Revving up for Success: 250 Teens Take to the Road Thanks to the Hillsborough County Tax Collector’s “Student Saturdays” Initiative

The October program launch coincides with National Teen Driver Safety Month

TAMPA, FL, Tuesday,  October 31^st, 2023 – More than 250 high school students received their learner’s permit or driver’s license from the Hillsborough County Tax Collector’s Office during the Student Saturdays initiative this month. The launch of the new Saturday services, exclusive to Hillsborough County high school students, was designed to make the licensing process more convenient for teens and their parents, eliminating the need to miss school or work to take their written and road skills tests.

Parent Renee Nelson took to social media to praise the initiative and how it made life easier for her family, writing, “This made life so much easier not having to take time off work or school for our teen to get their permit. It was fast and fun. The entire staff was upbeat. They pushed the teens to advocate for themselves and had the parents take a “backseat” as the child navigated the process. Super impressed!”

During the October 14 and 21 launch events, AAA distributed free car safety kits to the new drivers, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office provided them a sweet treat while offering advice on road safety. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, teen drivers represent only 5% of licensed drivers in the state, yet more than 11% of crashes involve teen drivers. The program launch coincides with National Teen Driver Safety Month and the Tax Collector’s efforts to promote safe teen driving during October.

Student Saturdays are just one of a series of initiatives the Tax Collector’s Office has launched to meet the rising demand for driver’s license services.  With more than 1.5 million residents in the County and growing, the Tax Collector’s Office served more than 933,000 customers in their branch offices during the 2023 fiscal year.

To meet the growing demand, the Tax Collector’s Office hired additional driving test examiners and expanded driver license service hours, doubling the number of road tests administered daily. In the three-month period between October to December 2022, they administered close to 5000 road tests. By July to September of this year, that number doubled to more than 10,000 road tests over the course of the same three-month period.

“We are extremely pleased with the success of our Student Saturdays event,” remarked Tax Collector Nancy Millan. “We are focused on enhancing our services and delivering an unparalleled customer experience, and we will continue to find new and innovative ways to deliver.”

For more information on the Hillsborough County Tax Collector’s office, visit hillstax.org.

Photos and video footage from the Student Saturday event can be found here.

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