Permanent Christmas light track tucked under the roofline eave of a Tampa Bay home in daylight

Permanent Christmas Lights by Day and by Night: What They Really Look Like on a Tampa Bay Home

/ Lighting / By

“What does it look like during the day?” is the first thing most people ask about permanent Christmas lights. Here is the honest answer for Tampa Bay homes, by day and by night. You may also hear it called permanent holiday lighting.

Request a quote

Tell us what you need and where you are. A licensed electrician will call or text you back to set a time. For an emergency, call (727) 476-7079, 24/7.

This field is required.
This field is required.
This field is required.
This field is required.
How did you hear about us?
This field is required.
This field is required.
This field is required.
This field is required.
This field is required.
This field is required.
This field is required.
This field is required.
This field is required.

So here’s the honest answer, using one of our own recent installs in the Tampa Bay area. Same house, same eaves, photographed by day and by night.

By day: the track tucks under the eaves

On a permanent lighting system, the lights sit in a slim track that mounts along the fascia or just under the edge of the roof. On the home in our photos, the track runs right under the gutter line. From the yard, you see a clean edge and a row of small lenses. From the street, most people never notice it.

A few things make that work:

  • Placement. We plan the run so the track follows the natural lines of the house, tucked where shadows already fall.
  • Color matching. The track is chosen to blend with the trim, so it reads as part of the house.
  • Clean wiring. Wire runs are hidden in the soffit or along the trim instead of draped across the wall.

That’s the big difference from clip-on string lights, which hang off the gutter all season and usually look like what they are.

By night: any color, from your phone

Same Tampa Bay home at night with JellyFish permanent lights glowing blue under the eaves over the garage

After dark, the same eaves turn into whatever you want. In our night photo, the homeowner picked a cool blue, but the lights can do warm white, single colors, multi-color patterns and slow animations, all set from an app.

That’s why we call them permanent Christmas lights, but most of our customers use them all year:

  • Christmas and the holidays. Classic red and green, cool white, or a gentle twinkle, with no ladder and no tangled strings.
  • Game days. Team colors for the Bucs, the Lightning or the Rays.
  • Everyday security. Bright warm white on a schedule, so the front of the house is lit every night.
  • Birthdays and the 4th. Pick a color and a pattern in a few taps.

Why it holds up in Florida

Tampa Bay homes deal with salt air, strong sun, summer storms and the occasional hurricane. That’s a big part of why we install JellyFish Lighting. As an Authorized JellyFish Lighting dealer, Keywest Lights & Electric installs a system built to live outside year-round. JellyFish backs its eave lights, controllers and power supplies with a 5-year parts warranty, which is separate from our own workmanship warranty, and we’ll walk you through both at your estimate.

The electrical side matters too

Permanent lighting is a lighting product, but it’s still connected to your home’s electrical system. Because Keywest Lights & Electric is a licensed and insured electrical contractor, we handle that part as well:

  • Checking where the controller and power supply will live, usually on an existing garage outlet.
  • Adding a new outlet or dedicated circuit if your home needs one. When that’s required, we pull the electrical permit and handle the inspection.
  • Making sure outdoor outlets have proper GFCI protection.
  • Routing low-profile wiring neatly so it’s hidden by day.

What happens at your estimate

  1. We look at your eaves. We measure the runs and talk about where the lights should go and where they shouldn’t.
  2. We check power. We find the best spot for the controller and confirm whether you need a new outlet or circuit.
  3. We show you the options. Colors, patterns, schedules and how the app works.
  4. You get a clear quote. Free estimates, with no pressure.

Estimates are free. Financing is available through Acorn Finance, subject to credit approval, and you can check your options without affecting your credit score. Member Care Plan members get 7% off labor and materials. Every job comes with our 2-year workmanship warranty, and 5 years for Member Care Plan members.

Want to see your own house lit up?

Photos of someone else’s house only go so far. Upload a photo of your home and we will send you a free AI design preview. Start here: free design preview.

Keywest Lights & Electric is a woman-owned, licensed and insured electrical contractor serving Seminole, Largo, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Pinellas Park, Dunedin and the beaches, along with Pasco, Hillsborough and Manatee counties. Learn more about permanent lighting or our JellyFish lighting service in Seminole.

Call (727) 476-7079 or visit keywestlights.com to book your free estimate. You can also stop by our office at 6248 Seminole Blvd, Seminole, FL.

About the author: Mark Einstein, Florida licensed electrical contractor, Keywest Lights & Electric.

Matching the track to your trim

During the day, what people notice most is the track under the eaves. Track that is close to your fascia or soffit color blends in, while a contrasting color stands out. Mounting the track under the edge of the soffit, where the eave allows, usually hides it best from street level.

Related pages

Day, night and sea turtle season

On homes visible from the beach, many Pinellas beach towns have sea turtle lighting ordinances during nesting season, which in Pinellas runs May 1 through October 31. Because permanent lights are controlled by schedule and zone, beach-facing sections can stay off during those months while street-facing sections run as usual.

Related: Treasure Island · Madeira Beach · Tampa · JellyFish lighting

Related guides: permanent vs. seasonal lights · lights for condos, townhomes and villas · game-day and holiday color schedules.

A finished look from the street

We offer an optional two-zone setup: front and back. The front wraps each side for about 4 feet, or runs the full gable under the overhang where the side is pitched, so it looks finished from the curb. The back is controlled separately, so it can stay off while the front is on.

Day and night: questions we hear

Can I use permanent lights at a beach home in summer? Yes, with care. Sea turtle rules limit light visible from the beach during nesting season, May 1 to October 31 in Pinellas. Beach-facing zones can be scheduled off while other zones stay on.

Are the lights visible during the day? The track mounts under the roof edge, so it is low-profile by day. How visible it is depends on your trim and how the track is matched to it.

Can neighbors see the track during the day? From the street, most people do not notice it. The track sits under the eave and we match its color to your fascia.

Is warm white bright enough for everyday use? Yes. Most owners run soft warm white for curb appeal and switch to brighter security white or holiday scenes when they want more light. Brightness is adjustable in the app.

Does it look good on a single-story home? Yes. A single run along the front eave and garage is a common install in Pinellas.

Do permanent lights work on a townhome or villa? Usually, with association approval when it owns the exterior. See our guide for condos, townhomes and villas.

See JellyFish permanent lighting or find your city: Seminole, Largo, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tampa.