Florida Clocks Drop Back an Hour This Weekend

Clocks in Florida and the rest of the country will fall back one hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 14, 2027, marking the start of standard time. This adjustment shifts sunrise times for much of the state from approximately 7:40 a.m. to 6:40 a.m. Sunset will move from 6:40 p.m. to 5:40 p.m.

The change follows the Uniform Time Act of 1966, which mandates the biannual switch between daylight saving and standard time. Although the clock change does not alter actual weather conditions, it affects daily routines and market hours for one additional hour this weekend. Daylight will continue to decrease by more than one minute per day until the winter solstice on Monday, Dec. 21, which marks the shortest day and longest night of the year.

The debate over this annual shift has intensified in recent years. Florida lawmakers passed the Sunshine Protection Act in 2018, signaling the state's desire to keep daylight saving time in place year-round. The measure took effect once federal law permits permanent changes. Nearly two dozen states have since passed similar legislation, but Congress has not yet approved a national change.

Public opinion remains divided on the ideal solution. A Gallup poll indicates that 72% of Americans dislike the twice-yearly time change. However, respondents are split on what should replace it. About half support permanent standard time, while only a quarter favor keeping daylight saving time year-round. The core economic and lifestyle question centers on whether residents value morning light or evening daylight more.

If the country adopted permanent daylight saving time, the latest sunrise of the year would occur between 8:30 and 9 a.m. in late January. Under the current schedule, daylight saving time will return on Sunday, March 14, 2027. On that date, clocks will spring forward one hour, bringing brighter evenings but later sunrises.

For now, the existing framework remains in force. The winter solstice on Dec. 21 serves as the astronomical start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Until Congress acts, the biannual clock change will continue to dictate time zones across the region.