USPS suspends mail to impassible "sandpit streets" in Florida village

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/05/13/usps-suspends-mail-to-impassible-sandpit-streets-in-florida-village.html

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These people literally bought swampland in Florida.

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“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night” isn’t really a service pledge; it’s just a quote from Herodotus about Persian royal messengers. There are a thousand reasons why the USPS might not deliver mail; weather and bad roads have always been sources of service interruptions.

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Bear in mind, USPS delivers mail to Stehekin, Washington, in a roadless area at the base of North Cascades National Park, 50 miles up Lake Chelan from the post office.

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True, the USPS has never had an official motto. It’s more of an aspirational sentiment.

creeds

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These people will be finding out how “cheap” their houses were when they have to build some actual roads in front of them.

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At one time they put chains on their little trucks to deliver mail. But about 4 years ago they stopped doing that. Our office is understaffed, so even after the roads are plowed and sanded we still wait 3 or more days for mail. It doesn’t really bother me too much, since I don’t get a lot of mail anymore.

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Assuming that it isn’t an unincorporated area, and the residents were attracted by the low taxes.

Hm. Yup!

It looks like there’s no builder left to point fingers.

Who is the developer for IV4?
The original developer, Continental Land Development One, Inc., defaulted on their bond in 1976. The IV4 lots were acquired by development company MARPAD, Inc. in 2004; this company underwent foreclosure in 2009. Citrus County is unaware of any land development company currently active in IV4.

Is Citrus County responsible for the construction and/or maintenance of the roads in IV4?
The rights of way (ROW) in IV4 were dedicated to the public but, because no roads were constructed, the ROW were not accepted for maintenance. By statute, Citrus County is not required to maintain the ROW.

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DONT ARSK US ABOUT:

Mrs Cake

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Why did Citrus County continue to issue building permits in IV4 when SWFWMD has not issued an environmental resource permit (ERP) for development?
Citrus County cannot deny a permit because of some other agency’s regulations. Per Florida Statute 553.79, “a building permit for a single-family residential dwelling must be issued within 30 business days after receiving the permit application unless the permit application fails to satisfy the Florida Building Code or the enforcing agency’s laws or ordinances."

When is an erosion control inspection required?
An erosion inspection is required to verify that controls are in place to protect any County-owned drainage right-of-way (DROW) from sediment caused by construction activities. As there is no drainage system in place in IV4, construction activities in the subdivision are not subject to erosion inspection.

:person_shrugging:

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There’s your problem…
florida GIF

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Camel GIF by Hey Duggee

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In 1959 the U.S. Navy submarine USS Barbero assisted the Post Office Department, predecessor to the United States Postal Service (USPS), in its search for faster mail transportation, with the only delivery of “Missile Mail”. On 8 June 1959, Barbero fired a Regulus cruise missile – its nuclear warhead having earlier been replaced by two Post Office Department mail containers – targeted at the Naval Auxiliary Air Station at Naval Station Mayport in Florida. The Regulus cruise missile was launched with a pair of Aerojet-General 3KS-33,000 solid-rocket boosters. A turbojet engine sustained the long-range cruise flight after the boosters were dropped. Twenty-two minutes after launch, the missile struck its target.

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Huh. An example where biblical warnings are still relevant today:

(Jesus was talking about building codes and his expertise as a carpenter, right?)

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“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night”

No mention of sand.

w7kc23sashn61

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There’s a lot to take in here:

  • Florida, of course
  • Houses with no usable streets to reach them
  • USPS run by a man bent on destroying it
  • So much sand

Have you ever read The Woman In The Dunes? It’s also a weird story.

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Found a news video showing the roads more. Looks like the complex was built on the quick and shifty, roads/drainage weren’t done right and the builder basically turned it over to the county, saying “it’s public, so it’s your problem” and the state/county said “nuh uh, fix it,” to which the developer took his big bag of money and left.

Video of the roads a month ago, including a little bit with rain showing that it’s turning their sand/soil into road coverage because of the missing infrastructure.

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Neither rain nor snow nor gl om of ni t can stay these mes engers abo t their duty.

DON’T ARSK US ABOUT:
rocks
trolley’s with sticks
All sorts of dragons
Mrs. Cake
Huje green things with teeth
Any kinds of black dogs with orange eyebrows
Rains of spaniel’s.
fog.
Mrs. Cake

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two development corporations have defaulted-- one way back in 1976.

There’s also a hint that Florida’s state laws prevent the county from taking steps to ameliorate the situation.

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