Yes.
You can legally marry your first-cousin in Florida, despite recent efforts from legislators to ban the practice.
Florida lawmakers ran out of time during the legislative session while considering the bill in March. The House and Senate couldn’t reach an agreement on the finalized version –– which included other topics aside from marriage.
The bill would have banned someone from marrying anyone descended from their grandparents, which includes first-cousins. The bill could still return during the next legislative session.
When Gov. Ron DeSantis said Florida needs to “get with the program” on banning first-cousin marriages during a Fox News segment on Tuesday, he was referencing the bill that failed. Many states, including Ohio and New Hampshire, already have restrictions on these marriages. Other states that haven’t yet banned it include Colorado and North Carolina.
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Sources
- Florida Senate House Bill 733
- Ohio Bar Ohio’s Marriage Laws
- Town of Exeter New Hampshire Marriage Laws
- Routt County, Colorado Colorado Prohibited Marriages
- North Carolina Judicial Branch North Carolina Marriages
