Will the Sunshine State finally see permanent daylight saving time in 2026 or will Floridians have to change their clocks in the fall?
Florida approved permanent daylight saving time in 2018. But without approval from Congress, the twice-annual time changes will continue. The U.S. House approved permanent daylight saving time on Jul. 14. Now, it's up to the Senate.
And time is running out.
When does daylight saving time end in 2026?
Daylight saving time for 2026 ends on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 2 a.m., when clocks will fall back an hour to 1 a.m.
Sunrise and sunset will be about an hour earlier on Nov. 1 than the day before, meaning there will be more light in the morning and less light in the evening.
Is daylight saving time permanent this year?
The Sunshine Protection Act was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on July 14, which
is one step closer to allowing states to make daylight saving time permanent.
The legislation now must be passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Trump, who has long supported making daylight saving time permanent.
Unless the Senate supports making daylight saving time permanent, and President Trump signs it into law before Nov. 1, most Americans will again move their clocks back one hour to return to standard time.
H.R. 139, known as the Sunshine Protection Act, was filed Jan. 3, 2025, by Rep. Vern Buchanan, Florida-District 16. Buchanan has brought the Sunshine Protection Act before each Congress since 2018.
Trump has repeatedly supported the shift to permanent daylight saving time and has been asking senators to pass the Sunshine Protection Act ASAP.
Which states want permanent daylight saving time? Florida and 18 others
Nineteen states have enacted legislation that would implement permanent daylight saving time if and when such action is passed by Congress:
- Alabama
- Colorado
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Washington
- Wyoming
Florida sunrises, sunsets under permanent daylight saving time
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.
Kim Luciani is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida's Audience team. Cheryl McCloud and Lianna Norman are journalists 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 by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://heraldtribune.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Will Florida clocks fall back in 2026? When daylight saving time ends
