Protecting All of Our Families
At last Wednesday’s Oakland Park’s commission meeting, I became aware of an issue that affects so many families in our city. During a discussion about possibly limiting short term rentals, I discovered that single family homes were limited to no more than three unrelated people living together.
Specifically, the city’s code says that single family homes cannot include “more than three (3) individuals unrelated by blood, marriage, or adoption.”
I have been with my partner, Waymon Hudson, for six years. We received a civil union in Vermont almost five years ago and are registered domestic partners here in Broward County. We also recently had a foster son live with us, who is a part of our family that still comes home to visit us regularly from college. Yet, if we had two foster children in our home at the same time, we would have been violating the law!
That is wrong.
I am afraid that there are so many other unmarried couples (both straight and gay) with children who are violating Oakland Park’s law. There also are other families that are not related by blood or marriage that violate this ordinance, including seniors who live with and support each other. In fact, under this law the Golden Girls would be prevented from living in a single family home in Oakland Park!
This law is outdated and needs to be changed. A few cities across the country have already changed their laws, and Oakland Park could be a leader here in South Florida. This is an issue all cities need to look closely at and change. We should be strengthening our families, not creating more legal hurdles for them.
The reality is that our families and households come in every shape and size- and they all need to be respected and protected. Last week I asked the city to modernize this ordinance to reflect the wonderfully diverse nature of our city.
I am very pleased that Commissioner Boisvenue had the issue placed on the May 21, 2008 city commission agenda. Please help me in changing this ordinance by sending an email to the commissioners or making a statement at the May 21st meeting. Anybody may speak for up to four minutes during the public comments portion of the meeting.
I know we all appreciate when the city takes actions that make our community more inclusive and welcoming, and changing this ordinance is another step in that direction.
