Nearest Airport to Florida
Jacksonville International Airport (JAX / KJAX) is a major international airport located about 18 km (11 mi) from Jacksonville, the main city in Florida.
Current local time at the airport is 19:34:44.
Daylight saving time changes in Florida, United States
Florida has 2 listed IANA time zones. 2 observe daylight saving time changes in 2026.
Next change: November 1, 2026
Clock moves back from 02:00 to 01:00 local time.
Best Time to Call Florida
Business hours in Florida (9 AM-5 PM local time) fall at these local times elsewhere:
- Sao Paulo: 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM ( Convenient)
- Frankfurt: 3:00 PM - 11:00 PM ( Partial overlap)
- Johannesburg: 3:00 PM - 11:00 PM ( Partial overlap)
- Singapore: 9:00 PM - 5:00 AM (next day) ( Partial overlap)
- Hong Kong: 9:00 PM - 5:00 AM (next day) ( Partial overlap)
- Istanbul: 4:00 PM - 12:00 AM (next day) ( Partial overlap)
- Auckland: 2:00 AM (next day) - 10:00 AM (next day) ( Outside normal hours)
Times shown reflect current UTC offsets and may shift by up to an hour around daylight saving transitions.
Time Difference from Florida
Compare time in Florida with major cities worldwide.
Current Time in Cities of Florida, United States
About Time in Florida
Florida's Own Sunshine Protection Act
Florida passed its own version of permanent Daylight Saving Time years before the idea became a national talking point. In January 2018, matching bills, both named the Sunshine Protection Act, cleared their first committees in the Florida Senate and House by unanimous votes. By March, the legislature had passed it, and Governor Rick Scott signed it into law effective July 1, 2018.
The law could not simply declare permanent Daylight Saving Time, since federal rules only let a state opt out of seasonal changes, not opt into them permanently. So the bill used the same workaround several other states have since copied, moving most of Florida into the Atlantic time zone, one hour ahead of Eastern, then exempting the state from that zone's own seasonal clock change. The Senate version also proposed folding the Central time panhandle into Eastern time as part of the same package, though that piece was ultimately dropped.
None of it has taken effect. The law still needs the U.S. Department of Transportation or Congress to formally redraw Florida's time zone boundary, and more than seven years after Governor Scott signed the bill, that federal action still has not happened.
The Same Name, Taken to Washington
The Sunshine Protection Act did not stay a Florida story. After leaving the governor's office, Rick Scott became a U.S. Senator and, alongside fellow Florida Senator Marco Rubio, brought the same name and the same idea to Congress.
The federal version passed the U.S. Senate unanimously by voice vote in March 2022, a rare moment of complete agreement in a closely divided chamber, only to stall in the House of Representatives without ever coming to a vote. Scott and Rubio reintroduced it again in March 2023 with a bipartisan group of co-sponsors, and Representative Vern Buchanan, another Florida lawmaker, carried a companion bill in the House. Florida's own delegation has now championed the same piece of legislation, under the same name, at both the state and federal level, years apart, without either version fully becoming binding law.
Gulf County, Split Down the Middle
Most of Florida runs on Eastern time, but eight counties in the western panhandle, including Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington, Bay, and Jackson, sit in the Central time zone instead, an hour behind the rest of the state.
Gulf County is the one place in Florida where the boundary runs straight through a single county rather than along a county line. Part of Gulf County keeps Eastern time along with the rest of peninsular Florida, while the remainder stays on Central time with its panhandle neighbors, making it the only county in the state where crossing from one side to the other changes the clock without crossing any county border at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time zone is Florida in?
Florida does not keep a single clock. Its territory uses 2 different UTC offsets: UTC-5 (CDT), UTC-4 (EDT). Jacksonville, the main city, follows America/New_York, so check the local time of a specific city before planning a call or a trip.
Is the time in Florida the same as in Washington?
Yes. Jacksonville and most of Florida keep the same time as Washington, the capital of United States, so no conversion is needed for calls or meetings between them.
Do clocks change in Florida?
Yes. The next clock change in Florida is on November 1, 2026, when clocks move back from 02:00 to 01:00 local time.
What is the main city of Florida?
Jacksonville is the main city of Florida, with a population of about 1,009,833. The time, sunrise and sunset shown on this page are based on Jacksonville.
Which airport is closest to Jacksonville?
Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) is about 18 km (11 mi) from Jacksonville. Flight arrival and departure times there are shown in local time.
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