Current time in Tampa, 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 | 27.95° N, 82.46° W |
Time difference from Tampa
| 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 |
Tampa keeps the same clock as the rest of the Eastern Time Zone, including Miami, Orlando, Atlanta, and New York.
About time in Tampa
Tampa is the seat of Hillsborough County on Florida's Gulf coast, and despite sitting on the peninsula's western shore it keeps Eastern Time — the state's ET/CT boundary lies far to the northwest in the Panhandle, roughly along the Apalachicola River.
At about 82.5° W, Tampa is well west of the 75° W reference meridian that defines Eastern Standard Time, so its clocks run roughly half an hour ahead of the sun: solar noon typically arrives near 12:30 PM EST in winter.
At 28° N latitude the seasonal daylight swing is modest by ET standards — around 10 hours 20 minutes in late December against close to 14 hours in late June — so even midwinter sunsets in Tampa come after 5:30 PM.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Tampa in?
Tampa is in the Eastern Time Zone (ET): EST (UTC−5) in winter and EDT (UTC−4) from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November. Despite its Gulf-coast location, it is nowhere near the Central Time boundary, which lies in the Florida Panhandle.
What is the time difference between Tampa and Los Angeles?
Tampa runs 3 hours ahead of Los Angeles all year, because both cities switch to daylight saving time on the same dates.
Does Tampa observe daylight saving time?
Yes. Tampa moves clocks forward one hour at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday of March and back one hour at 2:00 AM on the first Sunday of November — in 2026, March 8 and November 1. Full dates on the DST page.