Javier D. Souto: NO