At a debate with opponent Kathleen Ford in the fall of 2009, St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster said that he would not object to domestic partnership benefits for same-sex couples. The issue hasn't surfaced again until now, as the St. Petersburg City Council is about to begin weighing a domestic partnership registry like the one recently proposed in Tampa for both gay and straight unmarried partners.
Speaking to WTVT Fox-13 in Tampa, Foster predicted unanimous support for such a registry when Councilman Steve Kornell brings the issue before Council next week.
Kornell himself is cautiously optimistic.
This article appears in Mar 22-28, 2012.