The Glades County Post Office site in Palmdale will temporarily halt operations Wednesday due to an unspecified "safety concern" according to an official announcement from the USPS.
No specific reason was provided for the stoppage at the Palmdale Post Office at 1134 Broadway Street NW, Palmdale.
The original announcement included a statement from the Postal Service:
"The safety and well-being of our customers and our employees is a priority to the U.S. Postal Service. We appreciate their patience as we address and resolve this safety concern. Updates will be provided as soon as additional information becomes available."
Sam Wood, president of the Southwest Florida Area of the American Postal Workers Union of Florida, representing clerks at Southwest Florida post offices, said his union local had not been notified of any issues at the Palmdale facility.
"We knew nothing about it until I heard it from your station," he said Wednesday. "It's a small office but important to people in that community. Now they have to go to LaBelle."
Wood did say that there had been a mold issue at the office a few years ago.
"They assured me it had been taken care of," he said.
A query to the USPS on the cause for the stoppage resulted in the following statement from a Postal Service official:
"As an integral part of the communities we serve, the U.S. Postal Service strives every day to provide excellent service to our customers. Effective January 8, all Retail and P.O. Box Operations are being temporarily suspended at the Palmdale Post Office and relocated to the Labelle Post Office, located at 35 W. Washington Ave, Labelle, FL 33935. ... On December 21, a notice was posted in error, regarding the status of the Palmdale Post Office and any information contained in that notice should be disregarded.
"At this time, there is no firm timeline for resumption of services at Palmdale, but the goal is to do so as quickly as possible. Additional information regarding USPS leased facilities can be found by visiting: https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/foia/leased-facilities. We appreciate the patience of our valued customers and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."
The original announcement also listed that retail and Post Office box services would be available at a listed alternate location:
Labelle Post Office
35 W. Washington Ave
Labelle, 33944
Mon-Fri 9:00am – 5:00pm
Sat Closed
Sun Closed
P.O. Box customers are reminded to bring proper photo identification for mail and package pickups.
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