Saturday Hours For Driving Tests Attract 250 Hillsborough County Teens

TAMPA, FL — 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 last 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.

"This made life so much easier not having to take time off work or school for our teen to get their permit," Nelson said. "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 Oct. 14 and 21 launch events, AAA distributed free car safety kits to the new drivers, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office provided them with 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 percent of licensed drivers in the state, yet more than 11 percent of crashes involve teen drivers. The program launch coincided 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 Hillsborough County 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 its 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, the office administered close to 5,000 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," said Hillsborough County 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."

Student Saturdays will take place October 14th and 21st, coinciding with National Teen Driver Safety Week

TAMPA, FL, September 26, 2023 - Hillsborough County Tax Collector, Nancy C. Millan is launching a new initiative aimed at making the driver license testing process more convenient for Hillsborough County high school students and their parents.

The Tax Collector’s Office is rolling out a new initiative, Student Saturdays for Teen Drivers on October 14th and October 21st, coinciding with National Teen Driver Safety Week and the Tax Collector’s Office’s efforts to prepare teens for safe driving. During these two dates in October, aspiring teen drivers can take their driving skills test on the weekend, eliminating the need to miss school.

“We recognize that obtaining a driver license is a significant milestone for teens and families. We also know that parents may have challenges getting their students in to our office on school days to take their driving skills test. Student Saturdays is our commitment to making this process more convenient while emphasizing the importance of safe driving practices.” said Hillsborough County Tax Collector Nancy Millan.

With the significant growth in Hillsborough County’s population, Millan and her team have worked to increase staff resources and expand capacity for driving tests and driver license services to meet the demand for service. Since May 2023, the Tax Collector’s Office has nearly doubled the number of driving skills tests administered daily.

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