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Auto Blog
07-06-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Blog
You Can't Skip the Latest Step in Florida's Driver's License Process
Young Florida drivers seeking a permit have a new hoop to jump through Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a new law requiring anyone at least 15 years old to complete a driver's education course to receive a learner's permit. Students had previously faced less stringent mandates by only needing to complete traffic law and substance abuse education classes. Florida's new law, taking effect July 1, also requires teens seeking a license to receive parental approval, complete a Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education course, and pass a vision and hearing test along with a written driver's exam, according to NBC. Drivers can apply for a license after driving with a permit for one year or when reaching 18, whichever comes first, if they receive no moving violations and log 50 hours of driving experience with an adult 21 or older, 10 hours of which must be at night. 0:08 / 0:09 Thinking about buying a Toyota RAV4? These 5 rivals might change your mind Watch More Florida surf license plate — Source: Getty Some schools, including Florida Virtual, already offer driver education for permits, but many dialed back the program years ago to save money, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Debbie Adams, Principal of Driver's Education at Florida Virtual School, said: 'The legislators really got this right. They really took the time talking with each other and [are] really taking a look at the dangers that we are facing in the state of Florida along our roads,' The Mirror US reports. Many Florida high schools offer driver's education, but there isn't enough space for every student. Florida Virtual School offers driver's education for free and is the state's largest driver's education provider, with 55,000 enrolled students, many of whom can't find a spot in their local school. Defensive driving and hazard prevention are among the program's core skills. Florida teen driver crashes in recent years by the numbers In May 2024, 205,000 Florida teens aged 15-19 were driving with a learner's permit, according to The Florida Teen Safe Driving Coalition. In 2022, Florida teen drivers were involved in 56,091 crashes, resulting in 345 fatalities and 1,945 serious injuries. Nationally, teen drivers in 2022 were involved in 1,477,694 crashes, resulting in 7,639 deaths and 439,271 serious injuries. The Florida Teen Safe Driving Coalition cites an NHTSA study highlighting how teens are two and a half times more likely to engage in potentially risky behavior when driving with another teenager vs. alone, and this likelihood increases to three times with multiple teen passengers. Seat belts weren't worn in one-third of the fatalities and serious injuries involving these drivers. In 2023, Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) noted a 1.93% decline in 15-19-year-old driver crashes in the state but a 0.92% increase in this age group's traffic fatalities. Incapacitating injuries for 15-19-year-old drivers decreased 8.05%, and other injuries went down 2.92%. Autoblog Newsletter Autoblog brings you car news; expert reviews and exciting pictures and video. Research and compare vehicles, too. Sign up or sign in with Google Facebook Microsoft Apple By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. Florida license plate — Source: Getty Images Final thoughts While some states, such as Kentucky, have been loosening certain requirements for young drivers, the general trend in recent years has been toward stricter laws. On March 11, a new Kentucky law lowered the state's age to obtain a learner's permit from 16 to 15. Additionally, young Kentucky drivers only need to hold a permit for six months before applying for an intermediate license. However, since February, New Jersey has implemented a 50-hour supervised driving requirement for permit holders until age 21, after previously having no policy. North Carolina is even stricter with a 60-hour supervised driving requirement. Florida's law, which took effect on July 1, is the most recent example of the U.S. states tightening young driver laws. About the Author Cody Carlson View Profile
Miami Herald
07-06-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
You Can't Skip the Latest Step in Florida's Driver's License Process
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a new law requiring anyone at least 15 years old to complete a driver's education course to receive a learner's permit. Students had previously faced less stringent mandates by only needing to complete traffic law and substance abuse education classes. Florida's new law, taking effect July 1, also requires teens seeking a license to receive parental approval, complete a Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education course, and pass a vision and hearing test along with a written driver's exam, according to NBC. Drivers can apply for a license after driving with a permit for one year or when reaching 18, whichever comes first, if they receive no moving violations and log 50 hours of driving experience with an adult 21 or older, 10 hours of which must be at night. Some schools, including Florida Virtual, already offer driver education for permits, but many dialed back the program years ago to save money, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Debbie Adams, Principal of Driver's Education at Florida Virtual School, said: "The legislators really got this right. They really took the time talking with each other and [are] really taking a look at the dangers that we are facing in the state of Florida along our roads," The Mirror US reports. Many Florida high schools offer driver's education, but there isn't enough space for every student. Florida Virtual School offers driver's education for free and is the state's largest driver's education provider, with 55,000 enrolled students, many of whom can't find a spot in their local school. Defensive driving and hazard prevention are among the program's core skills. In May 2024, 205,000 Florida teens aged 15-19 were driving with a learner's permit, according to The Florida Teen Safe Driving Coalition. In 2022, Florida teen drivers were involved in 56,091 crashes, resulting in 345 fatalities and 1,945 serious injuries. Nationally, teen drivers in 2022 were involved in 1,477,694 crashes, resulting in 7,639 deaths and 439,271 serious injuries. The Florida Teen Safe Driving Coalition cites an NHTSA study highlighting how teens are two and a half times more likely to engage in potentially risky behavior when driving with another teenager vs. alone, and this likelihood increases to three times with multiple teen passengers. Seat belts weren't worn in one-third of the fatalities and serious injuries involving these drivers. In 2023, Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) noted a 1.93% decline in 15-19-year-old driver crashes in the state but a 0.92% increase in this age group's traffic fatalities. Incapacitating injuries for 15-19-year-old drivers decreased 8.05%, and other injuries went down 2.92%. While some states, such as Kentucky, have been loosening certain requirements for young drivers, the general trend in recent years has been toward stricter laws. On March 11, a new Kentucky law lowered the state's age to obtain a learner's permit from 16 to 15. Additionally, young Kentucky drivers only need to hold a permit for six months before applying for an intermediate license. However, since February, New Jersey has implemented a 50-hour supervised driving requirement for permit holders until age 21, after previously having no policy. North Carolina is even stricter with a 60-hour supervised driving requirement. Florida's law, which took effect on July 1, is the most recent example of the U.S. states tightening young driver laws. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hillsborough County schools facing $18 million budget gap
As school districts across the state anticipate tightened budgets next year, the Hillsborough County School District is facing a more than$18 million shortfall this year due to a lower reported enrollment count and state overspending. During a school board meeting Tuesday, Chief Financial Officer Jamie Lewis told the board that the budget saw an $18.3 million cut during the month of March, though he anticipated some of that money to return within weeks. Lewis pointed to four main reasons why the decrease — news of which which received audible sighs from the board — happened. More than $9 million, he said, was attributable to the change in full-time enrolled students this year. He said that was based on the third survey count of the year, which was delayed due to hurricanes Helene and Milton. A fourth count is expected within a few weeks. In October, Education Commissioner Manny Diaz sent a memo to superintendents offering school districts directly impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton two alternative attendance windows to report. 'We fully anticipate our FTE (full time enrollment) will rebound somewhat, because of the timing, and of course everyone was disrupted and that was in the fall and everything that was going on,' Superintendent Van Ayres said. Another $2 million was related to last year's full time enrollment count, Lewis said, and a little under $3 million could be attributed to readjustments from the county on the amount of money they received from millage, or funding from property taxes. But $4.1 million, Lewis said, was taken back because the state department of education was $231 million over budget and split that cost across districts. 'That's unavoidable,' he said. 'There's nothing we could've done to stop that. All districts were impacted, we did confirm that.' Lewis pointed out that charter schools in Hillsborough County also saw a decrease of $25.1 million after the third count, but the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program, the voucher program which grants public funds to families to allow them scholarships for school choice, saw an increase of $19.2 million. Lewis said the district's healthy reserves — currently more than $283 million — will help them cover the cuts. 'We're thankful we have that ability to navigate through this,' he said. Board member Lynn Gray pointed to the colluding factors of absenteeism, a decrease in full-time students, students opting for Florida Virtual School instead of Hillsborough Virtual School and competition from the Family Empowerment Scholarship, which impacts 19,000 students. She asked how big a factor the scholarship program was. 'Are you alluding to the fact that this growth is going to further deteriorate our enrollment?' she asked Lewis. 'It's a great question,' he said. 'I don't know if I'm alluding that, I'm just pointing out that we're seeing that on the numbers that are coming out.' Ayres quickly jumped in, adding that despite the third count, the district was growing. He said the state had projected full-time enrollment would be around 174,000, but the actual count ended up more than 1,000 higher. 'As a school district, we are going above the state's projection, which is a good thing,' he said. 'We're in a better position than some of the surrounding school districts that are seeing a dramatic decline in enrollment. We are not. 'The question becomes which of the 19,000 were never part of Hillsborough Public Schools to begin with?' he said. 'They were never part of our budget to begin with.' Two board members pushed back on the idea that the district was growing. Board member Nadia Combs said that with the number of people moving into Tampa, they should be seeing far greater numbers in schools. She questioned the oversight of the voucher program, which she estimated helped only a small fraction of students able to attend private schools out of financial reach with higher tuition. 'You can get that scholarship and no one can check on you for five years,' she said. 'You could sit at home, you could be that child who could be on lockdown for 30 years. No one's checking on you. No one's checking if you're getting an education.' Board chair Jessica Vaughn said that at many schools, she saw employees being cut due to enrollment, and questioned the narrative of a growing district. 'I think we need to do a better job of making clear to our employees specifically that we're losing that and more money is projected to be lost for next year with trending legislation and what that looks like and what the impact is,' she said. '$18 million for our district is huge.' Vaughn pointed out that much of it was out of their hands. 'The disconnect between what our budget actually looks like when the state comes in and takes back money that we earned for no reason, and the disconnect that we don't need any money, it's confusing to our constituents, it's confusing to our employees, and we need to make sure we have clarity around it,' she said. In an interview, Vaughn said she anticipates next year's budget reductions will be more drastic. She said she worries it could mean fewer educators and support staff in schools. 'You see school districts across the state trying to figure out, with such a drastic reduction within such a short amount of time, what kind of impact that's going to have,' she said.
