TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Oops… that law lowering Florida school start times may have missed the mark. On Thursday, state lawmakers took a significant step toward repealing the law, citing growing concerns from school districts.
The original legislation, approved in 2023, was designed to give students more sleep before school. Supporters pointed to research suggesting that more time in bed could lead to improved grades and better overall health.
Under HB 733, which was set to take effect by 2026, public and charter middle schools would have been required to start no earlier than 8:00 AM, with high schools starting no earlier than 8:30 AM.
At the time, Sen. Danny Burgess, a Republican from Zephyrhills, was one of the law’s strongest advocates.
“If we don’t put out our command intent and say we’re getting to yes, and we’re doing it by this date, then these things never come to fruition,” said the lawmaker ahead of the vote in 2023.
Now, that vision of later start times faces likely repeal. On Thursday, the Senate voted unanimously (38-0) to support a bill that would eliminate the mandate and return control over start times to individual school districts.
Sen. Jen Bradley (R-Fleming Island), who is leading the repeal effort, said the local challenges proved too great.
“They would have had to buy a large number of buses, hire hard to find bus drivers,” said Bradley. “It affected daycare schedules, extracurriculars, scholarship opportunities. The amount of those obstacles growing financially and otherwise, and I think we found a good landing spot.”
It wasn’t hard to get her colleagues on board.
Senate Minority Leader Sen. Jason Pizzo (D-Hollywood) acknowledged the pushback from students, offering a light-hearted comment in favor of the change.
“Kids, Uncle J thinks you should be able to start school later,” Pizzo told the Senate gallery. “But all these adults are saying no. I just want you to know Uncle J thinks you should go to school later… but I’ll vote for it.”
Some lawmakers said they heard the frustrations directly from their constituents.
“I was visited by my local school district who can’t stand what we did a few years ago,” said Sen. Tina Polsky, (D-Boca Raton). “It’s a lot for the legislature to admit it made a mistake.”
Even Sen. Burgess, the original bill sponsor, seemed to have reconsidered. He acknowledged that while the science behind later start times is compelling, the practical challenges were too significant.
“The science does prove that ‘Uncle J’ is right,” he said. “But without more— without more resources, without maybe even more time to figure out how to implement this with bus driver shortages and the like… we are possibly walking into a minefield that we shouldn’t venture into.”
As the proposal now heads to the House for a final vote, it appears Florida students may not get the sleep-in they hoped for after all. If the chamber follows the Senate and approves, the bill reaches Gov. Ron DeSantis’s desk for signature.
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