USPS officials: Safety Harbor Main Street branch will close
By 
The Safety Harbor Post Office saga has ended with what now appears was a foregone conclusion from the beginning—the Main Street branch, a fixture in the downtown district for decades, will close and relocate to another part of town.
USPS officials confirmed their decision in a letter sent to Mayor Joe Ayoub after the 30-day window for public comment had expired following a federally mandated meeting on the matter on March 15.
The original letter, written by Tom Sala, vice president of facilities for the postal service, stated “the Postal Service must relocate its retail operation due to the termination of its current lease.”
City officials disputed the cause, noting the property owner agreed to extend the two-year lease that expires in 2019 another five years, and USPS officials agreed to draft a new letter minus the misleading language.
But regardless of the wording or the reasoning behind it, the bottom line is, the iconic Main Street Post Office will be closing.
“I am disappointed to hear about this decision,” Mayor Ayoub told Safety Harbor Connect via email. “Despite the fact that post office officials stated they were being forced to leave by the landlord we now know that was never the case, and despite the fact that post office officials held a public meeting for our residents to get our opinions and thoughts about its location we now know that they had their mind up before holding that meeting.”
“I’m confident that city officials did everything we could, including working with the landlord to offer the post office an extension that was in line with what they said they wanted to keep the post office at it’s current location.”
The news of the post office moving from its brick headquarters at 303 Main is sure to rock the many residents who showed steadfast support for keeping the branch downtown.
But for some, the month-long pause was a mere formality, as it quickly became apparent during the March meeting that the post office had outgrown the location, that USPS officials had already targeted a new location—the old Fifth Third Bank building on McMullen Booth Road—and that they weren’t willing to accept a deal from the landlord to extend their lease.
“Is this just a formality?” resident Jim Barge asked USPS representative Damian Salazar at the meeting.
“Because it sounds like you’ve already concluded that the best option is the Fifth Third building.”
Salazar, who is based in Dallas, responded by saying it was the Postal Service’s intention to remain on Main Street, but when pressed, he admitted even an offer of a 20-year lease might not be enough to persuade USPS higher-ups to vote against relocation.
“Anything’s possible,” Salazar replied.
Now, that possibility has become a reality.
According to a USPS official, the relocation process is already underway, though there is no timeframe for the move.
“We are currently reviewing and considering all comments and potential sites that meet our requirements,” Enola C. Rice, spokesperson for the U. S. Postal Service, said via email.
“We do not have a timeframe for the review and approval process. A lease cannot be signed until the final decision letter has been provided and a site selection has been completed.”
Rice went on to state that “operations will continue at the current Safety Harbor Post Office facility until we locate a new site,” and she added that mail delivery would not be affected by the relocation.
While USPS officials focus on the branch’s relocation, city officials will pivot towards facilitating the transition of the prime downtown property, which reportedly could be transformed into a bar/restaurant, possibly with a mailing facility in the rear, and could fit it nicely with the slew of new businesses slated for the district.
“The City looks forward to working with the post office as they continue their relocation process, as well as with the property owner as they look to fill the space,” City Manager Matt Spoor, who has had several discussions with representatives of both parties over the past several months, said.
“Staff also looks forward to working with the new business owner who eventually comes in there.”
Related content:
- US Postal officials clarify status of the Safety Harbor branch
- Fate of Safety Harbor Post Office up in the air
- Safety Harbor Business Beat: Spring 2017: Movies, wine and pizza cones coming to Main Street!
ITS ALL ABOUT THE $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ TOO MANY PEOPLE MOVING INTO PINELLAS COUNTY
I think we have enough bars in this town. We need more retail stores. There’s so many empty buildings. Building’s some owners have no intention of leasing even if there are signs in the windows. Safety Harbor use to have dress stores, drug stores, grocery store and now there’s just bars and condos. It’s sad.
I will be more inclined to use the new post office if I don’t have to parallel park!! I always go to Cypress Point to mail a package or purchase stamps, because parking is much more convenient.
We already have plenty of great restaurants and bars. Main Street needs more retail to help balance it out. This is not a new issue.
We agree that the post office had outgrown that location, but I think it’s more about the deceit in their decision which was made awhile ago and personally I have a problem with not being upfront and honest. I see their point about moving to a larger facility…it’s just how it was done. But we do need to go forward in making Safety Harbor a vibrant community. We live on the outskirts of SH and the downtown has much to offer but if I’m being honest, we like the Dunedin area because it has a great combo of restaurants, shops and offices all of which are advertised and directed from the Main St. We have some sweet places/restaurants on side streets in SH that not only visitors but new residents like ourselves do not know. And we really need to expand it over all of Main St and not just the area closer to the Spa. And we can expand on the park and bike/walking paths especially as they look at the area going over 60 at the causeway. Just some thoughts.
It’s great to see main St doing so well. But they need to work on parking plans or those businesses will not survive. Need to have a place to park first THEN have a reason to park. Not the other way around.
You need to have more people living near or on Main St, which means reducing setbacks and allowing multifamily/condos to be built.
Think of it as an opportunity for the building to be the home of a couple businesses that are open evenings and Sundays – instead of a closed establishment (the Post Office) during those times. There isn’t much parking out front for the Post Office, but new businesses could have cars park behind the building where the mail trucks now park. Think of the change as an opportunity to make our downtown even better.
I am in total agreement with you Gary.Change brings new opportunities.
How about a grocery store. There is enough parking available behind the building to support that.
Has anyone questioned the fact that the old 5th Third location is in Clearwater? Is there a possibility that the Safety Harbor address will cease to exist?
That side of the road is Safety Harbor. The Walgreens next to it has Safety Harbor address
Property on the east side of McMullen Booth is in Safety Harbor; property on the west side of McMullen Booth is in Clearwater. We found out that fact when a traffic light was being installed at Briar Creek Boulevard and McMullen Booth Road; approval had to be obtained from both Safety Harbor, Clearwater, and Pinellas County. The end result is a beautifully designed intersection. The only drawback is the constant red-light runners. It appears nothing can stop them!
If we listened to what they said from day one – this space was not adequate for their needs. They could say what they want about the landlord but it didn’t seem to play into the decision – making
I ❤️ The charm of our downtown area but we simply can’t inpose our beliefs onto property owners or renters.
My focus is on the gigantic mess going in across from Marina and other homes being built without a front or back yard. These are changes approved by elected officials. This will derail the look and feel of a City so much more than whether a post office chooses to stay or move ?
You mean the condos that will bring more people to a downtown area that is struggling? I forget how that is a bad thing.
It is a post office. It utilizes an out of date business model people. The new location is actually more convenient for just about everyone.
A new restaurant in that space would be a much better use of the property
What a shame. How long will this storefront remain empty? As we continue to try to grow our Main Street, it will be sad to see such a landmark gone.
I am so sorry to hear this. This small town post office is the best PR Safety Harbor ever had. When my out of town guests come I always make sure we have to mail something because folks simply love the charming post office. It also brought me into town more often and I would make sure to visit other businesses. In my opinion it is something to really fight for.
Well go fight the federal government. I can guarantee you that when USPS moves and something better moves in, no one will care.
I’m 30 and I think I have been to a post office about 30 times in my entire life.