Longer days are ahead of us. All it will cost us is an hour of sleep.
That’s right, the start of daylight saving time is nearly upon us. Americans everywhere will collectively bemoan the lost hour of sleep on Sunday, March 8, when we roll our clocks forward.
Florida won’t immediately see longer days, but sunsets will start a full hour earlier once daylight saving time starts. Here’s what to know.
When does daylight saving time start?
Daylight saving time will start in the Florida Panhandle at 2 a.m. CT. It will roll forward to 3 a.m.
Countdown to start of daylight saving time 2026
What is daylight saving time?
Daylight saving time is the time between March and November when most Americans adjust their clocks ahead by one hour.
According to timeanddate.com, “daylight saving time is the practice of setting the clocks one hour ahead of standard time to make use of more sunlight in the spring, summer and fall evenings. Daylight saving time (DST) is used to save energy and make better use of daylight. It was first used in 1908 in Thunder Bay, Canada.”
Daylight saving time became a national standard in 1966, when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Uniform Time Act, which was enacted to conserve energy. The thinking was that if it’s light out longer, you’ll need less time to use lights in your home.
Did Daylight Saving Time start because of farmers?
No, according to almanac.com.
“Many Americans wrongly point to farmers as the driving force behind Daylight Saving Time. In fact, farmers were its strongest opponents and, as a group, stubbornly resisted the change from the beginning,” Catherine Boeckmann wrote for almanac.com.
“When the war ended, the farmers and working-class people who had held their tongues began speaking out. They demanded an end to Daylight Saving Time, claiming it benefited only office workers and the leisure class. The controversy spotlighted the growing gap between rural and urban dwellers.”
How much sunlight will Florida Panhandle get back from daylight saving time?
The Florida Panhandle won’t see an immediate jump in the sheer length of daylight it sees on March 8, but the sun will start to set about an hour later. By summer, the Sunshine State will see well over two hours of additional daylight. Here’s a look:
When does daylight saving time end?
Daylight saving time ends for the year on Sunday, Nov. 1.
Didn’t Florida permanently end daylight saving time?
As of March 2, daylight saving time is still in effect in Florida. Congress needs to approve, and the president needs to sign, a law for a state to stay permanently on daylight saving time.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) created the system of uniform daylight saving time when it enacted the Uniform Time Act of 1966. It mandates that states either participate in daylight saving time or opt out.
All of Florida’s past daylight saving time legislation sought to make it permanent, which the federal mandate doesn’t allow.
Florida came closest to pass such legislation in 2018, when it became the first state to enact such a bill. Then-Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed the bill, but Congress never took action to approve it.
Florida lawmakers introduce new bills to make daylight saving time permanent just about every legislative session, but nothing has stuck yet.
What states, territories don’t observe daylight saving time?
There are seven states and territories that don’t observe daylight saving time:
Which countries observe daylight saving time?
Daylight saving time is used in more than 70 countries worldwide and affects more than a billion people each year. The beginning and end dates vary from one country to another.
Samantha Neely is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, theme parks, breaking news and more. 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://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: How much sunshine will Florida gain after daylight saving time?
Reporting by Brandon Girod and Samantha Neely, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
