Miami-Dade County will become the first place in Florida to allow same-sex couples to marry on Monday, 10 hours before a gay-marriage ban that has been ruled unconstitutional is lifted in the rest of the state.
In an 11 a.m. hearing, Circuit Judge Sarah Zabel lifted the legal stay she had placed on her sweeping July decision declaring the ban discriminatory.
“In the big picture, does it really matter whether or not I lift the stay or leave it until tomorrow?” she said from the bench. “I’m lifting the stay.”
The elected clerk of courts, Harvey Ruvin, at first said same-sex marriages would begin at 2 p.m. But once his office received a signed copy of Zabel’s two-page order at noon, he said couples could apply for marriage licenses immediately.
Are you having your marriage ceremony today? Share your photos with #gaywedfla so we can add them to the photo album below.
Live Blog Wedding album: Fla.'s same-sex marriages begin
