Once same-sex couples are wed next week — or at any time as of Jan. 6 — they will be able to change their last names easier in Florida.
With the recent gay marriage rulings, Orange County Tax Collector Scott Randolph will now accept same-sex marriage certificates from Florida and other states for couples updating their IDs with name changes.
The federal Real ID law requires those seeking new licenses are name changes to submit marriage certificates. The Orange County Tax Collector's Office issued more than 320,000 driver's licenses and IDs in 2014.
Before the ruling, the state of Florida refused to allow tax collectors to use same-sex marriage certificates from other states as valid documentation. As a result, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles was recently sued by a couple seeking to update their driver licenses.
"This was just another example of the many discriminatory policies same sex couples faced by the unconstitutional ban on same sex marriage in Florida," Orange County Tax Collector Scott Randolph said Friday in a statement. "We will continue to review all aspects of our office to ensure that any and all inequities are wiped out — from driver licenses to auto title transfers and internal employee benefits."
For more information, go to www.octaxcol.com.