Update on Post Office; mobile not possible

USPS sometimes dispatches mobile units

Gasparilla Island continues to wait for the reopening of the Boca Grande Post Office, which has been closed since it was flooded during 2024 hurricanes. A reader suggested to the paper that perhaps the USPS could open a temporary branch of the post office on the island.

“The size and configuration of the property unfortunately do not allow for other temporary options, but we anticipate repairs will be finalized shortly, barring any unforeseen issues,” said Lecia Hall, a USPS spokeswoman, by email. “We thank our valued customers for their continued patience.”

Progress does continue.

“The safety and well-being of postal customers and employees is a priority for the Postal Service,” wrote Hall. “The Boca Grande Post Office is a leased facility, and we are working with the building’s landlord to quickly resolve all facility-related issues.”

There is a manufacturer of mobile post offices, the Victoria, Texas-based Clegg Industries. J.B. Clegg, reached Tuesday by phone, said that the company had built a fleet of mobile post offices for three different contracts, 50 each in the years 1994, 1998 and 2004. They resemble food trucks.

“Years ago, we did,” said Clegg, the company’s vice president of operations. 

“We built three different versions of mobile post offices,” said Clegg. He said that they had not made any since 2004, and occasionally they had come back for repairs. Many were deployed in urban locations or would be dispatched to a disaster area years ago.