By MATTHEW I. PINZUR, mpinzur@MiamiHerald.com
The ceremony had all the romance of renewing a license plate -- which can be done a few floors down in the same, drab government building -- but it had powerful meaning on Monday for the first couples to register under Miami-Dade's new domestic-partnership law.
''This is a step in the right direction toward recognizing our relationship,'' said Mindy McNichols, an attorney for the Miami-Dade school district, who registered Monday morning with Ann Harrington, her partner of 18 years.
Before Tropical Storm Fay forced the county to shut its offices at lunchtime, 20 couples had registered at the downtown office and six more had submitted notarized applications by mail.
Registered couples receive some of the rights given to spouses, including hospital and jail visitation. In the past, some couples hired attorneys to draw up legal papers to secure those rights, but the process is costly and imperfect.
The newly minted partners received printed certificates and laminated identification cards. Some couples said they hoped the standardization would eliminate the uncertainty that comes with trying to brandish complex legal documents during emergencies.
''I no longer have to run home in a moment of crisis to find a piece of paper,'' said Juan Talavera, chairman of SAVE Dade, the activist group that pushed Miami-Dade for years to recognize partnerships. He and his partner, Jeff Ronci, were among the first couples to register.
One at a time, the couples were called into an office where their application data was entered into a computer. It was, in a word, bureaucratic.
Instead of cake and champagne, the couples celebrated with Cafe Bustelo and cupcakes, catered by SAVE Dade. A few, like McNichols and Harrington, brought their children.
Heterosexual couples can also register, provided they meet the same qualifications: at least 18, not married or in another domestic partnership, not blood relatives, live together and consider themselves immediate family.
County labor unions, key supporters of the registry, emphasized the benefits to unmarried straight couples during heated debates last spring. Nonetheless, 18 of the 20 couples that registered in person Monday were same-sex.
''A quasi-homosexual-marriage structure is being imposed on the people of Dade County,'' said Anthony Verdugo, executive director of the Christian Family Coalition.
The County Commission approved the registry in May, and opponents are still seething that Mayor Carlos Alvarez refused to veto it. During his first campaign in 2004, Alvarez signed a pledge not to recognize domestic partnerships; he later said he did not remember signing it.
Alvarez's spokeswoman declined comment Monday, saying the administration was focused on the storm.
For Verdugo and many of the couples who registered Monday, the fight now turns to November's referendum that could add a ban on civil unions to Florida's constitution.
Verdugo said publicity for Miami-Dade's registry could help drive conservative voters to the polls this fall, especially religious voters who have appeared nonplussed by John McCain's presidential campaign.
But County Commissioner Katy Sorenson, an early and vocal supporter of the registry, said the issue transcends political tactics.
''Anytime is a good time to move us forward to a more equal and progressive society,'' she said.
``If we have to fight another battle, we'll go ahead and do that.''
A Miami Herald-Zogby poll in June found nearly 50 percent of South Floridians support the amendment, with 39 percent opposed. It needs 60 percent approval statewide to pass.
Talavera said opposition to Amendment 2 will be among SAVE's top priorities this year, as will convincing Miami-Dade's cities to follow the lead of Miami Beach and North Miami by allowing employees to add their partners to insurance coverage.
He said fully legalized gay marriage in Florida, or even the recognition of gay marriages from other states, is not ``anywhere in the near future.''
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