LAKE WORTH OFFICIALS URGE DEFEAT OF GAY MARRIAGE BAN
Palm Beach County Human Rights Council

(Lake Worth, Florida) On Tuesday, take Worth Mayor Jeff Clemens and the Lake Worth City Commission unanimously adopted a resolution opposing the Florida Marriage Protection Amendment.

Concerned that Amendment 2 might remove safeguards and eliminate benefits for families based on domestic partnerships, Lake Worth City Commissioner Dave Vespo introduced the resolution at the request of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council.

"The leaders of Lake Worth clearly understand what may be at stake if Amendment 2 is not defeated on November 4th," said Council President Rand Hoch. "The city commissioners know that to safeguard Florida's families, voters must vote against Amendment 2."

If 60% of Florida voters for the amendment, a new section would be added to the "Declaration of Rights" in the Florida Constitution. The amendment would provide that, "Inasmuch as marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized."

"Lake Worth provides health insurance for the domestic partners of city employees," said Vespo. "Unless Florida voters defeat Amendment 2, health insurance and other benefits could be taken away from the families of our employees."

"No one really knows what the 'substantial equivalent' of marriage really is," said Lake Worth Mayor Jeff Clemens. "If Amendment 2 is not defeated, our taxpayers may have to pay significant legal fees to find out."

Last night, the West Palm Beach City Commission passed a similar resolution opposing Amendment 2.

Statewide organizations urging Floridians to defeat Amendment 2 include the Florida League of Women Voters, the NAACP, the Professional Fire Fighters of Florida and the Florida Education Association.

Editorials urging readers to vote "no" on Amendment 2 have appeared in the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Florida Today, the Florida Times-Union, the Northwest Florida Daily News, the Orlando Sentinel, the Palm Beach Post, the Panama City News-Herald, the St. Petersburg Times, the Southwest Florida News Press, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Tallahassee Democrat.

None of Florida's daily newspapers has come out in support of Amendment 2.

With less than a month to go before election day, all of Florida's major public opinion polls show that support for Amendment 2 remains below 60%

"Nothing can be taken for granted," said Hoch. "There still is a lot of work to be done between now and November 4 to educate votes to vote against Amendment 2." [10/10/08]