Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/127088
THE COUNTY AND THE REGISTRY QUESTION Supporters of a statewide domestic partnership registry as well as a registry just for Sarasota County so far are making little progress. Image courtesy morguefile.com THE COUNTY COMMISSION NEXT WEEK IS EXPECTED ONCE AGAIN TO DISCUSS WHETHER IT WANTS TO CREATE A DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP REGISTRY By Rachel Brown Hackney Editor With Sarasota County Attorney Stephen DeMarsh having delivered to the County Commission a memo outlining his staff's research on domestic partnership registries, Chairwoman Carolyn Mason says she expects to initiate another discussion on the topic next week. garding a countywide registry until it saw how a bill for a state registry fared during the 2013 session of the Florida Legislature. Ken Shelin, a former Sarasota city commissioner who has been championing domestic partnership registries, told The Sarasota News Leader on May 2 he is doubtful a Florida Senate bill will win approval at this point, with the session windThere is very little published law ing down. The commission will hold regular meetings on May 7 in Venice and i n F l o r i d a r e g a r d i n g d o m e s t i c on May 8 in Sarasota. partnerships. THE ANALYSIS On Jan. 8, the board agreed to hold off on any formal action re- In his April 23 memo, DeMarsh wrote that "approximately 19 ju- Stephen DeMarsh County Attorney April 23 Memo To the County Commission