Q&A – DST & The Status of The Sunshine Protection Act Under Trump
Each day I feature a listener question sent by one of these methods.
Email: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com
Social: @brianmuddradio
iHeartRadio: Use the Talkback feature – the microphone button on our station’s page in the iHeart app.
Today’s Entry: @brianmuddradio Will Trump help end time changes this time around?
Daylight Saving: Are We Stuck in This Time Warp Forever? March 10th, 2025
Groundhog Day Vibes: Florida’s Fighting the Clock—Again
Bottom Line: Here we go again—another groggy morning of clock-twisting torture. For most of us, the time change blues are peaking, and the big question looms: Will Florida finally break free of this madness and lock in Daylight Saving Time for good? Or are we doomed to this biannual farce forever?
I’d love to promise you this weekend’s headache was the last. But as of today, March 10th, 2025, the tea leaves say: Don’t hold your breath. Seven years ago, Florida’s legislature passed the Sunshine Protection Act—signed by then-Governor Rick Scott—to ditch the time flip-flops and bask in permanent Daylight Saving Time. Sounds dreamy, right? One catch: Congress has to greenlight it. Yep, the feds are the buzzkill gatekeepers here, and “act of Congress” isn’t just a figure of speech—it’s the literal roadblock.
Back in 2017, as Florida cooked up this plan, JP Morgan crunched the numbers. Their verdict? Time changes are an economic gut punch—costing Florida at least $12 billion a year, maybe as much as $26 billion. Inflation-adjusted for 2025? That’s $15 to $33 billion annually—and that’s just one state! We’re talking a ritual sold to us as “energy-saving” that doesn’t save a watt, bleeds billions, and—bonus—messes with our health. So why are we still doing this? Good question.
Enter Senator Marco Rubio, who grabbed the torch in 2018 to beg Congress for a federal blessing. His Sunshine Protection Act flopped in the Senate for two sessions—couldn’t even snag a vote. Third time’s the charm? In 2022, Rubio, teamed up with Senator Rick Scott (yep, the ex-gov who signed Florida’s bill), struck gold: The Senate passed it unanimously with a voice vote. One step from Biden’s desk, one step from ending this nonsense. Then… crickets. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shrugged it off—“not a priority”—and let it die.
Every new Congress hits reset, so here we are in 2025: Starting over. Rubio’s off being Secretary of State, but Scott’s back at it, reintroducing the bill with 16 co-sponsors—10 Republicans, 7 Democrats, spanning 15 states. I asked him last week if it’s got legs this time. His take? “I’m hopeful. We’ve gotta lock the clock. Even the president’s in on this now—he wants it locked too. But 60 votes in the Senate? Tough sledding. We’ll keep pushing.” Optimism noted, but the math’s brutal.
Then there’s Trump. Last Thursday, someone tossed him the question. His reply? Classic:
It’s a 50/50 issue, and if something is a 50/50 issue, it’s hard to get excited about it. I assume people would like to have more light later, but some people want to have more light earlier because they don’t want to take their kids to school in the dark. It’s something I can do, but a lot of people like it one way. A lot of people like it the other way. It’s very even. And usually, I find when that’s the case, what else do we have to do?
Translation: He’s not losing sleep over it. If Congress gets it to his desk, he’d probably sign. But don’t expect him to flex muscle to make it happen.
Here’s the kicker, though—Trump hinted public opinion might sway him. And the public? We’re screaming for this. Monmouth University says 61% of Americans want time changes gone. YouGov pegs it at 62%. That’s a bipartisan landslide for a no-brainer fix—yet Congress is still napping.
So, Florida’s stuck in its own Groundhog Day loop: a popular, common-sense law, billions on the line, and a nation fed up—thwarted by DC’s inertia. Will 2025 be the year we break the cycle? Or just another spin of the clock? Wake me up when Congress cares. Actually, do what Senator Scott suggested we do. Let your congressional representatives know that you do care!