Same-sex couples lined up outside Southwest Florida courthouses Tuesday morning, ready to take advantage immediately of the right to be legally married in the state for the first time. More than 50 couples in Sarasota and Manatee counties took advantage of the change in law, and a handful of ceremonies were performed at courthouses in the region. 

It was a big moment for Cindy Barnes, chairman of Sarasota Pride since 2010, who spent years engaged in the fight for marriage equality. Barnes, who coincidentally received her notary public this weekend for professional reasons, married multiple couples in the Sarasota Historic Courthouse courtyard early Tuesday. “It’s surreal with all we have been through,” she said. “Even up to last night, I had people calling me asking ‘Are you sure there isn’t anything legal they can do?’ ”

Of course, courts are not completely done with the Washington County case that challenged Florida’s ban of same-sex marriage. While a judgment came down that called for Clerks of Court in Florida to begin issuing licenses on Tuesday, a final judgment could change the situation down the road, though a majority of states now have seen the legalization of same-sex marriage whether through the courts or legislative change. A Supreme Court case may also impact whether states can restrict marriage. Barnes said she imagines many couples were anxious to be wed Tuesday in case the right is taken away down the road.

All Florida counties issued licenses, but a number of counties discontinued the practice of offering services for weddings; Sarasota and Manatee counties both still offer ceremonies. “We treat [same-sex marriages] just the same as any other,” said Very Reyna, supervisor of Marriage and Passports for the Manatee Clerk of Court’s Office. “Our clerk has always said we would follow any order received from the higher courts.” In the Sarasota Clerk of Court’s Office, General Counsel Irene Plank said no change in services offered is being considered, and no employees have objected to performing ceremonies for same-sex couples. Plank said the Sarasota offices in Venice and Sarasota issued a total of 36 marriage certificates, 33 for same-sex couples, and had performed five same-sex wedding ceremonies. Rayna said 22 certificates were issued in Manatee on Tuesday, 17 to same-sex couples, with two same-sex ceremonies performed. In comparison, Plank said on average last January, the Sarasota offices saw a combined 8 or 9 certificates issued per day.

Pictured: Cindy Barnes, center, performed a joint ceremony for the first same-sex couples wed in Sarasota County: Susan Pringle and Barbara Sharpe, left, and Gail Foreman and Pat Cummins, right. Photo by Jamie Arena, courtesy Sarasota Pride.