BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. — It started as a bold move to keep their own son employed as he entered adulthood.
The D’Eri family wanted independence for Andrew, who is almost 35 years old now — a sociable young man on the autism spectrum whose love of all things movies was a hit among his peers.
RELATED LINK: Autism statistics and facts
“He had actually a lot of friends,” said his brother, Thomas D’Eri. “…kids that looked out for him when he was in high school.”
That desire to create a future for Andrew has grown into a thriving, expanding business: Rising Tide Car Wash, a company built on the idea that autism is not a barrier — it’s a strength.
Today, more than 80% of its employees are on the autism spectrum. They’re not just washing cars — they’re running the place, handling cash, cleaning the cars with precision and customers keep coming back.
“There’s about 80% unemployment among people with autism and the vast majority of the reason for that is that we as a society look at autism as a disability that requires sympathy instead of a really valuable diversity,” said Thomas. “We pretty clearly saw that for sure people with autism - a lot of of them - are going to be able to be good at detail-oriented, process driven tasks and that’s what a car wash is.”
Thomas helped launch the business after one ordinary trip to a car wash turned into a lightbulb moment. The structure, the rhythm, the clear steps — it was the perfect environment for people like Andrew to thrive.
The family studied, saved, and opened their first location in Parkland in 2013. Then came Margate. Then Coral Springs.
Now, they’re preparing to open a new location in Pompano Beach, creating even more opportunities for neurodivergent workers.
“We felt that we needed to build a business that was embedded in the community, that was front and center, that a lot of local people come to frequently. Our members come multiple times a month and we build relationships with them,” said Thomas. “We thought that was a really great medium to be able to communicate how capable people with autism are to the broader public.”
Click here to visit Rising Tide’s Instagram page.
Copyright 2025 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.
