Great time debate: Should we make daylight saving time permanent?
ORLANDO, Fla. - Clocks fall back to standard time this weekend, and it's time for the age-old debate we have twice a year: Should we stop changing those clocks back and forth? Well, momentum has accelerated in recent years to throw out the time change and permanently stay in DST (Daylight Saving Time).
Back in 2022, the U.S. Senate passed legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent starting in 2023. Championed by advocates of the bill saying brighter afternoons and more economic activity would benefit everyone. The act was called the Sunshine Protection Act. Unfortunately for advocates of the change, the bill never made it through the U.S. House, and therefore, did not survive the trek to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.
Additionally, Florida lawmakers voted in 2018 to make daylight saving time permanent, but the change still requires approval from the U.S. House of Representatives.
RELATED: What’s the status of the Sunshine Protection Act?
All that said, here we are, despite all the attempts to stop the changing of clocks, nothing concrete for the majority of America has been decided yet. Remember, Hawaii and Arizona do not change their clocks still, and are on permanent DST. That also includes but is not limited to Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.
Below is what the difference would look like in Orlando and Central Florida if we permanently shifted to daylight saving time. While we would keep those late summer sunsets, it would also mean later winter sunrises. The big takeaway here is that the Orlando area would have dark morning hours in the dead of winter with the latest sunrise nearly halfway into the 8 o'clock hour in mid-January.
A permanent shift to standard time would produce quite early summer sunsets. In fact, a lot of summer evening activities outdoors would end up occurring in darkness with the latest sunset occurring at 7:28 p.m. on June 28 every year. In this scenario, on August 23 of each year, the sun would set before 7 p.m. and then continue setting earlier from there.
What is history behind Daylight Saving Time?
Here we go again! We're losing an hour of sleep this coming weekend due to Daylight Saving Time. This is something Florida senators have been trying to ditch for good for several years, but as of right now, you still need to reset those clocks early Sunday morning.
Despite the hassle of changing clocks, there are benefits to doing so – most notably having more daylight in summer and avoiding later sunrises in winter.