Panama City Beach is located in northern Florida in the western part of the pan handle. Florida straddles two time zones and PCB is in the Central Time Zone.
What Time Zone is Panama City Beach Florida?
Panama City Beach (and all of Bay County) is in the Central Time Zone. However, it is in the very most eastern part of the time zone. So, if you drive a few minutes east, you will be in the Eastern Time Zone.
While Panama City Beach is in the same time zone as Sioux Falls, Oklahoma City, and all of Texas (the central time zone), the sunset and sunrise are closer to that of Atlanta and New York which are in the EST.
While almost all states (37 to be exact), are all in a single time zone. Florida is one of 13 states that has more than one time zone.
Panama City Beach May Get Daylight Savings Time All Year
Panama City Beach (like the rest of Florida) participates in Daylight Savings Time. A bill passed in Florida to make it daylight savings time year round. DST year-round would give more daylight in the evening hours and possibly result in fewer car accidents & robberies.
Since PCB is a tourist area (year round), this would allow visitors more time to enjoy the sun later in the day, and not just during daylight savings time.
This could be beneficial to the area’s commerce as the beach town has events and crowds all year long. Extra daylight at the end of the day could mean that some businesses could stay open longer.
However, it could mean having to get up in the dark to beat the crowds at the areas best donut shops.
Why It’s Taking So Long
However, the Federal government oversees our time system and Congress must approve Florida’s bill to make daylight savings time in Panama City Beach and all of Florida permanent.
Both Congress and the Senate have been dragging their feet on approving Florida’s plan because they have their own bipartisan bill to make DST last year round for the entire country. This would mean that Americans would never have to “spring forward” or “fall back” and adjust their clocks ever again.
It’s called the “Sunshine Protection Act of 2021” would eliminate Standard Time.
The good news is, if you’re like me, you don’t even wear a watch while at the beach. At ‘The Worlds Most Beautiful Beaches’, if it’s sunny, then there is always something to do. (Okay, I do carry my phone which has a clock).
But, Panama City Beach Florida would still be in the Central Time Zone when the government finally fixes time.