With 1,095 stores, Public is one of the largest grocery chains in the southeastern United States, and joins a growing list of companies that support gay marriage.

Florida-based grocery chain Public has announced to its employees that gay and lesbian couples that are legally married in any state will be eligible for health and other insurance — just days before same-sex marriage is set to become legal in its home state.

Public said it was expanding its spouse coverage beginning on Jan. 1 for health, dental, and vision benefits. On that day, gay associates who are legally married in any state will be eligible for those benefits, according to an internal memo which noted that previously Publix did not recognize such marriages as legal unions, according to a Tampa Bay Times report.

Approximately 66 percent of Fortune 500 companies offer equivalent medical benefits between spouses and partners, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Human Rights Campaign. Activists are hailing the decision as a major step forward for gay rights.

With 1,095 stores, Public is one of the largest grocery chains in the southeastern United States. Most of its stores are in Florida, but it also has stores in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, and North Carolina. A total of 35 states and the District of Columbia recognize same-sex marriage. North Carolina and South Carolina, two states where Publix has stores, are among those states.

The grocer will offer a 30-day enrollment window for same-sex married employees beginning on the first day of 2015. After that 30-day period is over, same-sex spouses will receive the same insurance benefits as their partners. Publix will require certified marriage certificates and universal enrollment forms from employees wishing to sign up.

The company is joining a growing list of corporations around the nation that recognizes gay marriages. Companies such as Target, Amazon.com, Delta, and Marriott have filed briefs with courts in Florida urging an end to the gay marriage ban. About 62 percent of voters in the state approved an amendment to the state constitution in 2008 defining marriage as between one man and one woman. However, gay marriage is likely to become legal in the state on Jan. 6 when a stay expires in the state’s federal case.