![Catherina Pareto, right, and Karla Arguello, second from right, kiss after they were married by Circuit Court Judge Sarah Zabel, left, Monday, Jan. 5, 2015, in Miami. Zabel provided a jump-start Monday to Florida's entry as the 36th state where gays and lesbians can legally marry, saying she saw no reason why same-sex couples couldn't immediately get their licenses in Miami-Dade County ahead of a midnight launch statewide.](https://lgbtqnation-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2015/01/Florida-marriage-6.jpg)
Wilfredo Lee, AP
Updated: 5:45 p.m. EST MIAMI — Lesbian and gay couples were wed in Miami on Monday by the same judge who approved their marriage licenses, hours before Florida’s coming-out party as the nation’s 36th state where same-sex marriages are now legal statewide. The addition of Florida’s 19.9 million people means 70 percent of Americans now live in states where same-sex marriage is legal.
![Plaintiffs Karla Arguello, right, and Catherina Pareto, walk to the marriage license bureau after having attended a hearing in which a Miami-Dade Circuit Judge cleared the way for gay and lesbian couples to marry, Monday, Jan. 5, 2015, in Miami.](https://lgbtqnation-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2015/01/Florida-marriage-5-450x304.jpg)
![Todd, left, and Jeff Delmay, celebrate as they leave the courthouse after having attended a hearing in which a Miami-Dade Circuit Judge cleared the way for gay and lesbian couples to marry, Monday, Jan. 5, 2015, in Miami.](https://lgbtqnation-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/2015/01/Florida-marriage-7-450x304.jpg)