Gov. Rick Scott recently signed off on a bill proposing year-round daylight saving time in Florida, but what does that mean for the Sunshine State?
Well it would, without a doubt, mean more sunshine during the hours most people need it, helping the state live up to its name, but it’s a bit more complicated than that.
Below are a few things that could come with the change in the way we set our clocks.
Economic impact
Scott said in a statement that he supported the legislation because of the impact it could have on the state’s tourism industry. The governor said the measure would allow the people of Florida, as well as its visitors, to “enjoy everything our beautiful state has to offer later in the day,” according to The Associated Press.
Daylight would linger into later hours of the evening, allowing people to spend more time and, of course, money during their visits to Florida’s attractions and other local businesses, even after a long day at work. Many people go straight home from work during the months in which it’s usually dark when they leave their place of employment because it feels so much later. Overall, daylight lingering into the later hours of the day would allow more late-night activities.
Some leaders argue that Florida has been successful in creating jobs and running the economy without the change that they don’t see a need to fix something that doesn’t seem to be broken.
Residents and businesses could also save a few dollars on their electricity bills with the natural daylight sticking around longer each day, since it would take less artificial light to brighten up a room.
Of course, the daylight could also keep things warmer into the evening hours, which could in turn have residents and guests cranking up their air conditioning units and fans, racking their bill back up after all.
Emotional impact
With year-round daylight saving time, those dark, gloomy winter days that tend to make people feel a bit more sad than usual would become few and far between, as sunshine is proven to improve moods.
States where the sun sets in the early afternoon tend to see more people with symptoms of seasonal affective disorder, according to The New York Times.
More sunlight during daytime hours would allow residents and visitors to soak up more serotonin, the brain chemical most directly linked to moods, Time magazine reports.
According to the publication, autopsy studies have shown that people who died of non-psychiatric causes in the summer, when days are longer due to daylight saving time, tended to have higher levels of serotonin than those who died in the winter, when sunlight is scarce.
Basically, year-round daylight saving time in Florida could mean year-round feelings of happiness for some.
Safety concerns
While many, including the governor, cited the fact that it could change what drivers’ commutes look like as a pro, others are arguing that it’s more of a con.
Scott said the fact that people would have sunlight later in the day would help the economy because they could be out traveling longer and likely would be spending money.
Though the change in conditions could be beneficial at night, it makes the morning commute more dangerous for early risers, which is why the Florida Parent Teacher Association called for the legislation to be vetoed.
The organization said the year-round daylight saving time, which would have the sun rising later in the morning, would be dangerous for children since many would be traveling to school in the dark, according to the AP.
This concern could also be attributed to history, as a pattern of dangerous conditions reportedly made for deadly consequences in previous attempts at adopting year-round daylight saving time, Fox News reports.
President Richard Nixon tried to make the change in 1974 in an attempt to bring relief amid an energy crisis, but soon decided that the consequences were not worth it when, in less than a month, eight children died in Florida, according to the network. Six of those deaths were reportedly a direct result of kids going to school in the dark.
Of course, there are other concerns, like television program scheduling issues since Florida fall under a different time zone for part of the year while other states continue to operate on standard time from March until November, but these seem to be among the popular topics of discussion.
What’s next?
Gov. Scott signed H.B. 1013, also known as the “Sunshine Protection Act,” last week. So, what now? If it’s jump through all of the state’s hurdles, why haven’t we seen any changes?
Well, the bill itself explains that, if all went according to plan, the legislation would not go into effect until July 1, but even before then, there’s more to the story – Congress must OK it.
Even if every person in Florida was in agreement with the entire state Legislature about being in support of the year-round daylight saving time, Florida doesn’t have the authority to make the change on its own.
Congress controls the nation’s time zones and decides when daylight saving time will begin and end. States have the ability to exempt themselves from daylight saving time, but not the power to exempt from standard time, which is why Florida still needs the federal government’s stamp of approval.
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