ANNA MARIA – Operating inside a large trailer parked at City Pier Park, the temporary Anna Maria Post Office is now operating as a full-service postal facility.
Anna Maria Postmaster Sheila Brunger said on Dec. 11 that full-service postal operations began inside the trailer about three weeks ago. Prior to that, limited mail service was conducted out of mail trucks parked under the City Park shade sail.
Home mail delivery has never been available in Anna Maria and residents, property owners and business owners historically have retrieved their mail at the post office.
Brunger said the temporary post office contains 780 post office boxes. The hurricane-damaged post office building across the street on Pine Avenue contained approximately 2,000 and approximately 900 of those were in use when Hurricane Helene hit.
“If they had one over there, we transferred it over here. So, they have the same number, the same address and we reissued the keys to them beginning the Monday before Thanksgiving so they can pick up their own mail again,” Brunger said as a steady flow of residents passed through the temporary post office.
“It’s nice to be inside, but we’d rather be at home in our post office again,” she added.
Brunger doesn’t know yet when the hurricane-damaged post office will reopen but some restoration work has been done. On Dec. 12, an Andy’s Carpet Cleaning van was parked outside the post office building with a hose extending into the post office building. The storm surge-damaged drywall has been removed.
When asked about holiday mailing, postal worker Kristen Gray said, “It’s Christmas time. Mail early.”
“Do it ASAP,” Brunger added. A sign affixed to the front door of the temporary post office lists Dec. 18-21 as the deadlines for gifts to arrive in time for Christmas using priority USPS shipping services.
