Florida is a step closer to living up to its nickname as “The Sunshine State.”

A bill to let Florida remain on Daylight Saving Time year round is headed to Gov. Rick Scott’s desk after the state Senate approved it 33-2 on Tuesday.

If Scott signs the “Sunshine Protection Act,” Congress would need to amend existing federal law to allow the change.

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While the rest of the Eastern United States would set their clocks back in the fall, Florida wouldn’t, leaving it with more sunshine in the evening during the winter. Northwest Florida is currently in the Central time zone.

The practical impact of that change would mean that on the Winter Solstice — that’s the day in the Northern Hemisphere with the least amount of daylight — sunrise in Florida would be at about 8 a.m. and sunset would be at about 6:30 p.m. instead of 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. like it is now.

Hawaii, most of Arizona, and a handful of U.S. territories — including American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands — do not observe Daylight Saving Time.

Under federal law, the U.S. Department of Transportation is charged with setting time zones but allows states to exempt themselves from Daylight Saving Time, if Congress approves.

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Tallahassee OKs Bill for Year-Round Daylight Saving Time