Jesse Scheckner
Valentine’s Day is going to be especially memorable this year for 20 couples in Florida’s most populous county.
They’ll be tying the knot at the Dade County Courthouse, a National Register of Historic Sites entrant built in 1928, with Miami-Dade Clerk and Comptroller Juan Fernandez-Barquin officiating.
“I am honored to provide this opportunity to 20 couples (who are starting) their new lives together,” he said.
“This ceremony has a special significance, as it is likely the last time that such an event can take place at our beloved historic Dade County Courthouse, as our new courthouse is slated to be completed later this year.”
The soon-to-be newlyweds will exchange nuptial vows on the courthouse steps in Miami a short walk from the new courthouse site, County Hall, HistoryMiami, the Main Library and the county’s downtown transportation nexus linking the Metrorail to the Metromover.
The first of two public ceremonies is to begin Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. Fernandez-Barquin’s Office is advising members of the media covering the event to arrive at least 15 minutes early.
A former Republican lawmaker, Fernandez-Barquin took over the Clerk job in June, when Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed him to replace late Miami-Dade Clerk Harvey Ruvin, a broadly popular local official who dedicated 56 years of his life to public service.
About a month later, DeSantis called a Special Election to replace Fernandez-Barquin in the House District 118 seat. Republican lawyer Mike Redondo won on Dec. 5, though questions quickly arose about his residency and qualification to run.
Two people are running to replace Fernandez-Barquin. One is Rubin Young, a prior congressional candidate who Fernandez-Barquin will face in the GOP Primary. The other is former Democratic state Sen. Annette Taddeo, who in 2022 mounted an unsuccessful bid to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar in Florida’s 27th Congressional District.
