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Technically, it is illegal for unmarried couples to live together in Florida. If you shack up with your boo without putting a ring on it first, you could face a second-degree misdemeanor and a $500 fine or up to 60 days in jail. The law has been on the books since sometime in the 1800s and is rarely enforced. But no one has bothered to try to repeal it until now.
A similar law hits cheating spouses with the same crime. The laws apply only to straight people, though. For once, Florida laws sort of benefit gay couples. Not that they have the option of getting married here, unfortunately.
Now Rep. Ritch Workman, a Republican from Melbourne, wants to overturn the law, according to the Sun-Sentinel. Though there are no recent examples of the cohabitation law being enforced, a Jacksonville man was nailed for adultery in 2006.
Of course, Florida is home to prude politicians who don’t like talking about sexy time, and they only recently outlawed bestiality. Gov. Rick Scott’s office says repealing the law isn’t a top priority, and the Sentinel notes that some social conservatives could seek to keep the law on the books. Because apparently they still have the same social values as people did in the 1800s. I guess they’d rather have you living with a same-sex cellmate in a confined space for 60 days than the apparent horror of shacking up with someone without a piece of paper saying you’re married.
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