TAMPA, Fla. — The little post office tucked away off South Highland Avenue in Clearwater has been Maryce Garber's go-to for years.
So, she was taken aback when she got a flyer the last time she stopped in.
Watch full report from Mary O'Connell
"It's going to be closing,” said Garber. "I feel helpless sometimes, and I'm really glad that y'all listened because I hate to see these things happen and we don't have any say about it."
Garber shared that tip with Tampa Bay 28, so reporter Mary O’Connell followed up.
When she walked inside the Highland Avenue location, staff there handed her the same flyer, which reads: "This CPU post office will be closed permanently on September 30, 2025."
It states USPS terminated the contract.
That's a problem, Garber said, especially for the elderly.
"It's going to be difficult to go to the downtown Clearwater post office because there are a multitude of stairs to climb, and like some of the other elderly, I am on a cane, so that one's out for me,” said Garber.
That location isn’t the only one neighbors are worried about. There’s another one about 40 miles away in Apollo Beach.
"They're going to be closing this post office,” said neighbor Alaina Ware.
Just this week, Representative Kathy Castor sent a letter to the Postmaster General urging to keep the Apollo Beach post office open, saying it's gotten a notice for contract termination set for Sept. 30.
Letter to Postmaster General Re Cpu Apollo Beach and Ruskin Po Closure by ABC Action News
"I think it's just getting a little ridiculous,” said neighbor Dave Edelstein.
Tampa Bay 28 caught up with a handful of neighbors, who voiced their frustration while visiting that location off Flamingo Drive in Apollo Beach.
"They closed the one in Ruskin that I used to go to, so I've been having to come to this one, so now I got to find the next one to go to,” said Ware.
"We're back and forth here probably two, three times a week, so to have to just keep adding it on, you're looking at probably by the time the week's over, 50, 60, 70 miles being added back and forth,” said Edelstein.
Tampa Bay 28 reached out to USPS, who sent the following statement:
“The United States Postal Service sometimes contracts with suppliers to host Contract Postal Units, or CPUs, within a retail establishment, operated by the supplier or supplier’s employees. Through these contracts, CPUs can provide communities with additional access to some postal services, but they are independent businesses not directly operated by the Postal Service. Under the CPU contract terms, the Postal Service and CPU operators both agreed that either party can terminate the contract upon giving 120 days’ notice. We have exercised our right to do so in some cases where nearby post offices that are operated by the Postal Service are capable of serving the community directly. Doing so better enables us to fulfill our commitment to serve our communities with efficient and reliable access to retail services.
In the case of the Apollo Beach CPU at 219 Flamingo Drive, Apollo Beach, FL 33572, the Postal Service determined that nearby postal facilities are able to serve the community. The closest Postal Service-operated retail facility to the Apollo Beach CPU is the Gibsonton Main Post Office which is 5.6 miles away at 11126 S US Highway 41, Gibsonton, FL 33534.
Additionally, in the case of the Highland CPU at 1224 S. Highland Avenue, Clearwater, FL 33756, the Postal Service determined that nearby postal facilities are also able to serve the community. The closest Postal Service-operated retail facility to the Highland CPU is the Cleveland Street Station which is 2.3 miles away at 650 Cleveland Street, Clearwater, FL 33755.”
“We give people that opportunity to really learn those lessons from the holocaust, to hear from survivors, to be able to see physical evidence.”
Tampa Bay 28 reporter Casey Albritton visited the soon-to-be reopened Florida Holocaust Museum
