Clocks Fall Back Sunday: Jacksonville's Sunset Jumps to 5:39 p.m., and 6 Other Things to Know

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Clocks fall back one hour Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, and Jacksonville's sunset will shift from 6:40 p.m. Saturday to 5:39 p.m. Sunday. Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, when clocks move backward to 1 a.m. The change will bring earlier sunsets and earlier sunrises by the clock across Northeast Florida.

The time change will be especially noticeable during the evening hours as November begins. Jacksonville will still receive nearly 11 hours of daylight Sunday, but the sun will set about an hour earlier than it did Saturday. The shorter days of November will continue reducing daylight even after the clocks change.

Jacksonville sunrise and sunset times

The following sunrise and sunset times come from astronomical data published by sunrise-sunset.org for downtown Jacksonville. All times reflect the local Eastern time in effect on each date, including the switch from daylight saving time to standard time. The table also shows how daylight continues to decrease through December before increasing ahead of the next time change in March.

1. Clocks change at 2 a.m. Sunday

Daylight saving time officially ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, when the clock moves backward one hour to 1 a.m. The change follows the federal schedule established under the Energy Policy Act of 2005. That law sets the end of daylight saving time on the first Sunday in November.

Most phones and computers will make the adjustment automatically, but some clocks still require manual changes. Residents may need to reset clocks on stoves, microwaves and in vehicles. Checking the time Sunday morning before leaving for work or appointments can help avoid confusion.

2. Jacksonville's sunset moves from 6:40 p.m. to 5:39 p.m.

Saturday's sunset in Jacksonville will occur at 6:40 p.m., according to sunrise-sunset.org. Sunday's sunset will occur at 5:39 p.m., a shift of 61 minutes on the clock. That is the most noticeable difference for residents who are accustomed to having daylight later in the evening.

The earlier sunset does not mean Jacksonville suddenly loses an hour of actual daylight. Saturday will have 11 hours of daylight, compared with 10 hours and 58 minutes Sunday. Most of the sudden change in the displayed sunset time comes from moving the clock backward one hour.

3. Sunrise will arrive earlier by the clock

Jacksonville's sunrise will move from 7:40 a.m. Saturday to 6:41 a.m. Sunday. That represents a 59-minute shift in the displayed sunrise time, even though the total amount of daylight changes by only two minutes between the dates. The earlier clock time for sunrise accompanies the earlier evening sunset.

The difference becomes clear when comparing Wednesday, Oct. 28, with Sunday, Nov. 1. Wednesday's sunrise is at 7:38 a.m., with sunset at 6:42 p.m. By Sunday, sunrise will occur at 6:41 a.m., and sunset will arrive at 5:39 p.m.

4. Evening drives will get darker as November continues

The time change will affect the amount of evening daylight available during the week of Nov. 2. Jacksonville's sunset will already occur before 6 p.m. beginning Sunday, Nov. 1. Evening commutes in the middle and later parts of November will take place in darkness or near darkness.

The sunset will continue moving earlier as the month progresses. On Sunday, Nov. 15, Jacksonville's sunset will occur at 5:30 p.m., and by Monday, Nov. 30, it will occur at 5:25 p.m. Residents planning evening travel can expect less daylight after the time change.

5. December 21 will bring Jacksonville's shortest day

Jacksonville will continue losing daylight after the November clock change. By Nov. 15, the city will have 10 hours and 38 minutes of daylight, compared with 10 hours and 58 minutes on Nov. 1. By Nov. 30, that amount will decrease to 10 hours and 21 minutes.

The shortest day listed in the astronomical data is Monday, Dec. 21, with 10 hours and 11 minutes of daylight. Sunrise that day will occur at 7:19 a.m., while sunset will take place at 5:30 p.m. That means Jacksonville's sunset on Dec. 21 will actually be five minutes later than the Nov. 30 sunset, even though the total daylight period will be shorter.

6. Florida approved permanent daylight saving time, but the law has not taken effect

Florida lawmakers passed the state's Sunshine Protection Act in 2018 to keep Florida on daylight saving time throughout the year. Gov. Rick Scott signed the legislation on March 23, 2018. However, the measure has not taken effect because federal law does not currently allow states to adopt permanent daylight saving time.

Congress would need to change federal law before Florida could implement that approach. A federal Sunshine Protection Act passed the U.S. House on July 14, 2026, by a vote of 308-117. The federal proposal would establish permanent daylight saving time nationwide, but it has not become law.

For Jacksonville residents, that means the existing federal time-change schedule remains in place this November. Clocks will still move backward at 2 a.m. Sunday despite the earlier action by Florida lawmakers. The state continues to follow the federal schedule while the permanent daylight saving time proposal remains unfinished.

7. Daylight saving time returns March 14, 2027

The return to daylight saving time is scheduled for Sunday, March 14, 2027, the second Sunday in March. Under the federal schedule, clocks will move forward one hour at 2 a.m. local time. That change will again shift Jacksonville's sunrise and sunset times later by the clock.

On Saturday, March 13, Jacksonville's sunrise will occur at 6:38 a.m., and sunset will take place at 6:33 p.m. On Sunday, March 14, sunrise will occur at 7:37 a.m., while sunset will move to 7:34 p.m. The city will receive 11 hours and 57 minutes of daylight that Sunday, two minutes more than the previous day.

Until then, Jacksonville residents will remain on standard time following Sunday's change. The immediate adjustments are straightforward: reset clocks that do not update automatically, check the time before Sunday morning commitments and prepare for darker evening drives during the week of Nov. 2. The next scheduled clock change will arrive in March.

How we did this

Jax Times used astronomical sunrise, sunset and daylight data from sunrise-sunset.org for downtown Jacksonville to compare dates before and after the November 2026 clock change. Information about the federal daylight saving time schedule, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and Florida's 2018 Sunshine Protection Act came from Wikipedia's "Daylight saving time in the United States" article, which cites the federal law. Information about the federal Sunshine Protection Act and the July 14, 2026, House vote came from Wikipedia's "Sunshine Protection Act" article.