As Mass Transit Use Surges, Citrus Connection Requests Larger Share from Lake Wales
by James Coulter
With ridership and local bus service demand on the rise—particularly on Lake Wales’ fixed-route
system, now serving as a model for other cities—Citrus Connection is asking the city to increase
its municipal contribution over the next two years to match the expanded service.
At their work session on Wed. July 15, 2026, the Lake Wales City Commission received a presentation from Citrus Connection outlining a proposed contract that would increase the city’s municipal contribution toward operating its mass transit services for the next two years.
Citrus Connection, the county’s transit provider, requires each municipality to contribute toward
the cost of its services, with a phased plan designed to have every city pay its fair share within
three years.
As such, Lake Wales has been requested to make a level contribution over the next two years “at
an amount that represents approximately two-thirds of the City’s full municipal amount,” wrote
Jennifer Nanek, City Clerk.
Erin Killebrew-Kinlaw, Director of External Affairs for Citrus Connection, reported that Lake Wales logged 13,837 boardings within city limits over the past year.
Among the city’s five fixed routes, the busiest were Route 30 (linking Eagle Ridge Mall to Downtown Winter Haven) with 3,833 rides, and the Lake Wales Circulator (serving major stops such as Publix, Walmart, and the Polk County Health Department) with 3,485 rides.
Launched on Oct. 1, 2023, the Lake Wales Circulator became the county’s first city‑specific bus service of its size. Over the past year, it has logged 3,485 rides.
The service has quickly proven essential, linking the underserved Northwest neighborhood to key destinations. Roughly 87 percent of its riders lack access to a personal vehicle, according to
the Polk Sun.
Killebrew‑Kinlaw praised the circulator as a model other cities now hope to replicate, noting its
strong performance: “Your circulator has an enormous amount of ridership, to the point where I
want to congratulate you guys, because we now have two other cities that are asking for them.”
Another popular service is the Lake Wales Squeeze, a free “hop‑on, hop‑off” shuttle that uses open‑air golf carts to transport riders between downtown businesses and parking areas on a 12‑minute loop. That service logged 1,801 rides within the past year.
While paratransit services saw lower usage (767 rides on ADA Paratransit and 80 on
Transportation Disadvantaged), Killebrew‑Kinlaw noted that these “less than normal” numbers
reflect the city’s overall robust transit network, which reduces reliance on paratransit.
Lake Wales currently contributes $173,436.37, but Citrus Connection is requesting a four‑percent increase over the next two years: $180,406.06 in the first year and $187,622.31 in the second. Killebrew‑Kinlaw said the requested increase reflects rising ridership and service
levels.
In 2022, Lake Wales logged 111,237 service miles for a population of 16,386, with a contracted
cost of $143,182.37 (at a $7.94 VRM rate). This year, mileage rose to 112,023 and population to
17,736, bringing the contracted amount to $173,467.37 (at a $10.18 VRM rate).
Commissioner Keith Thompson asked whether the Lake Wales Squeeze could be extended
across Scenic Highway to reach additional parking areas, specifically at Oakley Park and in front
of the Presbyterian Church.
“I think a conversation between you guys and staff would be interesting to have on that to see if
we can work something out, but I don’t want to create any additional issues or additional costs,”
he said
Killebrew‑Kinlaw replied that the shuttle cannot cross the highway because it lacks the required
safety features, namely crosswalks with flashing signals between Scenic Highway and Park
Avenue.
Furthermore, Citrus Connection does not have liability coverage for that stretch. Although FDOT
has approved the service, crossing the highway would place full liability on Citrus Connection,
thus preventing the expansion
