Florida residents, like those in every other state except Hawaii and most of Arizona, change the clocks twice every year.
Whether this will be the year that stops remains to be seen.
The U.S. House voted 308-117 July 14 to make daylight saving time permanent, sending H.R. 139 to the Senate for consideration.
➤ Here's which states favor daylight saving time. Where Florida stands
The Senate version of the bill, S. 29, has been in limbo since it was referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on Jan. 7, 2025.
While President Trump has signaled support of making daylight saving time permanent, getting enough senators to vote in favor of the measure remains questionable.
What would making daylight saving time permanent mean
in Jacksonville?
When is daylight saving time?
Under daylight saving time, the clock moves forward one hour at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday in March.
At 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November, the clock is moved back one hour.
If daylight saving time were permanent, what would that mean in Jacksonville, Florida?
If making daylight saving time permanent is approved and Florida doesn't opt out by making standard time permanent, then here's what you would see in Jacksonville, Florida.
Would permanent daylight saving time mean more or less sunshine in Florida?
Florida would see the same amount of daylight no matter whether its daylight saving or standard time.
The difference is when that daylight occurs.
Permanent daylight saving time in Florida would mean darker mornings in fall and winter — with some winter sunrises not happening until after 8 a.m. — and more light in the evenings.
Summers would be as they are now, with bright mornings and long evenings, with plenty of time to be outside after work, but without the dread of another time change coming.
Jacksonville, Florida, sunrises, sunsets under permanent daylight saving time
Confused by what a permanent change to daylight saving time would really mean in Jacksonville?
We looked at when the sunrise and sunset would be on the longest and shortest days of the year: the summer and winter solstices.
The longest day of the year, the summer solstice was on June 21 this year. The shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, will be on Dec. 21.
Using the times provided by timeanddate.com, here's what would happen if daylight saving time were made permanent this year.
Jacksonville
Summer solstice, June 21
- Sunrise: 6:25 a.m. under daylight saving time
- Sunrise with permanent daylight saving time: 6:25 a.m. (same)
- Sunset: 8:31 p.m. under daylight saving time
- Sunset with permanent daylight saving time: 8:31 p.m. (same)
- Length of day: The day length doesn’t change with the clock shift; you still get 14 hours and 6 minutes of daylight on June 21.
Winter solstice,Dec. 21
- Sunrise: 7:19 a.m. under standard time
- Sunrise with permanent daylight saving time: 8:19 a.m.
- Sunset: 5:29 p.m. under standard time
- Sunset with permanent daylight saving time: 6:29 p.m.
- Length of day: The day length stays the same, at roughly 10 hours and 11 minutes of daylight on Dec. 21. That's 3 hours, 55 minutes shorter than the June solstice. The amount of daylight doesn't change, just when that block of light occurs.
Permanent daylight saving time impact for cities farther north
Since Florida is so close to the equator, sunrises and sunsets and the length of our days don't change as much as they do for cities farther north. Here's what permanent daylight saving time would mean for New York City and Anchorage, Alaska:
New York City
- Summer solstice, June 21
- Sunrise: 5:25 a.m. under daylight saving time
- Sunrise with permanent daylight saving time: 5:25 a.m. (same)
- Sunrise: 5:25 a.m. under daylight saving time
- Sunset: 8:30 p.m. under daylight saving time
- Sunset with permanent daylight saving time: 8:30 p.m. (same)
- Length of day: The day length doesn’t change with the clock shift; you still get 15 hours and 5 minutes of daylight on June 21.
Winter solstice, Dec. 21
- Sunrise: 7:16 a.m. under standard time
- Sunrise with permanent daylight saving time: 8:16 a.m.
- Sunset: 4:31 p.m. under standard time
- Sunset with permanent daylight saving time: 5:31 p.m.
- Length of day: The day length stays the same, at roughly 9 hours and 15 minutes of daylight on Dec. 21. That's 3 hours, 13 minutes shorter than the June solstice. The amount of daylight doesn't change, just when that block of light occurs.
Anchorage
- Summer solstice, June 21
- Sunrise: 4:20 a.m. under daylight saving time
- Sunrise with permanent daylight saving time: 4:20 a.m. (same)
- Sunrise: 4:20 a.m. under daylight saving time
- Sunset: 11:42 p.m. under daylight saving time
- Sunset with permanent daylight saving time: 11:42 p.m. (same)
- Length of day: The day length doesn’t change with the clock shift; you still get 19 hours and 21 minutes of daylight on June 21.
Winter solstice, Dec. 21
- Sunrise: 10:13 a.m. under standard time
- Sunrise with permanent daylight saving time: 11:13 a.m.
- Sunset: 3:41 p.m. under standard time
- Sunset with permanent daylight saving time: 4:41 p.m.
- Length of day: The day length stays the same, at roughly 5 hours and 27 minutes of daylight on Dec. 21. That's 13 hours, 54 minutes shorter than the June solstice. The amount of daylight doesn't change, just when that block of light occurs.
What difference would Florida residents 'see' in winter if daylight saving time were permanent?
The most obvious change Florida residents would notice if daylight saving time were made permanent is darker winter mornings and brighter winter evenings.
Instead of the sun coming up around 7 a.m. in December and January, many Floridians would see sunrise closer to 8 a.m. or later.
That means more people heading to work and kids waiting at bus stops would occur in the dark, an issue raised by several safety experts and legislators.
At the end of they day, sunset for many in Florida would be later, closer to 6 or 7 p.m. instead of 5 or 6 p.m. as it is now. That extra light is favored by tourism and business advocates.
What difference would Florida residents 'see' in summer if daylight saving time were permanent?
Since the summer sun already rises relatively early in Florida — we currently have daylight saving time in the summer — Florida residents wouldn't notice any change if daylight saving time were made permanent.
We would continue to enjoy bright mornings and long evenings.
We also would continue to see sunsets, often after 8 p.m.
Arguments made both in favor and opposed to permanent daylight saving time
Florida fully supports the measure to make daylight saving time permanent. H.R. 139, known as the Sunshine Protection Act, which was approved by the House, was filed by Rep. Vern Buchanan of Florida.
Over the last seven years, 19 states have enacted legislation to provide foryear-round daylight saving time, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
So why does the topic generate so much controversy?
Why should we make daylight saving time permanent?
“For years, Floridians have voiced overwhelming frustration with the outdated practice of changing the clocks twice a year," Buchanan said.
"The biannual clock change is inconvenient, unnecessary, and out of step with the needs of today’s families and economy.
"Permanent daylight saving time will provide Americans with greater stability and more usable daylight hours throughout the year."
Why should daylight saving time not be permanent?
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, warned permanent daylight saving time would mean the sun would rise at "dangerously late hours," forcing kids to walk to school in the dark.
Medical experts oppose permanent daylight saving time, saying it locks in a schedule that reduces morning light, worsens circadian misalignment, and extends the health risks already seen with daylight saving time.
Instead, they favor permanent standard time.
Cheryl McCloud is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida's service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://pnj.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville sunrise, sunsets times under permanent daylight saving time
