VIDEO: Couples Marry In Fort Lauderdale

Wedding Bells Ring Across Florida

Hundreds of couples are lined up across Florida at the county clerks' offices that have kindly opened their doors tonight. Weddings will continues until the wee hours of morning.

FLORIDA: Judge Grants First Gay Divorce

Via the Associated Press:

The first formal divorce for a gay couple in Florida has been granted by a county judge who also declared the state's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. Circuit Judge Dale Cohen on Wednesday dissolved the marriage of Heather Brassner and Megan Lade. They were united in a 2002 civil union in Vermont. Cohen had ruled in August that Florida's gay marriage ban is unconstitutional and that out-of-state gay marriages should be recognized. Brassner attorney Nancy Brodzki said it was Florida's first gay divorce. Brodzki says she expects Attorney General Pam Bondi to appeal the decision, just as she has several other rulings against the gay marriage ban. There was no immediate reaction from Bondi's office.

(Tipped by JMG reader Lulu)

FLORIDA: County Judge Reinstates His Overturn Of Ban On Same-Sex Marriage

Remember the Broward County judge who struck down Florida's ban on same-sex marriage but then took it back when it turned out that AG Pam Bondi hadn't been properly notified about the case? Yesterday he reinstated that ruling.

On Monday, Broward Circuit Court Judge Dale Cohen issued a ruling striking down the state's same-sex marriage ban, just as several county judges had before him – including Broward Circuit Court Judge Dale Cohen. The case involved Heather Brassner, who wanted a divorce after getting a civil union in Vermont in 2002. But Florida's ban on same-sex marriages prevents the state from recognizing same-sex marriages or civil unions performed in other states. Therefore, Brassner couldn't get divorced in the state. She went to court to fight and on Aug. 4, after hearing her case, Cohen overturned Florida's same-sex marriage ban. However, Cohen vacated his ruling when he learned that Brassner's attorneys did not give the state enough time to file an appeal. On Monday, Cohen once again ruled the ban unconstitutional and put his ruling on hold pending appeal.

Cohen's stay will likely be made moot early next month when the stay in another case will expire, making same-sex marriage legal statewide.

FLORIDA: Major Cities File Joint Amicus Brief In Support Of Same-Sex Marriage

The cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg, Orlando, and Miami Beach today jointly filed an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs suing for same-sex marriage in a Tallahassee federal court. Also joining the brief are the popular LGBT tourism town of Wilton Manors, the tiny Miami-Dade County town of Biscayne Park, and the government of Broward County (home to Fort Lauderdale, which approved a resolution in support of same-sex marriage in June, but which is not party to the brief). Notably absent from the brief are the city of Miami and all major cities north of Orlando, but that doesn't necessarily mean that those city governments remain in support of Florida's ban.

FLORIDA: AG Pam Bondi Files Motion To Intervene In Broward County Case

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has filed a motion to intervene in the Broward County marriage equality case. Last week Judge Dale Cohen vacated his earlier overturn of the state's ban on same-sex marriage after learning that Bondi's office had not been properly notified about the Broward case. Prior to that decision, it appeared that marriages would have been able to commence in Broward County when the 30-day stay lapsed without action from Bondi's office. Hit the first link to read Bondi's full motion.

FLORIDA: Broward County Judge Vacates Ruling That Overturned Marriage Ban

The same Broward County judge that last month struck down Florida's ban on same-sex marriage has rescinded his own ruling on a technicality. Via the Miami Herald:

“It has come to this Court’s attention that the Petitioner, Heather Brassner, has failed to comply with [state law] by failing to notice the Office of the Attorney General of these proceedings by either registered or certified mail,” Broward Circuit Judge Dale Cohen wrote in his order. “Therefore, this Court vacates its prior ruling declaring Article 1, section 27 and Florida Statute 741.212 unconstitutional.” Cohen canceled a hearing set for Wednesday afternoon at the Broward Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale to finalize the dissolution of Brassner’s 2002 Vermont civil union with ex-partner Megan Lade, and wrote that “the Parties may schedule a rehearing” in the case. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office said Tuesday it had not been in touch with the judge and “will continue to monitor the case,” said spokeswoman Jennifer Meale.

Thirty days after Cohen ruled, Brassner’s attorney, Nancy Brodzki, declared victory and expected Brassner’s divorce to become final on Sept. 10. She and other LGBT activists hoped the ruling would pave the way to gay marriage in Broward. Brodzki said Tuesday she got a call from Cohen’s judicial assistant, after the judge realized the state had not been notified. “The judge being a very thorough judge, obviously was doing all his research prior to tomorrow’s ruling and came across a rule of civil procedure as well as the Florida Statute, and recognized that that rule and statute had not been strictly complied with,” said Brodzki, a Coral Springs divorce lawyer. “He is being scrupulous that he, as the judge, and we, as the petitioners, have dotted every I and crossed every T. He found one and wants to correct it, so that his judgment, when it is entered, is not attacked on procedural grounds.”

The plaintiff says she's not angry with her attorney, calling the lack of notice an "oversight." (Tipped by JMG reader Lulu)

FLORIDA: Broward County Clerk Considers Issuing Licenses As Stay Lapses Without Appeal From Attorney General Pam Bondi

From the Miami Herald:

A deadline to appeal a Broward judge’s ruling in August that the state’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional passed this week without an appeal from the Florida Attorney General, paving the way for the judge to finalize a divorce for a Lake Worth lesbian seeking to end her 2002 Vermont civil union. The Fort Lauderdale case could also pave the way for same-sex marriages in Broward County.

“Now we know the state isn’t appealing and we will have the first valid same-sex divorce in Florida,” said Coral Springs attorney Nancy Brodzki, who represents art dealer Heather Brassner in her divorce from Megan Lade. A hearing in the case, before Broward Circuit Judge Dale Cohen, is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday for the divorce to become final.

“That very much leaves open the question as to whether the clerk of courts, on his own, will take it upon himself to say a judge in this circuit has [declared the ban] invalid and I will now issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples,” Brodzki said. Broward County Clerk Howard Forman said he expects to decide by early next week. “I’m researching it as quickly as I can. We’ve been researching it for months,” Forman said Thursday evening. “Florida’s changing a lot and we’re vetting the issue as hard as we can.”

Notice of appeal was filed yesterday in the case that overturned Florida's ban statewide.

More from Equality Florida:

On August 4, Broward County Judge Cohen ruled Florida's ban on marriage for same-sex couples unconstitutional - and included the state must recognize legal out of state marriages. The judge stayed the ruling allowing for a 30-day appeal period. But as of Thursday, the deadline has passed and no appeal was made to the ruling. The case involved a woman from Lake Worth, Heather Brassner, who was seeking a divorce from her estranged partner. The couple had a civil union in Vermont back in 2002. According to Steve Rothaus of the Miami Herald, a hearing in the case, before Broward Circuit Judge Dale Cohen, is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday for the divorce to become final. The Broward County Clerk is contemplating whether or not to start issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples next week.

RELATED: With 1.7M residents, Broward is Florida's second-most populous county and includes the state's highest concentrations of gay residents in Fort Lauderdale, Wilton Manors, and Oakland Park.

FLORIDA: Broward County Commission Seeks To With Withhold Funds For AG Pam Bondi's Same-Sex Marriage Appeals

Yesterday the Broward County Commission voted unanimously to support same-sex marriage. Which is wonderful, but they're also trying to take things much further.

Along with approving the resolution decision unanimously, county commissioners are also asking the county attorney to research ways to withhold funding to Tallahassee that is used in the appeals process. The county commissioners do not want to waste taxpayer money fighting gay marriage. Broward County Commissioner Stacy Ritter said, "We want to show that opposition not just by submitting a resolution, but by withholding our donor county dollars that are quite frankly right now going to Tallahassee to fund this appeal process with which we are adamantly opposed."

After appealing the recent rulings by South Florida judges, commissioners fear that Bondi will shelf the issue until the United States Supreme Court rules again. "The United States Supreme Court, they're going to be the body who make this decision, and then we will have uniformity throughout the country," said Bondi. However, some commissioners are not sure that waiting for a decision by the Supreme Court would result in simplicity. "The problem with that is there is no guarantee that the United States Supreme Court is ever going to undertake this matter," said Kiar.

Last week Bondi asked the state appeals court to continue the stays on marriage rulings in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties AND to sit on those cases without kicking them upstairs to the Florida Supreme Court. With a population of 1.8 million, Broward County is home to Fort Lauderdale, Wilton Manors, and Oakland Park - all of which have huge LGBT populations. Hit the link for a video report on yesterday's move.

Local Haters Have The Florida Super-Sadz

"In yet another incident of judicial corruption and lawlessness in South Florida over the last 18 days, today, Broward County Circuit Judge Dale Cohen overthrew Florida’s voter-approved Constitution and denied Floridians their fundamental voter rights. Millions of Americans died fighting in battlefields around the world to defend the constitutional rights Judge Cohen has denied Floridians todays. He has violated his Oath of Office and the Code Judicial Conduct. This is a racist ruling that destroys public confidence in the judiciary and inflicts irreparable harm to respect for the Rule of Law. Cohen’s lawless decision to overthrow Florida’s Constitution, violate constitutional separation of powers, and deny fundamental voter rights is in brazen contempt to the legally binding precedent established by the U.S. Supreme Court in U.S. vs. Windsor. In so doing, Mr. Cohen has also offended basic human decency, violated his Oath of Office, the Code of Judicial Conduct, and the Florida Bar Canons of Ethics. Cohen has forfeited his legacy and his right to remain on the bench." - Sara Espinoza, of the Florida Democratic League, which bills itself as the state's "largest Hispanic-led Democratic voters' organization."

RELATED: The Liberty Counsel was denied in their bids to represent the so-called Florida Democratic League in two same-sex marriage cases. The actual Florida Democratic Party is threatening to sue Espinoza's group for misrepresenting themselves as part of their organization.

FLORIDA: State Judge Expected To Order Out-Of-State Marriage RecognitionUPDATE: Judge Rules For The Good Guys!

Via the Orlando Sentinel:

A state circuit judge in Broward County is expected to make history today by ordering the state of Florida to recognize a gay marriage performed in another state. If that is the decision of Circuit Judge Dale Cohen, it would be the third time in as many weeks that a Florida judge has ruled that the state's ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional. This one would be unique, however, because it's the first requiring the state to recognize a gay marriage conducted elsewhere. The other two – one July 17 by a judge in Monroe County and another July 25 by a Miami-Dade judge – only required local clerks of court to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Those decisions have not yet been enforced because of pending appeals, meaning no same-sex couple has gotten married in Florida. In today's case, a West Palm Beach woman is asking Cohen to give her a divorce. Heather Brassner and Megan Lade were joined in a civil union July 6, 2002, in Vermont, according to Brassner's attorney, Nancy Brodzki, of Coral Springs. The couple broke up, and Lade disappeared, Brodzki said. Now Brassner wants to get on with her life.

The ruling is due at any time today. Keep an eye on Equality Florida's Twitter feed.

UPDATE: And that makes three-for-three in Florida!

Via Freedom To Marry:

The ruling in today's case, from Broward County Circuit Judge Dale Cohen, is the third marriage ruling in three weeks, following a July 17 ruling in Monroe County's Huntsman v. Heavilin and July 25's ruling in Miami-Dade County's Pareto v. Ruvin. In all 3 cases, judges ruled that banning same-sex couples from marrying is unconstitutional. All three rulings are stayed, and the two previous rulings have been appealed by Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. For now, today's decision only applies to Broward County. The next step for the Miami-Dade and Monroe County decisions is review by Florida's 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals. Last week, the plaintiffs in both cases moved to consolidate their cases and filed a motion seeking review directly by the Florida Supreme Court.

Via Equality Florida:

Today, Broward Circuit Judge Dale Cohen struck down Florida’s marriage ban, affirming that the denial of marriage equality to same-sex couples in Florida is unconstitutional. The judge's ruling applies to recognition of out-of-state same-sex marriages, as well as overturning Florida's ban on same-sex marriage - Broward County only. This marks the third time in the past few weeks that a Republican-appointed judge in Florida has ruled on the side of marriage equality. “Every win in court brings us closer than we’ve ever been to the freedom to marry in Florida,” said Nadine Smith, CEO of Equality Florida. "We look forward to the day when all loving, committed couples and their families enjoy the same protections, opportunities and responsibilities of marriage under the law. Every passing day inflicts real hardships on families who are denied the legal protection and dignity that marriage equality provides."

FLORIDA: Broward Sheriff's Office Issues Plea For Peace After Zimmerman Verdict

The Broward County Sheriff's Office has posted a rap video in which young people plea for peace, whatever the verdict may be in the Zimmerman trial.  Right wing sites have long predicted riots should Zimmerman be acquitted.  Breitbart has posted a transcript:

The video, titled “Raise Your Voice, Not Your Hands,” focuses on attempting to channel reaction into non-violent response. It depicts two youngsters, one black teenage boy, one Hispanic teenage girl. “Raise your voice!” says the girl. “And not your hands!” says the boy. “We need to stand together as one, no cuffs, no guns,” says the girl. “Let’s give violence a rest, because we can easily end up arrested,” says the boy. “I know your patience will be tested,” says the girl, and then both conclude, “but law enforcement has your back!” “Let’s back up and choose not to act up, and deputies are with us, so no need to act up,” says the boy. “Let it roll off your shoulders,” says the girl, “it’s water off your back, don’t lack composure, because in one instant it could be over.” Both conclude: “So let’s make the choice to raise your voice and not your hands.” Sheriff Scott Israel says, “I’m Sheriff Scott Israel, and law enforcement does have your back.”

UPDATE: JMG reader Matt found the clip on YouTube.

RELATED: The trial is taking place in Sanford, which is north of Orlando. Broward County is in south Florida, which saw widespread rioting in 1989 after a Hispanic cop in Miami shot a black man off of his speeding motorcycle. The motorcyclist was killed and his passenger was seriously injured.

FLORIDA: Broward County Schools First In Nation To Recognize LGBT History Month

After an "emotional" public hearing, Florida's Broward County School Board today voted unanimously to become the first in the nation to officially recognize LGBT History Month. South Florida Gay News has the story:

Emotions ran high as the vote came on Sept. 19 at 12:51 p.m., and was preceded by a dozen or so speakers from both public office and private civilians, like 18-year-old Leo Washington, a Hollywood Hills High School student, actor, football team captain, and club president. “I’m 18 and African-American,” he said, choking up. “All we want is to recognize them for who they are so we can recognize ourselves for who we are. That’s what I want for every student in every school.” Washington said he knows of at least 30 people in his school who are LGBT but afraid to come out as such, not even in their own homes. “There’s a lot of people out there that come to me and tell me they can’t come out,” he said. “It can be really bad.” One of the influential community leaders who pushed this measure and was recognized by the board as having done so was Michael Rajner, a local LGBT activist. “There’s some amazing staff at the district,” Rajner told SFGN. “We have a school board now, unlike previous years, that has amazing support to protect equal opportunity for all students.”

SFGN reporter Gideon Grudo notes that the board's decision does not set any specific curriculum for teachers but will allow them to craft mentions of LGBT history that "may have been overlooked up until now."

Broward County has 1.7M residents and its school system is the sixth-largest in the nation with over 260,000 students. The system includes Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Wilton Manors, and more than two dozen other municipalities.
RELATED: Last year the California legislature commanded all state public schools to include notable LGBT figures and moments in history lessons. While no school system there has yet to launch such lessons, the legislature's decree does not mention the lesser known LGBT History Month.

FLORIDA: Broward County First In State To Order Domestic Partner Coverage

By order of the Broward County Commission, companies with five or more employees must now offer same-sex couples the same benefits they grant to married opposite-sex couples. Equality Florida reports:

Broward is the first county Florida to adopt an EBO [Equal Benefits Ordinance]. In 2005 Miami Beach became the first city in the state to pass an EBO, and the Miami Beach policy has been praised by the city commission and the staff, while reporting no negative fiscal impact. The ordinance places Broward County's domestic partnership policies among the strongest in the country. In recent years EBOs have been adopted as a state law in California, and in the cities of San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Olympia, Minneapolis, and Portland. The ordinance was introduced by Mayor Sue Gunzburger and was co-sponsored by all members of the commission.

With about 1.8 million residents, Broward is the 18th most-populous county in the nation. It has one of the highest concentrations of gay residents in the country.

Broward County FL Gets Gay Mayor

Yesterday Ken Keechl was sworn in as the mayor of Florida's Broward County, the first openly gay county mayor of the seaside gay tourism mecca. Keechl was elected by fellow county commisssioners. Handling the county's roiling corruption scandals will be Keechl's first order of business.

Ken Keechl took over as Broward mayor Tuesday amid a wide-ranging government corruption investigation that has ensnared one county commissioner. The seat held by Josephus Eggelletion before his arrest almost two months ago remained empty as commissioners chose Keechl to succeed Stacy Ritter in the largely ceremonial post. Keechl vowed to work closely with a task force to draft a new code of ethics for the county government. While the investigation by federal and state prosecutors will loom large over the commission during the next year, Keechl's ascension to mayor was a milestone for the area's large gay community. Keechl is the first openly gay person to hold the county's top position, placing Broward among a small number of communities in the nation with gay or lesbian mayors. "I ran for the commission not as a gay man but as a fiscal conservative and as someone concerned about the environment, but I am aware of the historic nature of becoming mayor and am proud of it," Keechl said. Leaders of the gay community as well as Keechl's partner, Ted Adcock, joined local elected officials to watch the commission unanimously name him mayor. Keechl, 47, a Fort Lauderdale lawyer, was elected to the commission three years ago.

With a population of about 2 million, Broward County is the second-most populous in the state. Only the eastern third of the county, which includes Fort Lauderdale, is inhabited. The rest is part of Everglades National Park.

Gay FL Cop Charged With Sex Crimes

UPDATE: Father Tony points out that despite the wording of the below Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel story, Bleiweiss' arrest report (PDF) makes it very clear that he was the one performing the oral sex, not his victims. The arrest report reads like a very, very bad porn script and may be NSFW.

Openly gay Broward County sheriff's deputy Jonathan Bleiwiess, 29, has been accused of coercing eight illegal immigrant males into performing oral sex on him during traffic stops.

Bleiweiss, arrested Monday, faces 14 charges, among them three counts of sexual battery by a person in authority, four counts of battery and one count of stalking. He's accused of intimidating at least eight men in his Oakland Park patrol district into performing sex acts with him during traffic stops. "This is not an act that necessarily impacts the gay community," said Michael Rajner, a local gay rights activist who lives in Pompano Beach. "This is an act of an individual, not a community." Investigators said they opened the case in April, after learning a deputy was committing the assaults. Officials on Tuesday declined to say when Bleiweiss became a suspect. He was removed from road patrol in mid-July, only after there was substantive proof to make a case, said Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright. The court documents state the men positively identified Bleiweiss from a photo lineup starting in July. Eric Schwartzreich, the deputy's attorney, said, "I do point out that they are allegations by undocumented aliens, that at this point in time I'm not seeing any physical evidence to support the allegations." During a bond hearing on Tuesday, he said it was too early to fully comment on the case.

Bleiweiss was recently lauded for his work in LGBT activism, such as organizing a 30-member team from his department to take part in the local AIDS Walk.

Broward County Protects T-Folk

Yay for my hometown some place I lived for a number of years:

Broward County Florida voted to pass transgender protections yesterday. It is now illegal to discriminate against transgender people in housing, the workplace, and in public accommodations like hotels and restaurants.

The protections voted in by country commissioners are an expansion of Broward’s 1995 human rights ordinance, which protected gays and lesbians. The commissioners approved the amendment unanimously. It was sponsored by Ken Keechl, Broward County’s first openly gay commissioner.

According to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 13 states and 96 communities currently offer some form of protection to transgender people.