PALMDALE, Fla. — The Palmdale post office has been temporarily closed, and the U.S. Postal Service says safety concerns are to blame.
A suspension notice was found on the front door.
Since Fox 4’s Hendry County Community Correspondent, Austin Schargorodski, works near Glades County every day, he went to Palmdale to see how neighbors feel about being forced into a longer commute for their mail service.
Watch Community Correspondent Austin Schargorodski's report here...
This post office has been a part of Palmdale for decades, and the building is clearly showing its age. For neighbors like Larry Gibson, it’s a crucial hub. P.O. Boxes are the only way many residents there can receive their mail, and now they’re gone.
“We’re very upset about it because we have to go at least 15-miles to LaBelle to get our mail, and you have to deal with a treacherous highway: highway 29,” Gibson said. “If you’re unlucky enough to get caught by the drawbridge you’re looking at an hour trip one way just to pick up your mail.”
The extra travel isn’t just inconvenient, Tonya Sellers and her daughter Samantha worry it will be expensive too. Tonya says she needs daily access to her P.O. box to pick up her husband’s medication, but the miles will add up fast.
“My husband has cancer, he has emphysema, he has other things wrong with him. His medication, because he’s military, comes through the mail,” said Sellers. “Driving 15 miles a day one-way works out to 180 miles a week. That’s just not feasible on a fixed income when you don’t get that much money for gas.”
The Glades County Sheriff’s Office said this post office is privately owned, and the owner hasn’t agreed to make the necessary repairs that the building needs. Neighbors tell FOX 4 the building floods when it rains and it’s full of mold.
The U.S. Postal Service shut it down over safety concerns, but didn't elaborate any further, nor did they provide a timeline for reopening. So, neighbors like Larry and Tonya have sprung into action starting a petition for a solution.
“We’re trying to get a rural route established, that or just get a temporary mail delivery out here,” Gibson said. “There’s a community building down the street here they could have access to. If they would bring the mail and pick up the old mail that would be sufficient for us until we get a new post office.”
In just 24 hours, Tonya said the petition has gotten more than 300 signatures and she plans to present it to county officials,
“It’s logical. Put a route out here. Do something,” stated Sellers.
