Miami Shores Adopts Domestic Partnerships: Sixth Government in Miami-Dade to Do So

Just months after Miami Shores residents elected their first openly gay councilman, village council has unanimously voted to offer domestic partnership benefits to its gay employees. Miami Shores is now the sixth municipal government in Miami-Dade to offer such benefits, following Miami, Miami Beach, North Miami, South Miami, Palmetto Bay, and...

By Kyle Munzenrieder

July 8, 2011

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Just months after Miami Shores residents elected their first openly gay councilman, village council has unanimously voted to offer domestic partnership benefits to its gay employees. Miami Shores is now the sixth municipal government in Miami-Dade to offer such benefits, following Miami, Miami Beach, North Miami, South Miami, Palmetto Bay, and Miami-Dade County.

The policy allows any unmarried village employee to obtain health insurance benefits for their partners. The move follows the election of openly gay Jesse Walters to the council of the relatively small town.

"More and more cities are realizing the importance of offering equal benefits to their employees in order to retain and recruit the best and the brightest in today's competitive workforce and Miami Shores is no different," SAVE Dade executive director CJ Ortuño said in a news release.

So let's see, that's six municipal governments in Miami-Dade down, just 30 more to go! Miami-Dade mayoral candidate Julio Robaina said he would support revoking domestic partnership benefits if he won, but his defeat means the county's existing policies on the matter are safe.

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Kyle Munzenrieder

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