We believe everyone should be able to be informed about the place they live so we don't charge to read LkldNow. Instead of paywalls or subscription fees, we rely on contributions from readers like you to fund our journalism. Give Monthly, One-time or Once a Year.
Stay in the know
Get the scoop on what’s happening in Lakeland. Sign up to our weekly newsletter to get all your local news in one email!
Thank you for being a LkldNow reader!
LkldNow is your truly local, independent news. No paywall. No subscription fees. No opinions. Just the local news you need.
Get our briefing — Once a week, local news focused on decisions that affect Lakeland.
3-minute read
Citrus Connection is launching a pilot program with the Public Defender’s Office to provide bus passes to people who can’t afford transportation, aiming to reduce missed court dates and the costly consequences that follow.
Missing court isn’t always about avoiding responsibility. Often, it’s about access.
Public Defender Blair Allen said transportation is a common barrier for her clients.
“Last year alone, we had over 27,000 clients here in Polk County,” Allen said. Many qualify as indigent, meaning they are already struggling financially.
Getting to court — often in Bartow — can be especially difficult for those living in other parts of Polk County without a car.
“We get phone calls from clients who are saying, ‘I can’t get to court… my ride didn’t show up,’” she said.
Some are already charged with driving on a suspended license and can’t legally drive. Others can’t afford bus fare.
“That is not an intentional failure to appear,” Allen said.
Fines and suspensions are closely linked
“When someone misses their court date… a bench warrant can be issued,” Citrus Connection CEO Tom Phillips said at an April 8 Citrus Connection board meeting. “There’s costs associated with that — reincarceration, rescheduling court — and all of those are costs to the taxpayer.”
Across Florida, transportation and financial barriers are deeply connected to the justice system.
Missing a court date can trigger a cascade of problems, including bench warrants, jail time, lost jobs, and housing instability. “It’s a trickle-down effect,” Allen said.
A 2023 report found that more than 716,000 Floridians (1 in 24 driving adults) had suspended licenses due to unpaid fines and fees, according to Fines & Fees Justice Center.
The report also shows that without a license, many people struggle to get to work, court, or essential services — making it harder to resolve the very issues that led to suspension.
Without a valid license, these barriers can compound, limiting access to employment and transportation while increasing the risk of further legal consequences, according to the study.
How the program works
The bus pass program offers a simple intervention: access.
Public defenders will identify clients who lack reliable transportation and provide them with a custom flyer that includes two bus passes, route information, and a QR code for schedules.
“Take away some of the obstacles… and get that person to court,” Allen said.
Each one-way bus pass costs $1.50, though Phillips noted the program operates largely as a “sunk cost” since it uses existing transit capacity. He estimated the program may also require only a few hours of staff planning time each month.
If needed, participants can be connected to longer-term transportation support through Citrus Connection’s transportation disadvantage program.
“This is really a holistic approach,” Phillips said.
Phillips said the Public Defender’s office serves roughly 20,000 clients, and estimated that if about 10% participate, the program could see around 2,000 uses per month.
The program is expected to begin the week of April 14, according to Phillips, and is projected to run for at least one year with regular check-ins. Ridership data will be tracked monthly.
It builds on an existing pilot with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, which provides bus passes to people released from jail so they can get home.
Citrus Connection board members said the goal is both practical and preventative.
“Just giving them the opportunity to get to court… then give them a way to get to work,” said board member and City Commissioner Terry Coney.
Lakeland Mayor Sara Roberts McCarley, Citrus Connection board chair, called the program a community investment at the April 8 meeting.
Insight Polk examines community conditions and solutions in six target areas from UCIndicators.org: economic & employment opportunity, education, housing, food security, transportation & infrastructure, and quality of life.
LkldNow’s Insight Polk independent reporting is made possible by the United Community Indicators Project with funding by GiveWell Community Foundation & United Way of Central Florida. All editorial decisions are made by LkldNow.
Kayla Borg is a Lakeland native and graduate of Western Carolina University, where she earned her degree in English and film production. She began her media career in Atlanta at CNN, quickly rising from production assistant editor to technical director/editor, leading live broadcasts alongside field reporters. Since then, she’s worked in education, instructional design and independent filmmaking.
