Gov. Ron DeSantis is turning his attention to first-cousin nuptials, commenting for the first time on HB 733, a wide-ranging Department of Health (DOH) bill that would have stopped Florida from recognizing marriages between first cousins after July 1.
“For some reason the ban on cousin marriages was dropped during the legislative process,” he posted to X.
DeSantis did not comment on the bill during the Legislative Session that ended earlier this month.
Disputes during floor sessions involved a lot of other issues within the bill, including medical marijuana, neonatal nutrition, and best practices for dental hygienists. The House and Senate could not find common ground.
Given that this was DeSantis’ last Legislative Session, the only way he could effect change would be to add a bill to a Special Session call.
Legislators are already committed to returning to Tallahassee to finalize the state budget and to revise the congressional apportionment map, which has its own controversies attached given that incumbents in the U.S. House worry that aggressive redistricting could endanger them.
DeSantis wants a constitutional amendment eliminating homestead property taxes, and it’s conceivable that cousin nuptials could be part of the call for that Special Session.
If the DOH bill had become law, Florida would have joined the majority of states banning the practice that is considered to be taboo in the West but a more traditional practice in the developing world. Still, roughly 1 in 500 marriages results from a union of first cousins.
