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Living Together Unmarried In Florida? It’s A Crime, For Now
November 1, 2015
A South Florida senator has filed a proposal that would repeal a longstanding law designed to bar men and women from living together if they are not married.
The bill (SB 498), filed by Sen. Eleanor Sobel, D-Hollywood, will be considered during the 2016 legislative session and is identical to a measure filed by Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, D-Tallahassee.
A House staff analysis said a law passed in 1868 bars cohabitation and carries a potential penalty of a second-degree misdemeanor. The House Criminal Justice Subcommittee last month gave initial approval to Rehwinkel Vasilinda’s repeal bill.
Comments
30 Responses to “Living Together Unmarried In Florida? It’s A Crime, For Now”
You gotta test drive the car before you buy it. I would not marry anyone without seeing if I could live with them first.
If most of these people commenting had spend half as much time READING the actual article as they did ranting their opinions, they might realize what it actually said. It is already against the law for a man and woman to live together if they are not married and has been since 1868, it is just not enforced! They are trying to remove the already in existence law! AND, if “Christians” would spend half as much time READING their Bibles as they do ranting about what is sin, they wouldn’t have time to tell everyone on here what is right and wrong, because they would be too busy working on their own faults and loving others like we are supposed to do. Just saying.
Hate to say it but than the jails will be full!! Sure is sad this isn’t a free country anymore.. Thanks Obama I never see this law passing period!! All its about is money!!
Daniel, it’s your first wife not 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc., that one should stay married too, is what the Bible talks about man & woman, if you really want to break it all the way down, so next they’ll want to try to find a loophole in Gods word to okay divorces, but the actual true way of being able to divorce was to prove your spouse was having relations with another.
If someone is on probation, this could actually violate their probation.
While agree it is, indeed, an antiquated, outdated law, it is rather curious as to why they are seeking to repeal it almost 150 years after it was passed. Is it to possibly cover up the fact that MANY of the LAWMAKERS and law enforcers may be violating that very law? I mean, if it is not – and has not been – enforced in DECADES, why worry with it now?
I theorize that it was passed to begin with just as a means to ensure the revenue from marriage licenses. Which, by the way, is a business the government ought not be in to begin with. It really is a God-law, not a man-law.
In general I am not as annoyed by this as I am some of the other things that liberals are doing to destroy the fabric of this Christian nation. I got news for those wanting that. It ain’t going to happen. This is and always will be a Christian nation! One nation under God and I am proud to say it.
Section 741.211 of our state’s statutes explains that any “common law marriage entered into after January 1, 1968″ in the state of Florida is not considered valid.
So you can maybe soon live together legally, but Florida will recognize the arrangement as “common law marriage”.
All I can say is WOW! A union between 2 people is their concern, period. There is a thing called common-law marriage, no mention of that. All the Christian comments rather make me chuckle.
This used to be a Christian nation and now piece by piece they are changing it.
As a Christian I am appalled by this. Of course a liberal would want to change this law!
Many of the commenters just didn’t read the law..It is the law and can be used a PC to make an arrest, I see it as a good tool for law enforcement. The authors husband is a long time TV guy and she was/is a jr college instructor.Then we have the children born of these relationships whose father just walk away.
It is interesting that some have commented “Well we might as well build more jails” as
consequence of violating mans law, but man can’t enforce the law because it would be too costly. There I one law giver that is Just, Holy, and Righteous and His judgement is true and His jail is plenty big enough to received those that have transgressed His Law, unless you received a pardon only Christ can give!!!
@Beth
There are thousands of couples, people, ect. that don’t live together and have sex on the regular. You don’t have to live together to do that and there are plenty of hotel receipts to prove it. Since we are going in terms of religion, what about people who cheat on their husband/wives? That’s a sin and it’s not right but are they going to make a law against that.
We don’t know what goes on in peoples homes. Who are we to judge?
If the law would of been doing by the LAW, or WHATS ON THE BOOKS, for all these years, the murderers would be deheaded. And is tax payers wouldn’t be supporting their families and their babies. 80% of the prisons we wouldn’t need, if they went by the books.THIS WORLD WOULDN’T BE IN THE SHAPE IT’S IN TODAY, IF THEY WITH BY THE BOOKS……
How many years did people get married before the state of Florida, or any other state for that matter, started issuing/ selling, marriage licenses? Marriage is a union between a man and a woman, not a man & woman and the state. And yes I said a MAN & WOMAN. I personally feel it is an institution set up by God. Being a Christian I feel it is more than just a piece of paper with a stamp and signature on it. It is a life long promise and commitment between a man, a woman and God.
I actually feel repealing this law is a good thing. Since the Supreme Court has redefined marriage it is time for Christians to stop participating in their so called marriage and start marring in the church and keeping the state out of it.. But for now we as Christians must follow the law, 1 Peter2:13-15 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; 14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. 15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
And they say jails are overcrowded…….
Don’t we enough broken laws in Florida they can revise or get rid of??? This is just stupid!!!!
I think this law should be enforced. Premarital sex is a sin and God only knows what happens behind those doors. People wake up and smell the coffee. A sin is a sin.
Ditto CW,
Most these commenters haven’t even read the article. They see a headline and just fly off without knowing what they are talking about.
I don’t understand what some people are complaining about. What’s the harm in removing an old ineffective law that’s been on the books since 1868? This is 2015 people, things need to be updated!
What are our state officials trying to say, that our law enforcement officers have so much extra time on their hands, they now have to keep up with whose toothbrush is spending the night at whose house. (That is for those who still brush in the am!!!!!) Remind me again, WHY are we
paying these guys?
Well lock me up then, I have been with the same man for 35 years now and never married him. To this day we still not married and we live in florida to.
I think marriage is wonderful! I love my wife!
If they enforced EVERY law on the books, we would all be paying fines to avoid jail time, or be in jail.
Everybody, no one is pure enough to avoid them.
A marriage license and vows taken do not a marriage make. Peace, love, dedication, commitment and harmony are the watchwords of all well-regulated institutions.
how they gona know who lives with who? guess they will hire people at tax payers cost to hunt people dowm and better find lots of money to build jails cause there are millions who live together.i guess thats a joke of today.
@ Trish….
You’ve got THAT right…
Build them with apartment type cells so the millions of GREAT Couples can continue to live together ( in sin, Horrors ) and be the same productive citizens as always.
On Social Security?
Get married.
Kiss some of YOUR Earned benefits Adios.
lot more jails and bigger Hafe of fl lives together
Even though the law was never enforced, at least not in my lifetime, it doesn’t surprise me that a group or liberal, progressive, democrats, would try and repeal it. It really does show their moral character. They would even sell off their children’s birthright (The future of the country) for a vote!!!
Well he better begin building more jails, then……………..