A new microtransit shuttle service powered by the Citrus Connection called "The Squeeze" started service in downtown Lake Wales on Monday, May 13.
Service runs between 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays. It’s a free service for citizens.
City Manager James Slaton said, “Ronni Wood with Lake Wales Main Street and City staff saw the need to provide another mobility option for citizens to get where they want to go downtown.”
The new service comes at a good time. A multimillion-dollar revitalization project of the city’s downtown historic district is underway.
“The Squeeze is a safe and convenient method to get shoppers from adjacent parking lots to businesses in the historic district,” said Ronni Wood, Main Street director.
The Squeeze stops every twelve minutes. The stops include 2 South Second Street, 44 West Central Avenue, 53 West Stuart Avenue, 90 North Wetmore Street, 221 North Market Street, 198 North First Street, and 10 North Market Street.
Lake Wales has the second microtransit golf cart route in Polk County.
“The city’s elected officials and staff have made smart growth a priority, and both our microtransit services, ‘The Squeeze’ and the ‘Lake Wales Circulator’ complement their long-range mobility plan,” said Tom Phillips, General Manager, Citrus Connection.
The cost for the “The Squeeze” is funded through a partnership between the Lake Wales Community Redevelopment Agency, Lake Wales Main Street and the City of Lake Wales.