One of the rare bipartisan accomplishments during Florida’s 2018 legislative session was the passage of a bill that puts the Sunshine State on daylight saving time year-round.
The idea is that Floridians would get more sunshine later in the evening. But the plan comes with trade-offs. If approved by the federal government, what would change?
Follow this graphic from midnight throughout the day to see what would change.
As summer gives way to fall, everyone in the northern hemisphere gets less and less daylight.
Floridians, as they stop preparing for hurricanes and start preparing for school, see the sun rise later and later. By early November, the sun sleeps in as late as a quarter to 8.
Then, suddenly, on the first Sunday in November, an hour is lost. When daylight saving time ends, Floridians set their clocks back. As a result, the sun rises much earlier, as early as in May or July.
The time change affects the evening too, when skies get dark an hour earlier — often before those of us on the day shift can get home from work.
But all that could change. Florida wants to stop “falling back” and stay on daylight saving time year-round. If the federal government says yes, what will that look like?
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that elementary schools in Pinellas County begin at 7:35 a.m. Most Pinellas elementary schools begin at 8:35.
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