WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — The twice-a-year ritual of changing the clocks may be one step closer to becoming history.
On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent across the country. That means we would no longer “spring forward” in March or “fall back” in November. Instead, we’d keep the same time year-round.
If you’ve ever wished for more daylight after work or school, this proposal is designed to do exactly that. But it also comes with a tradeoff that would be especially noticeable during the winter months.
Right now, the U.S. spends about eight months on daylight saving time and four months on standard time.
Every November, we turn our clocks back one hour. That gives us earlier sunrises—but it also means the sun sets much earlier in the evening.
What permanent daylight saving time could mean for Florida winters. (WPEC)
If the Sunshine Protection Act becomes law, that November clock change would disappear.
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Instead of moving the clocks back, we’d stay on daylight saving time all year. That means winter sunrises would happen about one hour later, and winter sunsets would happen about one hour later, too.
What would that look like in South Florida?
Let’s use Miami as an example.
Around the winter solstice—the shortest day of the year—the sun currently rises at approximately 7:00 a.m. and sets around 5:30 p.m.
What permanent daylight saving time could mean for Florida winters. (WPEC)
Under permanent daylight saving time, those same sunrise and sunset times would shift to roughly:
- Sunrise: about 8:00 a.m.
- Sunset: about 6:30 p.m.
The amount of daylight wouldn’t change at all. We’d still have the same number of daylight hours. The clock would simply label those hours differently.
Think of it like sliding your entire daily schedule one hour later.
So why do some people love the idea?
For many Floridians, especially during the winter, an extra hour of evening daylight sounds appealing.
Instead of watching the sun disappear before many people leave work, there would still be daylight for an evening walk, a trip to the park, outdoor dining or a round of golf.
Supporters also argue that more daylight during the hours people are typically awake could benefit businesses, tourism and outdoor recreation—an important consideration in states like Florida.
What’s the downside?
The biggest concern is those darker mornings.
If the bill becomes law, many Floridians would head to work or school before sunrise during parts of the winter.
For several weeks around December and January, children waiting at bus stops and morning commuters could be doing so in complete darkness. That’s one reason some sleep scientists and safety advocates prefer permanent standard time instead, arguing that earlier morning sunlight better matches our natural body clocks.
What’s next?
Although the House approved the Sunshine Protection Act by a bipartisan vote of 308-117, the legislation still must pass the Senate before it can be sent to the president to become law. Similar proposals have cleared one chamber of Congress before but ultimately failed to make it across the finish line, like in 2022 when the senate passed the same bill but it was never brought to the house floor.
So for now, we’ll still be setting our clocks back this fall.
What permanent daylight saving time could mean for Florida winters. (WPEC)
But if the bill eventually becomes law, the change won’t be how much daylight we get—it’ll be when we get it.
