JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Same-sex couples will be allowed to get marriage licenses in Florida for the first time Tuesday.
Melissa Wilson and Kim Mahaffy have been together five years and have six kids, but they have never had the same designation as a heterosexual couple.
"I just think we're ready to make our family like everyone else's, complete," said Wilson.
The couple will be at the courthouse bright and early Tuesday to get their marriage license so they can get married Saturday.
"I hope the Jacksonville community, in all, understands what this means to us," said Mahaffy.
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Carrington Mead is organizing the mass wedding ceremony in Hemming Park Saturday. The plan went into motion after Duval County Clerk Ronnie Fussell said his office would no longer do wedding ceremonies because staff members weren't comfortable. But Fussell has refused to speak on camera about his decision.
We went to his office Monday and found him a hallway. He told Action News he would not answer anything because of potential legal action. He also told us lawsuits have been threatened but wouldn't give more details.
"He's got very strongly held beliefs and he's got a strong sense of right and wrong. He believes what he believes," said Mead.
Pastor Ken Adkins is part of a group with a lot of questions for same-sex couples, including how to explain it to kids.
"These are questions, make sure the community can answer," said Adkins. "We're not homophobic and not anti-gay. We're pro-Christian."
Baker and Clay counties are also not doing ceremonies anymore. Our calls to the clerks there were not returned.
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