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INCHING FORWARD Maps show the representation in the Florida State Senate based on the results of the 2012 elections. Image courtesy Wikipedia Commons. Inset: Florida State Sen. Eleanor Sobel/Photo courtesy Florida Senate A STATE SENATOR ONCE AGAIN FILES A STATE DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP REGISTRY BILL WHILE VENICE MOVES AHEAD ON A LOCAL ORDINANCE By Rachel Brown Hackney Editor State Sen. Eleanor Sobel, a Democrat from sioner Joe Barbetta such a bill was expected Hollywood, has filed a bill for the fifth consec- to be heard in the 2013 session, Barbetta said utive year in the Florida Legislature to create during his board's Jan. 8 regular meeting. a statewide domestic partnership registry. However, former Sarasota City Commissioner It is expected to be heard first in the Children, Ken Shelin told The Sarasota News Leader Families and Elder Affairs Committee when on Jan. 16 that his legislative contacts "don't work begins on bills in February, according think this [bill] has much of a chance, either." to legislative sources; Sobel chairs that com- All of Sobel's earlier bills died in committee. mittee. Her latest, SB 196: Families First, which was The Sarasota County Commission agreed by filed on Jan. 9, would set forth "fees and costs consensus last week to hold off on discussing to be applied when petitioning for a dissolua countywide domestic partnership registry tion of a domestic partnership or registering until it saw how a legislative bill fared. State a domestic partnership, respectively," and it Rep. Ray Pilon, R-Sarasota, had told Commis- would require two individuals "who wish to