New Palmdale post office could be built near community center, Glades county says

PALMDALE, Fla. (WINK)—Residents in the Palmdale area say they are facing a lengthy commute to send or receive their mail after their local post office closed over a year ago.

The closest post office is now about a half hour away in a different county. Palmdale residents stopped by WINK Listens in Moore Haven to express their concerns about the closure.

"Stressed out, distraught, it's been crazy," said Sara Leffers, a Palmdale resident.

Leffers and dozens of her Palmdale neighbors have had to cross county lines into LaBelle to send or receive their mail.

"It's really inconvenient," said Steve Cabula, a Palmdale resident. "It's like 18 miles each way to go get your mail."

USPS shut down Palmdale's post office because the building was too damaged and forwarded all Palmdale business to their LaBelle office. As a working mom of two toddlers, Leffers said she can't always get to her mail on time.

"I've got important documents that I didn't even know that were in there, like some have even been sent back," Leffers said.

Ginnette Nunemaker, a Palmdale resident, shared her frustration with the situation.

"I just don't think it's fair, because if I have to mail a package, I've got to drive all the way down here," Nunemaker said.

Every time Nunemaker picks up her mail, the drive back to Palmdale makes her feel a certain way.

"Put to the back burner, and everybody else does in Palmdale, and we just can't get any answers," Nunemaker said.

Glades County Manager Paul Carlisle said there are plans in the works to build a new post office next to the Palmdale Community Center. He told WINK News that USPS and the county signed a lease agreement about three months ago on county-owned land.

Carlisle said the USPS team has been taking water and soil samples of the land, and the county is waiting on final funding to push the plan forward. 

While there are more steps ahead and a timeline is not immediately clear, once they get final stamps of approval, Carlisle said USPS gave the county an estimate of six to 12 months for the building.

Leffers said she's hopeful any solution will deliver some relief.

"I understand we're a little, tiny, little town, little community, but we pay the same taxes, just as everybody else," Leffers said.

When WINK News reached out to USPS about the future of a post office in Palmdale, they responded with the following:

“As an integral part of the communities we serve, the U.S. Postal Service strives every day to provide excellent service to our valued customers.  Regarding questions about the Palmdale Post Office, we refer to the attached news release issued in January 2026. Regarding future plans, the Postal Service is continuing to actively explore viable options, and customers will be notified, per our established guidelines, as the process evolves. We continue to offer the services our customers want and need at the Labelle Post Office location.”

A copy of the USPS January 2026 news release can be found here.