TALLAHASSEE (970 WFLA) -- The State Senate has passed Sarasota Senator Greg Steube's bill to make daylight saving time year round, on a 33 - 2 vote. The bill has already passed the House.
But even if Governor Rick Scott signs it into law, it won't take effect unless Congress amends federal law to allow states to keep daylight saving time in winter. Right now, states may observe standard time year-round but if they use DST, they must set clocks back an hour between November and March.
If the bill becomes law and the Feds agree to allow it, year round DST could cause interesting changes for Floridians.
For one thing, the earliest the sun could set in Tampa would be 6:35 in early December. But there are only so many hours in a winter day, and mornings would be much darker. The sun would rise in early January, sometime between 8:15 and 8:30. That could lead to students walking to school in darkness unless school start times are adjusted.
Even after adjusting to those changes, year round DST would put most of Florida out of sync with the U.S. East Coast four months a year. Basically, it would be like living in Puerto Rico's time zone.
Between November and March, all network and cable TV programs would start an hour later. Morning TV shows that start at 7 New York time would begin at 8, "The Five" would run at six, the nightly newscasts at 7:30, Prime Time would start at 9, and the late-night shows wouldn't begin until 12:35 a.m. On the other hand, residents of the Florida Panhandle would be in sync with New York... and out of sync with their neighbors in Alabama.
Airline and other travel schedules to and from Florida would also be affected.