JACKSONVILLE — In 2015, heterosexual and homosexual couples in Florida who want to have a traditional courthouse wedding in Duval, Clay or Baker counties are out of luck.

With a ruling expected soon by U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle that would make same-sex marriage legal across the state, Duval Clerk of Courts Ronnie Fussell, Clay Clerk Tara Green and Baker Clerk Stacie Harvey face the prospect of issuing marriage licenses to gay couples.

As a result, all three clerks have decided to end the traditional courthouse wedding ceremony, citing gay marriage as a factor behind their decisions. The new policies will take effect no matter what happens on Jan. 6.

But Fussell admitted that none of his staff  who officiate wedding ceremonies felt comfortable about performing gay weddings, including Fussell himself.

“It was decided as a team, as an office… that there wouldn’t be any discrimination,” Fussell said. “The easiest way is to not do them at all.”

There were 1,911 wedding ceremonies performed at the Duval County Courthouse in 2013, compared to 6,342 marriage licenses issued.

Last Valentine’s Day, Fussell personally officiated a mass wedding for 12 heterosexual couples under the courthouse rotunda. He waived the ceremony fee, gave each bride flowers and offered a cupcake reception. With the possibility that he would be forced to include gay couples in the future, there will be no more weddings under the dome.

Residents of Baker, Clay and Duval counties who want to avoid the usual wedding expenses will now have to find a minister or notary to perform the ceremony after they pick up their marriage license.

Harvey said the room where weddings are performed each year will now be used as space for people filling out paperwork related to domestic violence injunctions, adding she did not want to force members of her staff to perform same-sex weddings.

Justin Horan, general counsel for the Clay County clerk of courts, said the debate over gay marriage accelerated discussions on whether to end courthouse weddings.

“Really it just expedited our evaluation on whether to continue to offer marriage ceremonies,” he said. “We had been talking about it for several months now.”

Court clerks of St. Johns and Putnam counties said they will continue to offer courthouse weddings, even if gay marriage becomes legal.

Putnam County Clerk of Courts Tim Smith said he will allow individual members of his staff who feel uncomfortable with gay marriage to decline to perform those ceremonies, but no one has said they will take him up on the offer.

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