Letter from Sylvia M. Smolick to Governor Askew supporting the repeal of Daylight Saving Time, February 8, 1974

Daylight saving

Energy policy

Traffic safety

A letter from Sylvia M. Smolick, a California resident, supporting Governor Askew's efforts to repeal Daylight Saving Time, dated February 8, 1974.

Smolick, Sylvia M.

State Archives of Florida, Series S125

1974-02-08

letters (correspondence)

eng-US

text

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Late 20th-Century Florida (1968-2000)

Tallahassee (Fla.)

Leon County (Fla.)

El Cerrito (Calif.)

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Politics and Government

Florida. Governor (1971-1979 : Askew)

Askew, Reubin O'Donovan, 1928-2014

Received Governor’s Office Feb 11 11 52 Am ’74 [stamped]
1641 Arlington Blvd.
El Cerrito, CA 94530
February 8, 1974
Governor Reubin Askew
Tallahassee, Florida
Dear Governor Askew:
I have written to all Congressmen I can think of and to the Governor of California, Ronald Reagan, to urge them to use their might in getting the present daylight savings time law repealed.
You are a busy man, so my comments will be briefer than my usual letters to the above.
Using my own household as a measure and my company, my use of electricity and gas has increased 10% despite any cutbacks since I have to maneuver in the mornings under electric lights. Because I drive now at 6:30 a.m. (Congress allows it to be 7:30) with headlights on, defoggers (yes! out here in California!) and heat turned on, I am getting one mile less per gallon--meaning more frequent stops to the gasoline pumps!
For a brief time, we had a lovely (like 1940 again) spell with the 55 mph speed law when no accidents were reported morning after morning. Usually in this area, there is a major accident every 25 miles and every morning it was bumper to bumper to San Francisco where I work. Well, thanks to an unthought-out, hurried through law, Congress has overturned that nice period and not only have the accidents returned, but have increased. Congress should have had some experts in before they put such a law into effect For one thing, getting up in the morning at normal hours is a shock to the body. And it takes months to adapt to change--especially getting up earlier. So these people already in shock, probably dress hurriedly, don't allow enough time to do things or eat breakfast, so half-awake, half brained, half shocked, they enter the freeways and create a dangerous situation for everybody else.
Will Congress bring back any of the deaths caused by this unfortunate law? These deaths might not have occurred had Congress left well enough alone.
The soothsayers and "analysts" say that a saving of 1% has been met. Nonsense! I am a professional analyst and

efficiency expert and using my household and Others, and my business as examples--the use of energy of all kinds has increased 10% MORE since January 6. That 1% the so-called analysts are talking about would have occurred anyway when people were made aware of frivolous use of energy. That 13% has nothing to do with daylight Savings.
Who benefits from daylight savings anyway? Not working people-- who have gotten the most unfair "shake" ever perpetrated by Congress--since now they have to pay for 10% more energy use: The persons who benefit from more daylight are nonworkers, nonproducers, nontaxpayers, etc. And children--all the ones I know aren't a bit inconvenienced--they all think of this as a lark! I am outraged that Congress should force upon me a law that makes me pay $6 more for electricity and gas and makes me get up earlier for some other people's convenience.
I am outraged that I am forced to drive with my headlights on to use up more gasoline than necessary and forced to drive with half-awake drivers (and in California, you KNOW that is a dangerous situation!). Will Congress reimburse me for my $6--or the extra costs of millions of households throughout the country? And business is forced to open one hour earlier and because we are humans and see its daylight outside tend to work a little longer--so businesses are using just as much fuel if not considerably more!
Somebody should tell Congress about winter soltices [sic.] and spring soltices [sic.]. You cannot legislate daylight anyway.
Congress will not erase the memory of a car careening down on a child; nor the memory of a rapist. It will not bring back a life caused by the myriads of accidents (more accidents occur in the morning commute hours, you know, than in the evening commute hours) because of this Law.
I have not accepted the earlier rising at all. I cannot accept Stupidity and illogic anyway. I do not like paying extra money~-and the word "inconvenience" doesn't half express what IT really is, you know. Its more of a "damned nuisance" than a mere inconvenience--and a costly one and wasteful one at that.
I support your efforts to repeal this law and have urged all California Congressmen to enter the fight to have this law removed from the books.
Good luck!
(No answer is necessary).
Respectfully,
Sylvia M Smolick [signed]
(Missy) Sylvia M. Smolick

In 1973, the United States was facing energy shortages and developed a variety of approaches to conserve energy as a result, including the Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy Conservation Act of 1973. This legislation established a trial period of year-round Daylight Saving Time (DST) from January 6, 1974 to April 27, 1975. The hope was that an extra hour of daylight in the evening would reduce energy consumption, especially the use of electricity.
In Florida, the change to year-round DST came with serious consequences. In the first few weeks after the time change was enacted, several school-aged children were injured in traffic accidents in the dark mornings on their way to school.
In response to these accidents, there was an outpouring of citizen correspondence to Governor Askew expressing their opinions on year-round DST and whether or not Florida should move to counteract the Federal mandate within the state.
On January 29th, 1974, the Florida Legislature met for a special session to discuss DST. At the end of this session, no legislation was passed, and Florida continued to comply with the year-round Daylight Saving Time that President Nixon established.
In 2018, the Florida Legislature passed the “Sunshine Protection Act” (HB1013/SB858), stating that Florida will enact a year-round DST, provided that the federal Uniform Time Act of 1966 is amended to permit states to do so.