Daylight Saving Time: Fall back, spring forward into the Sunshine Protection Act

By Reggie Connell, Managing Editor

This coming Sunday at 2 a.m., Daylight Saving Time (DST) begins.

I'm sure you've heard the familiar adage:

"Fall back, spring forward... and into another DST debate from Florida Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott."

Yes, it's that time of year again in the Sunshine State. The great mosquito flocks are buzzing back into their natural habitats. The first signs of 80-degree weather begin to peek through the frosty 50-60s 'winter wonderland' that is Florida... and the Rubio/ Scott tandem are trying to change time - or in this case, make it stop changing.

US Senator Marco Rubio

"Soon we will have to comply with the senseless twice a year “time change”, Rubio said on his Twitter page. "We need to pass my bill to make daylight savings permanent. More daylight in the evenings results in fewer car accidents & robberies. And it allows kids to play outside longer."

US Senator Rick Scott

"I’m joining Sen. Marco Rubio to reintroduce the Sunshine Protection Act, which will make Daylight Saving Time permanent," Scott wrote on his Twitter account. "It’s been a long winter & year stuck indoors - our families could use a little more sunshine & time to enjoy all that FL has to offer. RT if you agree!"

If this sounds familiar, it's because these two have been here before.

In September of 2020, Rubio and Scott teamed up to introduce the Sunshine Protection Act to stop the "fall back" part of the time change.

So where did the idea to change time originate? And when was it implemented?

The earliest known origin of the idea may have been a joke from a founding father in 18th century France - as if they didn't have enough to worry about at that point in time.

Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin proposed a form of daylight time in 1784. Writing as an anonymous "subscriber", his tongue-in-cheek essay, "An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light", written to the editor of The Journal of Paris, observed that Parisians could save on candles by getting out of bed earlier in the morning, making use of the natural morning light instead. By his calculations, the total savings by the citizens of Paris would be the approximate equivalent of $200 million today. And the extra hour of daylight may have made the guillotine-time a little easier as well during the revolution.

Franklin's suggestion seems to have been more of a joke than a real proposal, and nothing came of it.

Germany introduced DST in 1916. Clocks in the German Empire, and its ally Austria, were turned ahead by one hour on April 30, 1916 — two years into World War I. The rationale was to minimize the use of artificial lighting to save fuel for the war effort.

The plan was not adopted in the United States until the Standard Time Act of March 19, 1918, which confirmed the existing standard time zone system and set summer DST to begin on March 31, 1918 (reverting October 27).

Rubio and Scott cited the economic boost skipping the time change this fall would give to businesses as they reel from losses due to coronavirus restrictions. Experts say daylight saving time generally increases consumer spending as more people shop, dine out, and participate in local activities when it stays late longer into the evening.

On the other hand...

But according to Michael S. Jaffee, a neurologist at the University of Florida, standard time would be a better fit for busy Americans who are losing sleep.

"Most of the risk associated with daylight saving time occurs in the spring when we turn the clock forward and lose one hour of sleep," Jaffee wrote in an article for The Conversation. "The idea of a national permanent year-round time has support, but disagreements exist on whether the fixed time should be standard time or daylight savings time. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has recommended we go with permanent standard time – a better way to align with our natural circadian clock and minimize health and safety risks.

The states like Florida advocating for permanent daylight saving time are typically those that rely on tourism. Environmentalists, favoring less energy consumption from morning heating and evening air conditioning, often support permanent standard time. Religious groups, whose prayer times are linked to sundown and sunrise, also tend to prefer permanent standard time. So do many educators, opposed to transporting children to school during mornings when it’s still dark."

It's unlikely the Rubio/Scott bill will ever make it into law, but it has become a constant every spring and fall - and at least they can claim Benjamin Franklin as an ally.

Happy DST day everyone. Don't forget to set your clocks an hour later on Saturday night - as if anyone has a clock to set ahead anymore.