Possible Elimination of Daylight Saving Time

IN 2018, THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE PASSED THE SUNSHINE PROTECTION ACT, WHICH WAS DESIGNED TO KEEP FLORIDA ON A YEAR-ROUND DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME SCHEDULE FOR 8 YEARS. THE LAW HAS BEEN ON HOLD WAITING TO BE ENACTED AS SOON AS THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS CHANGES FEDERAL LAW TO PERMIT IT RECENTLY THE U.S. HOUSE PASSED ITS OWN VERSION OF THE BILL OPPONENTS OF THE MEASURE ARGUE IT WOULD HAVE AN IMPACT ON SLEEP SCHEDULES. AND DESPITE BENEFITS FOR FLORIDIANS, IT COULD HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT ON NORTHERN STATES BUT AUTHOR AND SPONSOR OF THE ACT. CONGRESS, VERN BUCHANAN SHEDS LIGHT ON WHAT HE BELIEVES ARE THE POTENTIAL POSITIVES THAT THE CHANGE WOULD HAVE ON THE SUNSHINE STATE. IN A STATEMENT TO WGCU, CONGRESSMAN BUCHANAN SAID, QUOTE, PERMANENT DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME WILL IMPROVE PUBLIC SAFETY, PROMOTE HEALTHIER AND MORE ACTIVE LIFESTYLES AND THAT WILL GIVE FAMILIES MORE DAYLIGHT TO ENJOY AFTER WORK AND SCHOOL. >> FOR MORE ON THE POTENTIAL SWITCH TO A PERMANENT DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME. >> I AM NOW JOINED BY DOCTOR CARYN JOHNSON. SHE'S THE CHAIR OF THE COALITION OF PERMANENT STANDARD TIME DR. JOHNSON, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. NOW, THERE ARE SOME POSITIVES FOR BUSINESSES IN FLORIDA WHEN IT COMES TO A PERMANENT FIX TIME. BUT WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON WHAT COULD HAPPEN TO SLEEP PATTERNS IN A MOVE TO PERMANENT DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME IF IMPLEMENTED. >> SO YES, A LOT OF PEOPLE FEEL THAT IF WE CAN END THE TIME CHANGE THAT THAT WOULD BE GOOD. IT IS CERTAINLY IT'S VERY UNFAVORABLE. SWITCHING THE CLOCKS TWICE A YEAR AND WE LOSE SLEEP DURING THAT TRANSITION. BUT WHAT A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE IS THAT IF WE'VE GOT A PERMANENT DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME WELL, ACTUALLY HURT OUR SLEEP THROUGHOUT THE YEAR AND ESPECIALLY IN THE WINTER WHEN SUNRISE AS WILL BE AFTER 08:00AM. AND SO THAT'S WHY A PHYSICIAN SCIENTISTS ARE POWS, PERMANENT DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME AND INSTEAD SUPPORT PERMANENT STANDARD TIME. >> CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW THIS IMPACTS WHAT IS CALLED? THE CIRCADIAN RHYTHM? CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT THAT IS AND HOW THIS POTENTIALLY IMPACTS IT? >> ALL OF OUR OURSELVES IN OUR BODY ARE CONTROLLED BY CLOCKS. AND THESE CLOCKS, THE LIGHT EVERY DAY TO SO TO SINK THEM TO THE 24 HOUR, READ THEM. IF WE DON'T GET THE APPROPRIATE SIGNAL SUCH AS WHEN THE CLOCKS ARE SET LATER AND SUNRISES ARE AFTER 08:00AM IN THE WINTER. WE ARE SCHEDULES GET LATER ON. WE CAN'T ANTICIPATE THE DAY WHICH MEANS WE HAVE TROUBLE GETTING UP ON TIME. WE HAVE TROUBLE FALLING ASLEEP ON TIME. OUR METABOLISM ISN'T WORKING IN SYNC. SO WE'RE MORE RISK FOR THINGS LIKE OBESITY ARE CELLS THAT REPAIR OUR BODIES DON'T WORK AS WELL AS CERTAIN HIGHER RISK FOR CANCER AND HEART DISEASE. >> WHAT ARE ANY PROS THAT YOU WOULD SEE WITH MAKING THE SWITCH? >> AGAIN, IT WOULD BE A GOOD THING TO END THE CHANGES. AND SO THAT'S WHY ARE VERY IN FAVOR OF GOING TO PERMANENT STANDARD TIME. IF WE CAN GO TO PERMANENT STANDARD TIME AND NOT PERMANENT DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME. THEN WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO IMPROVE SLEEP, ESPECIALLY FOR OUR CHILDREN WHO ARE VERY SENSITIVE TO THE LATER SUNRISES AND SUNSETS SO WE COULD IMPROVE HOW WELL THEY DO IN SCHOOL. AGAIN, REDUCE RATES OF OBESITY IMPROVE THEIR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, THEIR MENTAL HEALTH, REDUCE CAR ACCIDENTS. BUT NONE OF THIS WILL HAPPEN IF WEGO TO PERMANENT DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME. >> DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT CHILDREN GOING TO SCHOOL IN THE DARK IN THE MORNING? AND THAT WOULD BE HAPPENING ON A DAILY BASIS RATHER THAN IF THE SWITCH OCCURS. THEN OBVIOUSLY THEY HAVE BRIGHTER SUNLIGHT IN THE MORNING. >> ABSOLUTELY. FLORIDA ACTUALLY LED THE OPPOSITION TO DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME. THE LAST TIME WE TRIED IT IN 1974, THEY WERE ONE THE FIRST STATES TO SAY WE NEED TO END THIS DARKNESS. OUR SCHOOL CHILDREN, WE'RE GETTING KILLED BACK IN 1974. IN ONE MONTH, THERE WERE OVER 8 KIDS BEING KILLED AT THEIR BUS STOPS AND WE DON'T WANT TO REPEAT THAT HISTORY. BUT INSTEAD, IF WE COULD BRING MORE LIGHT TO THE MORNINGS AND THE WINTER AND AND THEN WE CAN HELP PROTECT AND KEEP OUR DRIVERS SAY FROM THE ROAD, KEEP OUR KIDS SAFER. AT BUS STOPS. >> AND DO YOU PROPOSED THIS AS A STANDARD TIME ACROSS THE COUNTRY? >> YEAH, I MEAN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTRY ARE DEFINITELY AFFECTED BY DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME TO STANDARD TIME DIFFERENTLY. PLACES IN THE SOUTH LIKE FLORIDA HAVE THE LONGEST PERIODS OF SUN RISES AFTER 08:00AM. WE'LL PLACES IN THE NORTH HAVE SOME OF THE LATEST SUNSETS PLACES ON THE WEST COAST OF THE TIME ZONE. ALSO HAVE WOULD HAVE SOME OF THE LATEST SUNRISES AND SUNSETS AND SO ARE AFFECTED MORE BUT CERTAINLY BECAUSE WE ARE A GLOBAL ECONOMY AND THERE'S A LOT OF INTERSTATE BUSINESS. THERE IS IMPORTANCE OF OF KEEPING PEOPLE LINE. SO STATES COULD CHOOSE TO END ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. BUT PERMANENT STANDARD TIME IS THE BEST ALIGN FOR HEALTHY SLEEP, HEALTHY STREETS IN THE BEST ACROSS THE COUNTRY. SO THAT WOULD CERTAINLY STILL BE THE BEST RECOMMENDATION ACROSS ALL OF THE UNITED STATES. >> AND YOU HAVE ANY OPINION OR PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT THAT IMPACT COULD MEAN FOR BUSINESSES, ESPECIALLY IN FLORIDA. YOU KNOW, WITH REGARD TO HAVING A LATERS CONSISTENT LATER, SUNSET AND TOURISM DOLLARS. >> SO A LOT OF PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, ARGUE THAT THERE WOULD BE A BOON TO THE ECONOMY IF WE WENT TO PERMANENT DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME, BUT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO KNOW HOW IMPORTANT SLEEP IS FOR BUSINESSES. IN MOST BUSINESSES OPEN THEIR DOORS EARLY. THEY WANT THEIR WORKERS SHOWING UP. THEY WANT THEIR WORKERS TO BE HEALTHY. THEY WANT THEIR WORKERS TO BE TAPPED ON TIME. SO THERE'S ACTUALLY DATA THAT SHOWS WHEN THE SUNRISES AND SUNSETS OR LATER WE LOSE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN PRODUCTIVITY FROM THE GENERAL WORKER WHO HAS TO GET UP. WHO HAS TO DO GET THEIR KIDS OUT THE DOOR WE SEE WERE SCHOOL PERFORMANCE, WHICH AGAIN AFFECTS FUTURE PERFORMANCE OF JOBS. SO, YES, THERE ARE SOME BUSINESSES THAT MIGHT GET SOME BOOST OF FROM EXTRA LIGHT AT THE END BUT SPECIALLY WITH VERY HOT WEATHER. A LOT OF PLACES ME AWAY TO A COOL-DOWN. SO I THINK THE DATA SAYING HOW MUCH ECONOMIC BOON REALLY NEEDS TO BE WEIGHED BY. HOW MUCH IS LOST WHEN WE AFFECT OUR SLEEP AND WHEN WERE MISALIGNED WITH THE SUN? >> ALL RIGHT. WELL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR EXPERTISE TODAY. DR JOHNSON, THANK YOU. >> AS WE FOLLOW ALONG WITH THE