Clocks across Tampa Bay and most of the country will fall back one hour this weekend, closing out daylight saving time for 2026 unless Congress intervenes first, which is unlikely.

Daylight saving time officially ends Sunday, Nov. 1, at 2 a.m. local time, when clocks move back to 1 a.m. It began this year on March 8. Most people will gain an hour of sleep, but the trade-off is real. Sunrise and sunset will both arrive roughly one hour earlier once the clocks change. That means darker evenings for commuters, families, and small businesses that depend on after-work daylight.

Under current federal law, daylight saving time would begin again Sunday, March 14, 2027. Not everyone observes the switch. Arizona and Hawaii do not observe daylight saving time.

The twice-a-year ritual may be nearing its end, and Florida has played a leading role. The House voted 308-117 to pass the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent nationwide. Republican Rep. Vern Buchanan of Florida introduced it, and the House Energy and Commerce Committee cleared it 48-1 in May. During House debate, Republican Rep. Gus Bilirakis of Florida argued that permanent daylight saving time would give families more usable evening daylight and more time outdoors, and other Florida lawmakers said later daylight would help the state’s economy.

The bill also leaves states the option to decide. States that do not observe daylight saving time before enactment would have the choice to remain on permanent standard time. Florida is among 19 states that have already passed legislation to adopt year-round daylight saving time, pending a change in federal law.

Despite the House vote, the clocks still change this weekend. Unless Congress passes the legislation and signs it into law before the scheduled change, Americans who observe daylight saving time should still turn their clocks back on Nov. 1. President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged Congress to make daylight saving time permanent.

The effort isn’t partisan, and the debate isn’t settled. Supporters point to bipartisan votes and the practical appeal of ending the clock changes. Critics, including some health and sleep experts, have long argued that permanent standard time would be the better fix. Either way, the question of what time it is remains a federal decision, and Congress has not made it yet.

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