Current time in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Eastern Time UTC−5 · IANA zone America/New_York
Time zone details
| Time zone | Eastern Time (ET) |
|---|---|
| Standard time | EST, UTC−5 (early Nov – mid Mar) |
| Daylight time | EDT, UTC−4 (mid Mar – early Nov) |
| DST clock change | Forward 1 h, 2nd Sunday of March · Back 1 h, 1st Sunday of November |
| Sunrise today | — |
| Sunset today | — |
| Day length | — |
| Coordinates | 26.12° N, 80.14° W |
Time difference from Fort Lauderdale
| City | Local time now |
|---|---|
| Chicago | −1 h |
| Denver | −2 h |
| Phoenix | −2 / −3 h |
| Los Angeles | −3 h |
| Anchorage | −4 h |
| Honolulu | −5 / −6 h |
Fort Lauderdale ticks in step with Miami, 25 miles south, and every other city of the Eastern Time Zone.
About time in Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale is the seat of Broward County in southeastern Florida, deep inside the Eastern zone — the nearest time zone boundary sits over 400 road miles away in the Panhandle.
Port Everglades, among the busiest cruise ports in the world, publishes every sailing and boarding cutoff in ET, and at 26° N the city has one of the gentlest daylight swings in the zone: roughly 10 hours 30 minutes in December against about 13 hours 45 minutes in June.
Florida's legislature voted in 2018 for the "Sunshine Protection Act" to keep the state on year-round daylight time, but the switch cannot take effect without an act of Congress, so Fort Lauderdale still changes clocks twice a year.
Time in cities near Fort Lauderdale
| City | Distance | Local time now |
|---|---|---|
| Miami, FL | 25 mi | Eastern Time |
| Orlando, FL | 184 mi | Eastern Time |
| Tampa, FL | 191 mi | Eastern Time |
| St. Petersburg, FL | 192 mi | Eastern Time |
| Jacksonville, FL | 305 mi | Eastern Time |
| Tallahassee, FL | 390 mi | Eastern Time |
| Savannah, GA | 416 mi | Eastern Time |
| Charleston, SC | 460 mi | Eastern Time |
More places: all Florida cities · Eastern Time Zone · every US city
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Fort Lauderdale in?
Fort Lauderdale keeps Eastern Time (ET): EST at UTC−5 in winter and EDT at UTC−4 between the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November. All of southeastern Florida is on ET.
How many hours separate Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles?
Three hours, with Fort Lauderdale ahead. The gap never varies because both cities observe daylight saving time on the same national dates. Compare on the EST to PST chart.
Does Fort Lauderdale follow daylight saving time?
Yes. Fort Lauderdale sets clocks ahead at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday of March and back at 2:00 AM on the first Sunday of November — March 8 and November 1 in 2026. Details on the DST page.