Sen. Darren Soto (D-Orlando), is trying to save the day with a bill that would keep Florida clocks from falling back this November. The “Sunshine Protection Act” would keep daylight saving time in place year round.
Soto wants to make the change for economic and environmental reasons. He says Floridians and the tourism industry will benefit from being outdoors.
“There’s no house companion this year, I only filed it again because it’s been very popular. It was the second most reviewed bill on the Florida Senate website last year,” Soto says. “But it wouldn’t have likely any chance of passing this year. Although next year, it looks like I’ll already have a House sponsor to help potentially pass it.”
Critics say the change could make traveling harder—especially for students waiting on the school bus in the dark, it will also knock Florida out of sync with the rest of the country. But retired police officer, Craig Leveen says he enjoys the extra hour.
“I think it’s wonderful to have the extra time in the evenings especially people that are working to get off of work and still have a couple of hours of daylight left to do what they want to before the sun goes down,” Leveen says.
Joining Hawaii and Arizona, the sunshine state would be the third to opt out of springing forward and falling back.