Clocks Fall Back Sunday, Shifting Florida Sunrises an Hour Earlier

Florida and most of the United States will revert to standard time on Sunday morning when clocks are set back one hour. At 2 a.m., time will return to 1 a.m. under the Uniform Time Act of 1966. This adjustment will produce earlier sunrises and sunsets for residents across the state.

In much of Florida, sunrise will move from approximately 7:40 a.m. to 6:40 a.m. Sunset will shift from around 6:40 p.m. to 5:40 p.m. Although the clock change does not alter actual weather conditions, it aligns the calendar with the planet's tilt, which determines the seasons.

Daylight will continue to decrease by more than one minute each day until the winter solstice on Monday, Dec. 21. That date marks the shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. It also serves as the official beginning of astronomical winter.

The annual time change has reignited debate over whether the country should abolish the practice. In 2018, Florida lawmakers passed the Sunshine Protection Act, expressing intent to adopt daylight saving time year-round once federal law permits. Nearly two dozen states have passed similar measures, but Congress has not yet approved the changes.

A Gallup poll indicates that 72% of Americans dislike the biannual time switch. Respondents remain divided on a replacement. About half support permanent standard time, while roughly a quarter favor permanent daylight saving time. The central issue is whether the public prefers more morning light or longer evenings.

If the nation adopted year-round daylight saving time, the latest sunrise of the year would occur between 8:30 and 9 a.m. in late January. Under current rules, daylight saving time will resume on March 14, 2027. At that time, clocks will move forward one hour, restoring brighter evenings.