It is time to spring ahead.
Twice a year controversy arises over changing the clocks to daylight saving time from standard time and the other way around. This year daylight saving time begins Sunday, March 14 at 2 a.m. an ends Sunday, November 7, 2 a.m.
“Most people enjoy the extra hour of sunshine however, few want to lose an hour of sleep,” says Dustyn Shroff, Vice President of GreatFlorida Insurance, Florida’s top independent homeowners insurance agency.
According to the Department of Transportation (DOT), their department oversees the Nation’s time zones and the uniform observance of daylight saving time because time standards were first instituted by the railroad industry.
The DOT explains, daylight saving time is observed because it saves energy, saves lives by preventing traffic accidents and reduces crime.
“It seems most people across the U.S. are in favor of no more time adjustments,” says Dustyn Shroff, Vice President of GreatFlorida Insurance, Florida’s largest independent homeowners insurance agency.
Fifteen states have already enacted legislation to make daylight saving time or standard time year-round, ending the practice of changing our clocks twice a year. These states include: Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, South Carolina, Louisiana, Delaware, Maine, California, Ohio, Utah, Washington, Oregon, Wyoming and Idaho.
Individual states or territories only have power to opt out of daylight saving time. These areas are permanently on standard time: Arizona, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Any proposals to establish permanent daylight saving time would require Congress to amend the Uniform Time Act. The act says states either must change their clocks to daylight saving time at a specified time and day or adhere to standard time throughout the year.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. has been in favor of a year-round daylight saving time for years. He proposed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2019 in effort to end the twice-annual time changes and keep daylight saving time all year in Florida and across the nation. While it passed the Florida Legislature, the bill still requires an amendment to the Uniform Time Act to be observed federally.
Despite popular belief, day light saving time was not created by farmers. In fact, History.com reports the agricultural industry was deeply opposed to the time switch when it was first implemented on March 31, 1918. Daylight saving time was a wartime effort to conserve fuel.
If you are looking for affordable homeowners insurance, contact GreatFlorida Insurance today.
