Florida Senate approves bill to stay in Daylight Saving Time year round
By Jennifer Fabiano, AccuWeather staff writer
March 10, 2018, 8:55:25 AM EST
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The Florida Senate approved a bill to let Florida remain on Daylight Saving Time year round on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.
The “Sunshine Protection Act” means that Florida would not set their clocks back in the fall, when the rest of the Eastern United States does. This change would give Florida residents more sunshine in the evening during the winter.
In this July 14, 2016, file photo, a fisherman prepares to cast a line as the sun rises behind him as he fishes off a jetty into the Atlantic Ocean, in Bal Harbour, Fla. Florida will join most of the nation Sunday, March 11, 2018, in springing ahead, moving clocks up one hour to observe daylight saving time. If Sunshine State legislators get their way, there soon will be no falling back. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)
Three republicans from Florida have sponsored this legislation including State Senator Greg Steuve and State Representatives Heather Fitzhagen and Jeanette Nuñez. They have cited their support for year-round daylight saving time in the claims that it would improve the economy, public safety and mental health, according to The New York Times.
The bill, passing 33-2 in the state Senate must be signed by Gov. Rick Scott, but will not be immediately put into place even if that happens. The federal government controls time zones and daylight saving time dates.
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Congress would need to amend existing federal law to allow the change. Federal law does allow states to exempt from daylight saving time, as Arizona and Hawaii do, but Florida is looking to exempt themselves from standard time.
Nothing in federal law allows states to exempt themselves from standard time, and other states, namely a few New England states, have tried have not been successful.
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