Four same-sex couples have applied for marriage licenses in Sumter County since same-sex marriage became legal in Florida.
Among those couples are Louise “Robbie” Robinson and Gail Boright of the Village of Belle Aire. They plan to be wed Jan. 21 at the office of Sumter County Clerk of the Courts Gloria Hayward at the Sumter County Annex at County Road 466 and Morse Boulevard.
Robinson and Boright have been together 27 years. In 2001, they sold their home in Slidell, La. and went on the road in an RV.
“We traveled all over the United States and Canada,” Boright said. “It was wonderful.”
A few years ago they sold the RV and moved to The Villages.
“We’ve been through a lot together,” Robinson said. “We’re really are eager to get married. Finally.”
As of Thursday afternoon, all four marriage licenses issued in Sumter County had been issued at the Villages annex, according to Hayward’s office. Same-sex marriage licenses are also being offered at the Historic Courthouse in Bushnell.
Robinson and Boright were highly complementary of Hayward, who began issuing the licenses on Tuesday, the first day clerks in Florida could do so.
“We didn’t have all our paperwork right the first time,” Robinson said. “She was great in helping us get everything together properly.”
