Split state · Eastern + Central

Florida's two time zones

Florida runs on Eastern Time except the western Panhandle: nine counties west of the Apalachicola River, plus the northern part of Gulf County, keep Central Time, one hour behind Tallahassee and Miami.

Now in Tallahassee
--:-- ET
Now in Pensacola
--:-- CT
Central Time counties
9 + north Gulf
Next clock change
Sunday, March 14, 2027

Which Florida counties are on Central Time?

Ten of Florida's 67 counties are touched by Central Time. Nine use it everywhere: Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington, Bay, Jackson and Calhoun. The tenth, Gulf County, is split along the Intracoastal Waterway: its northern part around Wewahitchka is CT, while the coast south of the waterway, including the county seat Port St. Joe and Cape San Blas, is on Eastern Time.

Everything else is Eastern: Gadsden, Liberty and Franklin counties on the far bank of the river, Tallahassee, the whole peninsula and the Keys, from Jacksonville and Orlando to Miami.

Drivers on Interstate 10 lose an hour heading east where the highway crosses the Apalachicola River near Chattahoochee, and gain it back heading west. On coastal US 98 the change comes at the Bay–Gulf county line just east of Mexico Beach.

Florida counties on Central Time (49 CFR 71.5)
CountyCounty seatOther places
EscambiaPensacolaPensacola Beach
Santa RosaMiltonGulf Breeze, Navarre
OkaloosaCrestviewFort Walton Beach, Destin, Niceville
WaltonDeFuniak SpringsMiramar Beach, Santa Rosa Beach
HolmesBonifay—
WashingtonChipley—
BayPanama CityPanama City Beach, Lynn Haven, Mexico Beach
JacksonMarianna—
CalhounBlountstown—
Gulf (north only)Port St. Joe is ETWewahitchka

Where exactly is the time zone line in Florida?

The legal boundary is written in federal regulation, 49 CFR § 71.5(f), and it follows water rather than county lines for most of its length:

  1. From the southwest corner of Georgia, at Lake Seminole, to the middle of the Apalachicola River just downstream of Jim Woodruff Dam.
  2. South down the middle of the river's main channel to the point where the Jackson River branches off.
  3. West along the Jackson River to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.
  4. West along the waterway to the western line of Gulf County, then south along that county line to the Gulf of Mexico.

The same section adds a tie-breaker: any municipality sitting on the line belongs to the Central zone. Because the river is the border, the time changes between towns that can almost see each other. Blountstown (Calhoun County, Central) and Bristol (Liberty County, Eastern) face each other across the Apalachicola, a few miles apart. On the coast, Mexico Beach in Bay County is on Central Time while Port St. Joe, about 11 miles away, is on Eastern Time. Gulf County is one of the few US counties split between two time zones, and it is governed from its Eastern Time end: the county seat moved from Wewahitchka to Port St. Joe in 1965.

The time zone boundaries guide shows how the rest of the Eastern–Central line was pieced together.

What does Florida's time zone line look like on a map?

Violet: Central Time county seats and towns. Amber: Eastern Time. The shaded outline is approximate.

Why is the Florida Panhandle on Central Time?

An old frontier

The Apalachicola has divided Florida before. When Britain took control in 1763 it split the territory into East Florida, governed from St. Augustine, and West Florida, governed from Pensacola, with the river as the border. West of the river, the nearest large city is Mobile, Alabama, about 57 miles from Pensacola, and almost the whole land border on that side is with Alabama, which runs on Central Time.

The commerce test

Since the Standard Time Act of 1918, federal zone lines have been drawn with regard for "the convenience of commerce" – first by the Interstate Commerce Commission, and since 1967 by the US Department of Transportation. When a county asks to switch, the department looks at where its goods are shipped from, which TV stations and newspapers serve it, where residents commute and where they go for school and health care. A switch needs a petition from the county's own government and a formal rulemaking; the nine counties west of the river have stayed with their Alabama neighbours on Central Time.

The sun agrees

Central Standard Time is mean solar time at 90°W; Eastern Standard Time is mean solar time at 75°W. Pensacola, at 87.2°W, is far closer to the Central meridian, so the sun's mean noon there falls at about 11:49 AM CST. On Eastern Time it would be 12:49 PM, and the December sunrise would come after 7:40 AM. Tallahassee, at 84.3°W, already sees mean noon at about 12:37 PM EST.

Longitude diagram: Pensacola at 87.2 degrees west lies near the 90 degree Central meridian, while Tallahassee and Miami lie east of the Apalachicola River on Eastern Time CT · UTC−6ET · UTC−5 PensacolaTallahasseeMiami 11:49 AM CST12:37 PM EST12:21 PM EST Apalachicola River mean solar noon in standard time 90°W75°W
Each zone is centred on its own meridian; the Panhandle sits near the Central one.
Sunrise and sunset on both sides of the line (computed, ±2 min)
PlaceZoneSunrise Dec 21, 2026Sunset Dec 21, 2026Sunrise Jun 21, 2027Sunset Jun 21, 2027
PensacolaCT6:42 AM CST4:52 PM CST5:47 AM CDT7:54 PM CDT
Mexico BeachCT6:33 AM CST4:46 PM CST5:41 AM CDT7:46 PM CDT
Port St. JoeET7:33 AM EST5:46 PM EST6:41 AM EDT8:45 PM EDT
TallahasseeET7:30 AM EST5:41 PM EST6:35 AM EDT8:42 PM EDT

Mexico Beach and Port St. Joe see almost the same sun, yet their clocks read an hour apart all year.

Will Florida stay on daylight saving time all year?

Not yet. Florida's 2018 Sunshine Protection Act (HB 1013) declares that daylight time should become the state's year-round time – but only if Congress first amends 15 U.S.C. § 260a, which allows states to stay on standard time permanently but not on daylight time. Until then the state law has no effect, and both zones keep changing clocks.

The federal bill of the same name, H.R. 139, passed the House 308–117 on July 14, 2026. It would make daylight time permanent nationwide, with an opt-out for states, but as of November 2026 the Senate has not voted on it; it sits with the Senate Commerce Committee. Clocks therefore fell back on November 1, 2026 and will spring forward on March 14, 2027.

If permanent daylight time ever took effect, the Panhandle would sit at UTC−5 all year and the peninsula at UTC−4. The zone line along the Apalachicola would not move, so the one-hour step between Pensacola and Tallahassee would remain.

How do you schedule across Florida's time line?

Add one hour going east, subtract one going west: a 9:00 AM meeting in Tallahassee is 8:00 AM in Pensacola, and a 7:00 PM kickoff in Panama City is 8:00 PM in Orlando. When a deadline or broadcast is quoted from Tallahassee or Orlando in Eastern Time, read 5:00 PM as 4:00 PM in the Panhandle. The EST to CST converter has a full hour-by-hour table, and the live Eastern Time clock shows the current Tallahassee time.

Florida is one of five split states; unlike Indiana's line, which moved repeatedly in 2006–2007, Florida's has stayed on the river. See every state on Eastern Time.

Frequently asked questions

Is Destin on Central Time or Eastern Time?

Central Time. Destin is in Okaloosa County, which lies entirely west of the Apalachicola River, so it keeps the same clock as Pensacola and Mobile – one hour behind Orlando and Miami.

What time zone is Panama City Beach in?

Central Time. Panama City Beach, Panama City, Lynn Haven and Mexico Beach are all in Bay County, which is entirely on Central Time. Just across the county line to the east, Gulf County's coast, including Port St. Joe, is on Eastern Time.

Is the city of Apalachicola on Eastern Time?

Yes. Despite its name, the city of Apalachicola sits on the east bank of the river mouth in Franklin County, which is on Eastern Time like Tallahassee.

Which Florida airports are on Central Time?

Pensacola International (PNS), Destin–Fort Walton Beach (VPS) and Northwest Florida Beaches International near Panama City (ECP) are on Central Time. Tallahassee International (TLH) and every airport on the peninsula are on Eastern Time, so check which zone a departure time is printed in.

Do Florida's two time zones change clocks at the same moment?

No. Each zone changes at 2:00 AM local time, so Eastern Time switches one hour before Central Time. On March 14, 2027 the Panhandle is two hours behind Tallahassee for one hour (3:00–4:00 AM EDT is 1:00–2:00 AM CST), and on November 7, 2027 both sides read the same time for one hour.

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