Fort Lauderdale city government extended health insurance coverage to the domestic partners of employees.
The expansion was unanimously approved by the City Commission on Wednesday. The move comes 11 years after Broward County took the step.
The lack of insurance benefits has long been a sore point to gay activists in the city, who repeatedly sought assurances from commissioners that change would occur. The coverage applies to the domestic partners of unmarried gay and straight employees.
The city promised next to address other personnel issues to cover domestic partners by the end of the year. That will include bereavement leave and family medical leave.
Fort Lauderdale’s health plan covers 1,900 employees, and the city projects that between three to 70 additional dependents would seek coverage under domestic partnerships.
In addition to Broward, such Florida communities as Key West, Orlando and West Palm Beach offer partnership benefits to gay employees. More than half of the Fortune 500 companies in the nation also offer such benefits.
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