Florida and one other state, Arizona, do not currently opt out of daylight saving time (DST) fully, but for partly different reasons related to geography and legislation.
1. Florida’s Case:
Florida has passed the Sunshine Protection Act to adopt daylight saving time year-round because longer daylight hours are believed to benefit tourism and outdoor activities, improve mental health, reduce car accidents, and lower crime rates.
However, despite the legislation, Florida cannot implement permanent DST without federal approval from Congress. The state legislature approved year-round DST, but federal law currently mandates the twice-yearly clock change unless a state fully opts out of DST and stays on standard time.
Thus, Florida still observes DST transitions, awaiting congressional action to make DST permanent.
2. Arizona’s Case:
Arizona does not participate in daylight saving time at all (except the Navajo Nation), mainly because of its desert climate. Additional daylight in the evening would increase energy consumption due to hotter temperatures needing more air conditioning.
As a result, Arizona remains on standard time year-round without shifting clocks.
Florida’s situation is unique because it wants permanent daylight saving time but is restricted by federal law, while Arizona opts out entirely due to environmental and energy considerations. These are the two states often discussed in the context of DST non-observance or variation in the U.S.
Hence, the very simple reason Florida does not yet fully avoid DST clock changes is that federal approval is required for any state to adopt permanent daylight saving time, which Florida has not yet received, unlike Arizona, which chose to not observe DST risks altogether.
SOURCES
[1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time_in_the_United_States)
[2](https://creators.yahoo.com/lifestyle/story/the-reason-why-these-two-states-dont-do-daylight-saving-time-025250476.html)
[3](https://www.mystackbox.com/get-ready-to-fall-back-and-sleep-in-why-florida-still-observes-daylight-saving-time/)
[4](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2025/09/03/which-states-dont-observe-daylight-saving-time-change-clocks/85954524007/)
[5](https://www.reddit.com/r/florida/comments/1j7o9bc/why_doesnt_florida_have_permanent_daylight/)
