Item from the Smart
Marriages Archive, reproduced in the Divorce Statistics
Collection
December 2, 1998
State wants to slow your nuptials
The Orlando Sentinel, Dec 2 1998
David Nitkin Tallahassee Bureau
TALLAHASSEE -- Marriage is sacred. Marriage is an institution. And in less
than a month, marriage in Florida becomes
heavily regulated.
On Jan. 1, Florida's Marriage Preparation and Preservation Act takes effect,
giving state government a say about when you
get married and how you prepare for your big day.
In an effort to curtail divorces, the law -- the first of its kind in the
country -- offers a 37 percent discount on marriage license
fees if couples complete a four-hour preparation course. Those who don't
take the training must wait three days before getting
a marriage license.
On Tuesday, in an effort to raise awareness of the impending regulations,
the law's authors released a draft copy of a new
handbook that couples will have to read before getting married.
Written by the family law section of the Florida Bar, the pamphlet concentrates
heavily on what happens when marriages end.
It contains information on how children and assets are treated after a divorce.
"We want to make sure prospective brides and bridegrooms throughout
Florida know that as of Jan. 1, 1999, there will be
different expectations of them," said Rep. Elaine Bloom, D-Miami Beach,
one of the sponsors.
Supporters say the law was designed to reduce spiraling divorce rates by
nudging couples toward premarriage counseling, or
at least making them wait 72 hours between applying for a marriage license
and tying the knot.
The state has an interest in lower divorce rates, said Sen. Tom Rossin,
D-West Palm Beach -- to reduce school absenteeism,
medical costs and learning and social problems among children.
Much of the work now falls to the state's 67 marriage clerks, who must compile
lists of those qualified to teach four-hour
preparation courses and collect certificates from couples who complete the
course and who read the pamphlet.
Cindy Wingerter, the marriage license manager with the Orange County clerk's
office, predicted the new law would help
many couples get to know each other better.
"We have people that fight in front of us," Wingerter said. "Some
didn't know their partner had been married before. Some
didn't know what their real age was. There's all kinds of surprises."
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