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Bill Would Allow Foster Kids to Drive Like Other Teens

By Megan E. Davis
Associate Editor

While a common rite of passage for most 16-year-olds, the opportunity to get a driver’s license remains out of reach for the majority of young people in foster care.

Less than 3 percent of 18-year-old foster youth aging out of Florida’s system have a driver’s license, according to Alan Abramowitz, executive director of the Florida Guardian ad Litem Program.

Victoria JacksonWhen a teenager gets a driver’s license, insurance rates go up for the parent or guardian adding the young person to his or her policy. In the case of foster youth, most caregivers are unwilling or unable to take on the extra expense, said Victoria Jackson, membership chair of Florida Youth SHINE’s Tallahassee chapter.

Made up of current and former foster youth, Florida Youth SHINE empowers members to become leaders and advocates in their communities.

“This is something many former foster youth continue to struggle with into their 20s,” Jackson said. “We’re not talking about wanting a driver’s license to feel free. We’re talking about needing a driver’s license to get a job and be self-sufficient in society.”

Legislation aimed at easing the financial burden faced by caregivers when foster youth obtain driver’s licenses is making its way through the Florida Senate. 

Members of the Committee on Children, Families and Elder Affairs last month voted unanimously in favor ofCS/SB 744, the Keys to Independence Act, introduced by Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice.

The bill proposes appropriating $800,000 to the Florida Department of Children and Families to create a statewide pilot program that would cover expenses for drivers’ education, becoming licensed, and insurance premium increases for caregivers of youth ages 15-18 seeking driver’s licenses.

“Our current situation is that our young people in foster care are in a situation where they often face barriers to participate in everyday life experiences common to others in their age group,” Detert said during the committee meeting. “It certainly impedes them getting a job and becoming a normal citizen. This is just another way to help foster kids when they leave our system become productive citizens.” 

The bill has three more committee stops, including committees on Transportation, Banking and Insurance, and Appropriations. 

Committee on Children, Families and Elder Affairs Chair Sen. Eleanor Sobel, D-Hollywood, offered praise for the bill.

“These kids have had a tough life,” she said. “They didn’t ask for it, but they got it. I hope we can find funding to help these kids have happy and productive lives like the rest of kids in society.”

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Alexia Nechayev

FYS Events & Meeting Chair
(Palm Beach/Miami)

Alexia Nechayev, from Miami, Florida, is a dedicated advocate for youth with lived experience in foster care and with homelessness. After being placed in foster care as a teenager, Alexia experienced firsthand the stigma surrounding the system, as well as the challenges of navigating a system that didn’t provide support for her to advocate for herself. This experience motivated her to create change, ensuring that other youth in care have the tools and resources she lacked.

She graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Florida International University, and upon graduation worked as a Hope Navigator with the Department of Children and Families which allowed her to assist clients through individualized care plans, further deepening her commitment to improving the lives of marginalized youth. Alexia is now applying to law schools with the goal of advancing her advocacy work through a legal career. As the Events and Meetings Chair for Florida Youth SHINE (FYS), she creates opportunities for foster and homeless youth to collaborate and push for meaningful change. She is also an active member of the Policy and Initiative Team for Florida Youth SHINE, where she helps create and shape policies that directly impact youth in foster care. One of her proudest accomplishments is helping to develop the Foster Care Bill of Rights, a law that she feels would have made a difference during her own time in care.

In addition to her work with FYS, Alexia serves on the Board of Directors for the parent organization of FYS, Florida’s Children First. In this role, she contributes to strategic decision-making while advocating for the rights and welfare of children statewide.

Every year, she travels to the state capitol to advocate for bills she and her peers have helped shape, including key pieces of legislation that benefit foster and homeless youth. However her advocacy extends beyond her state, as she represents Florida Youth SHINE at national conferences such as the National Leaders 4 Change Conference.

Through her internship with the National Foster Youth Institute, Alexia continues to refine her advocacy skills, preparing for a future where she can contribute meaningfully to both policymaking and the legal system. Guided by the belief that “the blue sky is always there,” she remains committed to ensuring that every youth in foster care has the power and support to advocate for themselves.

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