Mass transit in Tampa Bay's densely populated big cities grabs the headlines. But there's a case to be made that transportation has even more of an impact on people living in rural areas.

This week on Florida Matters, Ron Pianta, planning and zoning director for Hernando County -- along with Dave Hutchinson, MPO executive director of Manatee and Sarasota -- joins Tom Phillips, executive director of the Citrus Connection in Polk County, to talk about the issues and solutions in our rural areas.

Florida Matters airs on WUSF 89.7 Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday at 7:30 a.m.  It's also on Classical WSMR 89.1 and 103.9 on Mondays at 10 p.m.