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FLORIDA - Florida lawmakers are leading a renewed effort to make daylight saving time permanent nationwide, with support from President Trump and growing bipartisan interest in ending the twice-a-year clock change.
President Donald Trump added momentum to the movement on Friday, posting on Truth Social that both chambers of Congress should “push hard for more daylight at the end of a day.” He criticized the current practice as a “very costly event” and called the clock changes a “big inconvenience.”
The latest effort centers around the Sunshine Protection Act, originally introduced in 2018 by Florida Senator Marco Rubio and reintroduced earlier this year by fellow Florida Republicans Rep. Vern Buchanan and Sen. Rick Scott.
The bill aims to shift the nation permanently to daylight saving time, allowing for longer evenings year-round.
Though it passed the Senate in 2022, it stalled in the House.
Florida has been one of the most vocal states in advocating for this change.
In fact, the state legislature passed its own version of the bill in 2018, but federal approval is required for it to take effect.
Nationwide, most states observe daylight saving time, except for Hawaii and most of Arizona. Critics argue the biannual switch disrupts sleep patterns and poses risks to health and productivity.
Supporters, including several Florida lawmakers, argue that making daylight saving time permanent would improve quality of life and boost economic activity by extending daylight hours.
Whether the proposal gains traction this time remains to be seen, but Florida’s leadership on the issue keeps the conversation alive in Washington.