Florida

When is spring break for Florida schools? For some it’s after the time change. Every county’s dates

Published

10 months ago

March 10, 2025

Press Room

When is spring break for Florida schools? For some it’s after the time change. Every county’s dates

Hours after the arrival of daylight saving time, students in 9 Florida counties start their spring break.
The majority of Florida counties have scheduled their spring break for the week of March 17.
In some counties, spring break won’t arrive until April.

The end is in sight for the 2024-2025 school year, but before Florida students put away their books, there are a couple of holidays to look forward to.

The big one is spring break, but schedules vary around the state, with most taking the week-long holiday in March. Others have to wait until April.

Students in nine counties are the “lucky” ones.

Spring break for them comes today, the day after the switch to daylight saving time, giving them a week to adjust to the time change.

➤ How many states have joined Florida to make daylight saving time permanent? See the list

Here’s the spring break schedule for all 67 Florida counties, but first, here’s what you should know about the upcoming time change.

When is daylight saving time 2025?

We turned our clocks forward one hour — losing an hour of sleep — at 2 a.m. March 9.

Spring break begins day after time change for 9 Florida counties

After the change to daylight saving time Sunday, March 9, spring break will begin March 10 for these nine Florida counties:

One Florida county schedules spring break week before time change

Students in Sumter County will be the first in the state to enjoy spring break.

They’ll be out of school from March 3-7, which means they’ll return to the classroom after a week holiday, hours after the time change.

Most Florida counties schedule spring break starting March 17

March 17-21 was the week chosen for spring break for the majority — 45 — of Florida’s 67 counties.

Flagler, Monroe and Okaloosa counties actually will begin the spring holiday the Friday before, March 14.

Spring break begins March 24 for 5 counties

Spring break won’t begin until April for 7 Florida counties

Most of the counties scheduling spring break for April, including Good Friday — on April 18 — during the week students will have off.

When is spring break in Florida schools? See alphabetical list

Are there any other holidays before end of 2024-2025 school year?

Yes. Some counties have scheduled a holiday for Good Friday on April 18.

The next holiday is Memorial Day. For students in some counties, the school year ends before the holiday on May 26. For those still going, they will have the day off school on the Monday.

When will daylight saving arrive? When does the time change?

Daylight saving time for 2025 will begin at 2 a.m. EST Sunday, March 9, 2025, and we fall back again at 2 a.m. EST on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025.

This means it will be darker in the morning, so watch for school children heading to the bus stop or heading to school.

What are 2025 federal holidays?

In 2025, there are 12 instead of the usual 11 federal holidays, although two fell on the same day.

Inauguration Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day both fall on Jan. 20 this year. Since 1965, federal employees in the Washington, D.C., area are entitled to a holiday on the day a president is inaugurated. President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn into office on Jan. 20.

Here are 2025 federal holidays:

Jan. 1: New Year’s Day
Jan. 20: Inauguration Day; Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Feb. 17: Washington’s Birthday. Many state and local governments designation it as Presidents Day.
May 26: Memorial Day
June 19: Juneteenth
July 4: Independence Day
Sept. 1: Labor Day
Oct. 13: Columbus Day
Nov. 11: Veterans Day
Nov. 27: Thanksgiving Day
Dec. 25: Christmas Day

Florida state holidays for 2025

When are 2025 Florida state holidays?

The Florida Department of Management Services lists the following days observed as paid holidays by state agencies:

Jan. 1, Wednesday: New Year’s Day
Jan. 20, Monday: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
May 26, Monday: Memorial Day
July 4, Friday: Independence Day
Sept. 1, Monday: Labor Day
Nov. 11, Tuesday: Veterans Day
Nov. 27, Thursday: Thanksgiving
Nov. 28: Friday after Thanksgiving
Dec. 25, Thursday: Christmas Day

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Florida

What Rick Barnes is searching for after Tennessee’s brutal loss to Florida

Published

7 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

What Rick Barnes is searching for after Tennessee’s brutal loss to Florida

Four minutes can alter a season.

Well, 3 minutes and 51 seconds, to be exact. In that span, Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes began to question his team’s resolve.

Unranked Florida (11-5, 2-1 SEC), the defending conference and national champion, got everything it wanted and more against No. 22 Tennessee (11-5, 1-2) in a 91-67 romp at Stephen O’Connell Center on Jan. 10.

In the final 3:51 of the first half, the Vols committed four turnovers and could not convert a single field goal. Overall, they turned the ball over 18 times (12 in the first half), resulting in 30 points for the Gators.

“Thirty points off turnovers, you don’t have a chance,” Barnes said after the game. “Last four minutes of the first half, just really poor basketball. I’ll take the blame for it because I don’t know if I’ve had a team play that bad, doing the things and making the decisions they made. It was just really poor basketball.”

Tennessee associate coach Justin Gainey tried to warn his team about the physicality in the matchup. The Vols matched Florida’s tempo until those final four minutes of the half, then continued to unravel in the second.

Although several of the guards on Florida’s championship team moved on to the NBA, the Gators retained their top big men. Barnes knew winning the frontcourt battle would go a long way in securing the Vols’ first road victory this season.

“Our whole deal was, we wanted a front line that could help us, but we’re not there yet,” Barnes said. “Can we get there? It’s a long way to go. I hope this game is a game we’ll look back on and think, ‘OK, these guys showed us what it takes to win at the highest level.’ “

Florida’s front court of Rueben Chinyelu, Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon combined for 41 points and 26 rebounds, a jarring contrast to Tennessee’s 30 team rebounds. Chinyelu alone had 16 rebounds, plus 17 points.

“If he didn’t catch it where he wanted it, he caught it and got to where he wanted it,” Barnes said about Chinyelu. “He dominated the game from an inside perspective. I thought today, if nothing else, we’re going to find out if we’re going to get out of the comfort zone our guys are in to compete against a team like that, especially on the front line.”

Ament has some ideas

Tennessee fought fires on two sides. While the Vols had trouble dealing with Florida’s frontcourt, guard Boogie Fland torched them all over the floor. Fland, who hadn’t made a 3-pointer since Dec. 21, finished with 23 points and knocked down 3-of-6 from long distance. He also added five assists, four steals and three rebounds and was key to extending Florida’s lead early in the second half.

Although Barnes couldn’t figure out what was wrong with his squad, Nate Ament, who led the Vols with 17 points, tried to diagnose the illness.

“You’ve seen that when we get uncomfortable, we lay down a little bit,” he said. “Knowing teams prior, that’s just never been the team Tennessee has been. I’m sure Coach Barnes is going to make sure we fix that. For us, we have to be more competitive. You could chalk up all our mistakes to them being more competitive than us. Props to them for playing harder than us, turning us over and rebounding every loose ball.”

Tennessee welcomes Texas A&M (13-3, 3-0) at Food City Center at 7 p.m. ET on Jan. 13 (SEC Network). The Aggies just earned their sixth straight victory after beating Oklahoma 83-76 on Jan. 10.

Barnes is eager to see how his players bounce back.

“I think it’s great to see how we’re going to respond,” he said. “If we’ve got the kind of players that we think we have, we’ll learn from this.”

Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com

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Florida

Florida Lands Late Commitment From 2026 TE

Published

19 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Florida Lands Late Commitment From 2026 TE

While all eyes may be on the transfer portal and the upcoming 2027 recruiting class, the Florida Gators football program continues to beef up its current recruiting class.

Based on a post made to his personal Instagram page, the Gators have landed a preferred walk-on commitment from class of 2026 tight end Tripp Brown.

According to Rivals’ recruiting rankings, Brown is a three-star prospect with several Division I offers. Before deciding to attend Florida, he had offers from programs like Toledo, Bowling Green and Eastern Michigan.

Earlier in the week, he announced on his X profile that new Gators tight ends coach Evan McKissack had extended him an offer.

As it stands, 247 Sports ranks Florida’s 2026 recruiting class 15th nationally and eighth in the SEC. With Brown’s commitment, he joins Heze Kent as the Gators’ two tight ends in this incoming class.

During his time at Tampa Plant High School, where he ws teammates with current UF running back Duke Clark, the 6-foot-5, 237-pound tight end made his presence felt all over the field, finishing his high school career with 2,270 all-purpose yards and 25 total touchdowns. The incoming freshman was a two-time All-County selection and also earned an All-State nod during his high school days.

This season, Brown hauled in 15 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown, with his receiving production limited by having to spend time filling in as an emergency quarterback. While under center, he threw 68 times for a total of six touchdowns and 419 yards while completing 51.5 percent of his passes.

Through three varsity seasons, he has caught 57 passes for 699 yards and six touchdowns.

He helped lead the Panthers to the first round of the 2025 FHSAA Football State Championships before ultimately falling to South Lake High School, 37-36. In 2023, Plant reached the state semifinals before losing to South Florida powerhouse Miami Christopher Columbus High School.

A quick look at his film shows a physically gifted, willing blocker who’s also a capable route runner and uses his large frame to shed defenders after the catch.

With former Gators starting tight end Hayden Hansen and backup Cameron Kossman entering the transfer portal, Florida is likely looking to build some depth at the position ahead of next season.

As of Friday, the Gators have already landed a commitment from former James Madison tight end Lacota Dippre and has also scheduled visits with Georgia tight end Pearce Spurlin III and Georgia Tech tight end Luke Harpring.

Protest photos in Florida after ICE shooting in Minneapolis

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Protest photos in Florida after ICE shooting in Minneapolis

ICE shooting: After Renee Nicole Good was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, millions of Americans are protesting — including in Trump’s home state.

A week ago, President Donald Trump rang in the new year like a king — in grandeur and opulence at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.

Following this week’s deadly shooting by a federal immigration officer in Minnesota, millions of Americans frustrated with his administration are protesting — including in his home state.

Groups in Orlando, Tallahassee and Miami have held vigils and peaceful protests after Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot in the head while attempting to use a vehicle to flee authorities. The incident was captured on camera, and multiple videos posted on social media have gotten millions of views.

The nationwide protests are the latest in a year of Trump’s second term, which is coming up on a one-year anniversary later this month. Most cite Trump’s:

immigration crackdowns
ICE and National Guard deployments
on-again-off-again tariffs
his perceived control over all three branches of the U.S. government

More than 25 Trump protests and vigils for Renee Nicole Good were scheduled Wednesday, Jan. 7, to Sunday, Jan. 11, in his home state of Florida, and at least one was scheduled in Palm Beach County − about 30 miles down the road from his private club.

Last week, Donald and Melania Trump hosted their annual New Year’s Eve gala at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. He returns there Friday, Jan. 9, amid the ICE protests and vigils for Renee Good in Minneapolis.

USA TODAY and the USA TODAY Network will provide live coverage of the anti-Trump administration protests.

Below are photos of the ICE protests in Florida, which occurred as Trump returned home to his private club, Mar-a-Lago.

Photos of ICE protest in Gainesville, Florida

Photos of ICE protest in Palm Coast, Florida

Photos of ICE protest in Stuart, Florida

Photos of ICE protest in Tallahassee, Florida

US protests after Renee Nicole Good is shot dead by an ICE agent

Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Subscribe to the free Florida TODAY newsletter.

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