This Sunday, the nation moves its clock forward one hour, a familiar act known as “daylight saving time” to some and “throw bagels at your unconscious teen until they wake up” to mothers of high schoolers. By now, we all know the pros and cons: we lose an hour of sleep, but gain more sunlight and longer days. For all our life, it’s been an annoying but unavoidable part of the year.
But the state of Florida has had enough. Our state government wants to make this the very last time we ever mess with our clocks again. A recent piece of legislation called the Sunshine Protection Act (that breezed through the Florida Senate and House) would have Florida stay on daylight saving time permanently.
It’s had most of the state breaking out the abacus in an attempt to decide: is this good or bad? Do I need to care? Will it even matter as long as the unusually large rooster who roams my neighborhood continues to shriek its bird lungs out at both 4pm and 4am, unbothered by the position of the sun or the delicate REM cycles of its human neighbors. Who does one even call in regards to the removal of a prehistoric creature roaming Buena Vista like it pays rent?
Well, it’s complicated.
To start, it would be kind of cool to be able to tell people that we’re on Florida Time, wouldn’t it? Plus, in Miami—where showing up an hour late is punctuality of the highest caliber—would being an hour ahead of the rest of the east coast actually work in our favor? Will we finally make it to brunch before the eggs have hatched? Also, Florida Time does sound like a sweet excuse to whip out in any situation.
Oh, you wanted me to come to your daughter’s first birthday party? Sorry. Florida Time. What’s that? I was doing 103mph in a Walgreens parking lot? Sorry, officer, I’m on Florida Time, homie.
Florida wouldn’t be the first state to do such a thing either. We would join Hawaii and Arizona, which sort of makes sense. If the United States were a high school, we could see Hawaii, Arizona and Florida ditching fifth period to smoke funny cigarettes under the bleachers while they prank call Mrs. Delaware, pretending to be her podiatrist.
So this seems like a no-brainer, right? More sunshine in the Sunshine State, a solid reason to say we’re better than the rest of the east coast and a convenient excuse for ignoring work emails?
Of course, there are downsides too. Your TV schedule would become a sudoku puzzle from hell. Early morning news would start right as you’re leaving the house. Late night talk shows wouldn’t air till after midnight. All the math you’ll have to do to keep track of flights and cross-country conference calls is already giving us a headache. It will be isolating for sure.
It’s still far from a done deal too. Rick Scott has to sign it and then the United States Congress would need to approve it. And then—and only then—would Florida Time become a reality.
Should you root for it? It depends. Do you hate short winter days enough to create a potential statewide scheduling nightmare? Is the sun being out when you leave work important enough to you that you’re cool with watching the Times Square ball drop at 1am? Fine. Then maybe this bill is a good thing for you. A staggering majority of the Florida government seem to think it is. The Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act with only two dissenters and the House passed it 103-11 on February 14.
But I’ve lived my South Florida life by a certain rule that’s done me well so far: If nine out of ten Floridians agree on something, it’s probably not a good idea.
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