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Highlands Today

Condo Complex Wants Mail Delivered To Residents' Mailboxes

POST OFFICE RECOGNIZES LAS PALMAS AS A TIMESHARE

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By Douglas  Carman | Highlands Today

Published: December 26, 2007

AVON PARK — Carol Pinzon gets a lot of mail at her office. The mailman drops off at least a few dozen letters at her desk every morning, and with Christmas approaching, there's always two or three large boxes around her.

It's been like this for two years and it has become a headache for Las Palmas' property manager. The problem for her is that most of it isn't for her or her office staff, but for the residents leasing 80 of the units. She says the Post Office refuses to deliver the mail to the residents and instead sends it all to her office, leaving her liable for it.

"They're not doing it because they say it's a time share," Pinzon said.

Las Palmas Resort used to consist of 96 timeshare units, where people typically resided for only a week. In 2005, Las Palmas established a homeowners association and converted 80 of them so their residents live there with longer-term leases.

Pinzon sent a request to then-Avon Park Postmaster Garry Jones after the units were converted. In a Oct. 21 2005 response, Jones said that "the community remains a resort with temporary and seasonal residents," declining her request.

U.S. Postal Service Suncoast District spokesman Gary Sawtelle said that the Avon Park post office's records show that 30 of the units are either timeshares or residencies with short-term leases. Also, since 2005, Las Palmas had neither made a written complaint nor renewed its request.

Pinzon acknowledged that she did not send a written complaint since 2005, but she spoke with Jones and once spoke to current postmaster Minnette Williams about her request. She also disputed the record Sawtelle cited.
Emiliano Lebron, the outgoing homeowner's association president for Las Palmas, said he received two complaints over the past year from people saying their mail was lost.

"The front desk people, they have to put all the letters where they belong. I have had some complaints about it," Lebron said.

Pinzon said it gets worse for people working day shifts, since the office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. She said another resident came in Monday and asked about getting the mail after-hours.

Other residents said they were used to it and they had no complaints.

"I just have to walk over there," said William Hughes, who then pointed from his front door toward the office down the street.

Elizabeth Hamilton, who is renting a unit further away from the office than Hughes, said she thought it was a bigger issue for the office staff than it was for her.

"It would be better if it was here, but obviously we deal with it," she said.

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