{"href":"https://api.simplecast.com/oembed?url=https%3A%2F%2Felevatepolk.com%2Fepisodes%2Fthe-bill-comes-due-zX97kLUF","width":444,"version":"1.0","type":"rich","title":"S3 E5 #71 \"The Bill Comes Due\"","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/d15c135b-90c2-4589-a85f-baac7c19c8d3/da40d100-23f2-4b8c-89e4-bb815811734d/ep_ep_5_the_bill_comes_due.jpg","thumbnail_height":300,"provider_url":"https://simplecast.com","provider_name":"Simplecast","html":"","height":200,"description":"What happens when a growing community wants more infrastructure, more mobility, more quality of life, more workforce access, and more economic opportunity, but avoids the hard conversation about how those things are funded?\n\nIn this episode of ElevatePolk, Dan Thumberg and Chrissanne Long are joined by Tom Phillips, CEO of Citrus Connection, for a candid conversation about public transportation, local infrastructure, and the real costs behind the services communities depend on.\n\nTom explains how Citrus Connection serves Polk County, why transit matters for workers and businesses, and how funding decisions directly impact service levels. The conversation also explores the possible elimination of homesteaded property taxes in Florida and what that could mean for local governments, public safety, parks, transportation, and quality-of-life services.\n\nChrissanne and Dan explore how outdated perceptions of Polk County continue to shape outside opinions, why business resources can feel fragmented or hard to find, and how resource mapping, ecosystem building, and intentional collaboration could help close the gap. They also discuss the importance of moving “beyond collisions” — beyond chance meetings and lucky introductions — toward a more organized, visible, and accessible system of support for entrepreneurs across the county.\n\nThis conversation is both honest and hopeful: Polk County should not be no man’s land. It is full of people, businesses, ideas, and opportunities worth investing in. The question is whether we are willing to build the bridges that help more entrepreneurs find their way."}