U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., backed Florida 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 (HB 1013) 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 ends this year on Nov. 4.
