Sunshine Protection Act, why Florida still falls back, for now

It’s almost time for daylight saving time.

Despite efforts to permanently end daylight saving time in Florida and beyond, it’ll soon “end” in 2025.

The age-old practice starts up in March, when we’ll set our clocks forward one hour — unless you live in a state or area that does not observe daylight saving time.

For years, lawmakers tried to permanently end daylight saving time in Florida via the Sunshine Protection Act, with bills introduced in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023. However, the bills were never passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, and they have never been signed into law. Most recently, President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have said daylight saving should go away — for good.

Below are things to know about the Sunshine Protection Act, reasons why we still “fall back” and “spring forward” and other facts about daylight saving time.

What is daylight saving time?

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 established as a way to continue to conserve energy. The thinking was, if it’s light out longer, that’s less time you’ll need to use lights in your home.

When is daylight saving time 2025? When is fall back 2025? When do we spring forward?

Daylight saving time for 2025 “started” at 2 a.m. ET Sunday, March 9, 2025, for “spring forward.” Daylight saving time 2025 “ends” at 2 a.m. ET Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, for “fall back.” DST starts (again) at 2 a.m. ET Sunday, March 8, 2026.

Why do we change our clocks twice a year for daylight saving time?

Those who support ending daylight saving time permanently advocate brighter afternoons and more economic activity. In Florida, ending daylight saving time could help tourism, legislators say.

Why can’t we end daylight saving time permanently?

Twice a year, daylight saving time dominates the news cycle and social media feeds because of its “should we or shouldn’t we” dilemma. Changing wall clocks and adapting to the change in daily routines have never been popular.

We live in a time-obsessed culture. What time is it? When’s dinner? How soon until I take my 30-minute lunch break from work? What time can I start trick-or-treating on Halloween? What time should I start my Halloween party? How many days or hours until we celebrate Diwali, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah or Christmas?

And, of course, one of the most popular holidays of all time revolves around a clock — New Year’s Eve. Worldwide, we love that holiday so much, we dress up, drink Champagne at midnight, or watch a ball drop (in person, virtually or on TV). So when we have to alter our schedules or time, it has a big impact on our lives.

What is the Sunshine Protection Act? Did the Sunshine Protection Act pass?

The Sunshine Protection Act would permanently extend daylight saving time from eight months of the year to the full 12 months. The bill was first introduced in March 2018 by then-Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, now Secretary of State in the second Trump administration, and Rep. Vern Buchanan. The pair reintroduced the bill, along with other sponsors, in 2019, 2021 and 2023.

In January 2025, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott introduced S. 29, known as the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 to officially “lock the clock”, end the twice-yearly time change and make daylight saving time the national year-round standard across the U.S. At the same time, in the U.S. House, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan filed H.R. 139 to make daylight saving time permanent across the U.S.

The measures introduced in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023 were not passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, nor were they signed into law by Trump during his first administration and by former President Biden.

Did Benjamin Franklin invent daylight saving time?

Not exactly. Benjamin Franklin was likely one of the first to talk about daylight saving time in the 1780s, presumably to save money on candles.

Who invented daylight saving time?

While daylight saving time was Ben Franklin’s idea, we don’t know for sure if he invented it. Daylight saving time was used sporadically starting with World War I for various reasons, then made the law of the land in 1967.

During the 1973 oil embargo, it became a one-year-long experiment to see how much oil it would save.

What does ‘fall back, spring forward’ mean?

According to dictionary.com, daylight saving, commonly referred to as daylight savings, “is begun in the spring by setting clocks one hour ahead. They are then set one hour back in the fall. … People often use the simple mnemonic spring forward, fall back to remember to set clocks forward one hour (e.g., from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m.) in the spring and backward one hour (e.g., from 2 a.m. to 1 a.m.) in the fall.”

Which states don’t observe daylight saving time?

Arizona and Hawaii do not recognize DST. There’s also no need to change the clocks in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.

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.

Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: When daylight savings ‘ends’ in 2025, fall back and spring forward