Same-sex marriage in Florida will be legal statewide on January 6, 2015, as a result of Brenner v. Scott, the lead case on the issue. In this case, a U.S. district court ruled the state's same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional on August 21, 2014. The order was stayed temporarily; state attempts at extending the stay failed, with the U.S. Supreme Court denying further extension on December 19, 2014. With the stay expiring, the case is still under appeal.
Furthermore, a state court ruling in Pareto v. Ruvin allowed same-sex couples to obtain marriage licenses in Miami-Dade County on the afternoon of January 5, 2015. In another state case challenging the state's denial of marriage rights to same-sex, a Monroe County court in Huntsman v. Heavilinstayed enforcement of its decision pending appeal. Other lawsuits in state court have sought recognition of an individual same-sex marriage with varying results.
The state banned same-sex marriage by statute in 1977 and added a prohibition on the recognition of marriages from other jurisdictions in 1997. Voters approved an amendment that banned both same-sex marriage and civil unions on 2008. The state also imposes criminal penalties on any court clerk who issues a marriage license to a same-sex couple.
