JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Hundreds of Jacksonville gay couples were expecting to get married this year at the Duval County Courthouse.
"It’s super confusing. Every time we hear it’s going to be legal, then the next time -- never mind, just kidding it’s not," said Kerry Boatright, who has been engaged for five years.
A federal judge ordered all Florida counties to issue marriage licenses to same sex-couples beginning Tuesday.
But gay couples will not be getting married here at the Duval County Courthouse.
Duval County Clerk of Courts Ronnie Fussel said last week they will still issue marriage licenses to gay and straight couples, but beginning Jan. 2, they will not perform any wedding ceremonies.
“I am dead set against same-sex marriage. If it takes this to take a stand against it, I compliment Mr. Fussel for doing that,” said Don Redman, a city councilman.
Now all couples, gay and straight, who used to be able to pay just $30 for a courthouse wedding don’t have that quick inexpensive option.
“We have clergy that's stepping up to have free wedding(s). We asked them to step up and we knew they would,” said Redman.
Action News reporter Jamie Smith found one of those people, Attorney Rick Block. He's so furious with Duval County he's now willing to offer wedding ceremonies at his personal injury law office.
“I don't do family law, I work to protect the rights of citizens and if there's any building in the state should be open to everybody it's that building,” said Block.
Fussell's office didn't want to comment further on the building, which was built by taxpayers -- who can no longer get married there.
But businesses that service the wedding industry fear closing their doors for good, if the wedding business dries up.
That's certainly happened here, where the Duval County Courthouse has closed its doors to all weddings.
“It’s embarrassing,” says Block.
Block's son is gay. He wants him to remain anonymous, but he also wants him to have a place to get married.
The Duval County Courthouse hosted weddings last year to a total of 1,911 couples who paid just $30.
“That courthouse was built to serve those people as well, so it's discriminating against everybody, just to discriminate against same-sex couples,” Block said.
Block compared the county blocking same-sex marriage to what courts did to interracial couples in the south decades ago.
Redman said that's not a fair comparison.
“To use that as reason – it’s not reasonable,” Redman said.
The Clerk of Courts office told Action News that the room that hosted thousands of wedding ceremonies since the new courthouse opened, will now be used as an overflow room for marriage license applicants.
WJAX
