Florida Senator Rubio Files Bills For Year Round Daylight Saving Time

March 15, 2018

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio backed state legislators Wednesday by filing separate bills aimed at keeping Florida — and the nation — on daylight-saving time throughout the year.

The Legislature during this year’s session approved a bill that calls for year-round daylight-saving time in Florida. The change, if supported by Gov. Rick Scott, ultimately would require congressional approval.

“Reflecting the will of the Sunshine State, I proudly introduce these bills that would approve Florida’s will and, if made nationally, would also ensure Florida is not out of sync with the rest of the nation,” Rubio said in a prepared statement Wednesday.

A news release from Rubio’s office pointed to several potential benefits from the change, including that additional daylight in evenings could reduce car crashes, help lead to more physical activity that would reduce childhood obesity and reduce the number of robberies.

The Florida PTA Legislative Committee, meanwhile, tweeted opposition to the proposal because of how the change would affect students.

“It’s not the will of the PTA as it will negatively impact the safety of our children in the morning,” the committee tweeted Wednesday. “We don’t need more children standing in the dark waiting for a bus.”

The idea of year-round daylight-saving time has been promoted as a way to help the state’s tourism industry, as people would be able to stay out later with the additional sunlight. Hawaii and most of Arizona currently don’t participate in switching from standard time to daylight-saving time and back. They stay on standard time throughout the year.

Daylight-saving time started Sunday and is scheduled to end this year on November 4.

by The News Service of Florida

Comments

18 Responses to “Florida Senator Rubio Files Bills For Year Round Daylight Saving Time”

  1. HF on March 16th, 2018 11:40 am

    I agree with Concerned Citizen…

    there is no reason for these littles to be standing out there waiting on the bus by themselves…
    personally i like the extra daylight but either way is fine with me…
    also middle school gets out later and somr of them may have to walk home as its getting dark…

  2. jerry on March 16th, 2018 7:20 am

    I dont like Rubio, but this might be the only time i agree with him. Daylight savings time needs to stop. Either go ahead 30 min and keep it that way forever, or go back 30 min and keep it forever. Split the difference and call it a day

  3. ProudArmyParent on March 15th, 2018 6:07 pm

    p on(lol)
    I did mean “sew” but sometimes these computers think for themselves.
    As for the “dumb” tell a Native American it’s dumb thought. I didn’t come up with it, but it makes perfect sense. You can’t add hours to a day, but you can put children in danger with this action.

  4. p on March 15th, 2018 3:13 pm

    I personally agree with concerned citizen. To the proud army parent with the dumb comment about the blanket, I hope you mean’t sew instead of so it the bottom. The extra time in the afternoon is helpful for those of us that work and still have to keep up a house and a yard. I hope this passes.

  5. No Excuses on March 15th, 2018 2:44 pm

    I’m OK with keeping us on the current time plan, but I DO NOT want to be part of the Eastern time zone. Leave that part of the equation alone!

  6. Concerned Citizen on March 15th, 2018 1:49 pm

    I personally like the idea. Parents, stand out there with your small children as they wait on their bus. You should be out there whether it’s light or dark outside anyway! If all states go to this time, there will be no reason to have to worry about setting clocks to accommodate the time difference. And to the stupid comment about the two inches off the blanket doesn’t hold water when the kids actually have another hour of sunlight to play in. No, it doesn’t add a second to the twenty four hour day, but it gives us all more daylight hours to get things done when we get in from work!

  7. anne 1of2 on March 15th, 2018 1:19 pm

    This is accident and pedophile perfect. We all know not all children have an adult with them when they are waiting for the school bus. Let us worry more about our children that some driver on a cell phone being in a wreck at night. I really appreciate our not being able to vote on this. What are our votes for, exactly?

  8. Diane on March 15th, 2018 11:55 am

    Did our “Representative Rubio” bother to ask US what WE think about it? No. He doesn’t really represent us. He (and the rest of the Deep State) work for their donors who own them.

  9. Lifendason on March 15th, 2018 11:44 am

    I like the change. For those with children who get on the bus during the dark hour…YOU get up and put your child on the bus. I’ve seen small children on my street waiting for the bus and no adult around that I could see….SAD!

  10. ProudArmyParent on March 15th, 2018 10:50 am

    Another reason NOT to vote Rubio in again.
    “You can’t take two inches off the top of your blanket and so it to the bottom of your blanket and then claim you have a longer blanket!” It just doesn’t work that way.
    Can’t these politicians find something more pressing to bother with?

  11. Grammie on March 15th, 2018 9:21 am

    I hope this does not pass!! Elementary children should not be at the bus stop in the dark ever! The elementary schools let out at 2 pm, they would never be walking home in the dark. Please protect our smallest students and don’t pass this PLEASE. Money is not worth the potential danger to our little ones standing in the dark every morning.

  12. Michael Nordstrom on March 15th, 2018 9:15 am

    The School board could change the school start time one hour later from November till March, so the children would not be in the dark, catching the bus. Problem solved.

  13. Beulah Boy on March 15th, 2018 8:51 am

    The other reason I have read in another transcript was it would give an extra hour for the tourist??? When we are on regular time it is in the winter and how many tourist are going to be affected such as on the beaches in NW Fla in the winter? Would it benefit the tourism industry. I think there would be no change.

    Also the confusion across the state lines for those who live,work and go to medical facilities in the neighboring states would be very confusing at times if the other states did go on and off daylight savings time and we did not.

    Sure, you have change your clocks twice a year but that only takes a few min as opposed to the possible problems it could create.

    And when were all the state residents for their vote as to ‘yah’ and ‘nay’. Suggest putting it on the next ballot and see just how we feel.

    If it ain’t broke…don’t fix it.

  14. DG on March 15th, 2018 8:10 am

    I welcome this change. Standing in the dark in the mornings to wait on the bus is much better than walking home in the dark at night.

  15. Just Saying on March 15th, 2018 7:57 am

    Childhood obesity?! Electronics, poor parenting, and fast-food on every corner creates obesity. Boil this article down, and tourism is the bone that’s left. It’s about money, plain and simple! Here’s an idea, get rid of smart phones, tablets, and video games. Thrn put physical education back for every grade level, and allow children to go outside while at home, run around and use their imaginations, instead of waiting for their friends to click “like”! Just saying…

  16. David Huie Green on March 15th, 2018 7:47 am

    Set the clocks up three hours and you won’t know what to do with all the extra sunshine.

    (That’s an extreme example to show a flaw in the thinking.)

    David for 24 hours per day however measured

  17. Enough is enough on March 15th, 2018 7:01 am

    Oh, please!! “Reflecting the will of the Sunshine State”? Was every citizen of this great state contacted for their feelings? If so, I didn’t receive a contact. Get real – the bottom line is money. “Additional daylight in evenings could reduce car crashes” – NEWS ALERT! Stop texting and driving under the influence. “Help lead to more physical activity that would reduce childhood obesity” – parental education on how to buy food, plan menus, etc. will go a long way toward dealing with obesity. “Reduce the number of robberies” – Rubio, where do you live?! Robberies and home invasions happen at any hour of the day. Just check your county’s police reports. My main concern continues to be that of our children. Standing out in the dark waiting to catch a school bus is not safe! We must be our children’s voice!! Get real, Rubio!

  18. bigbill1961 on March 15th, 2018 5:38 am

    I wish these politicians would show as much enthusiasm about improving our education system as they do about daylight savings time.

    politics = poli, (many)
    tics, (blood-sucking creatures)