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

This describes certain aspects of my job quite well.

3 Likes

There’s definitely ample culpability here; but the tone of the post seems like it is being pretty unfair in allocating it.

Accusing the USPS of grandiosity for a saying that is not uncommonly popularly associated with them; but which they have never formally espoused? “So much for that whole ‘swift completion of their appointed rounds’ bit” when the whole point of the story is that these ‘roads’ do not meet the criteria of Postal Operations Manual 652.331 and so, in line with 652.332, “rural delivery service is not established” and the appointed rounds are being moved from the unusable roads to a centralized box unit on the nearest functional public road?

Blaming “good old-fashioned bureaucratic dysfunction” for the eventual unravelling of a sleazy real estate development scam in an unincorporated area? (arguably true in the different sense that the ability to keep scammers down and impose building codes is an aspect of a functional state, albeit one systematically attacked by people whose business is cutting corners; but not really in the sense implied)

There likely is a piece dripping with righteous indignation to be written about this situation; but it would be the story of the developers taking advantage of a deliberately weakened regulatory environment to try to leave the county holding the bag for infrastructure they never bothered to build remotely to spec; and home buyers holding the bag for houses built on sand; along with anyone who abetted them or carefully looked the other way; but this piece is not it.

4 Likes

They had Jeep mail trucks.

9 Likes

I assume the residents have vehicles capable of negotiating the non-roads, but what about fire and ambulance vehicles?

This sounds like a case where drone delivery of the mail might be an interesting pilot project, but I don’t blame the USPS for setting up centralized mail boxes at the nearest accessible point. Lots of people deal with those.

4 Likes

If only there was some system where individual property owners could contribute funds that would be used to build common infrastructure and provide services, and, sounds crazy but hear me out, rules where developers of new properties would be forced to contribute the funds to extend that infrastructure to those properties. :thinking:

17 Likes

But you forget. This is Floriduh!

3 Likes

Why not ride horses, mules, or burros?

If Biblioburros can do their jobs…

4 Likes

Much of Florida in that area is nought but sand and sinkholes. The county is not responsible for that fact.
Drought and high winds only worsen the amount of sand.
Perhaps a thorough understanding of Florida’s topography will save grief the next time around.

1 Like

I live here:

https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/2021/08/12/census-hays-county-was-fastest-growing-in-texas.html

… you would not believe what goes on here, legally and in actuality, re the approvals and permitting processes for land development. Where’s the water for the new developments coming from? Pfff! A mere detail. Drainage during flooding? Roads with safe sightlines and proper engineering to accommodate loads more traffic? That sure sounds like a “you” problem.
/s

EMS funding?
Firefighter pay and areas of coverage?
School funding?
By the time y’all figure that out, the developers are long gone with their bags of money and their rumps covered by some very friendly local gummint aiders 'n abettors officials–who themselves will justify it all in the name of getting a bigger [property] tax base and Texas Freedom®.

Aw heck lil’ darlin’ here in Texas this how the real grift profiteerin’ gits dun!

Lets Go Reaction GIF by Mason Ramsey

I’ve been very lucky to support some few but very brave state government officials who do make us proud, and remind me that yes, there are honorable people in government who aren’t beholden to developers. These brave elected officials remind me that there’s still good in the world but man oh man they sure have a hard fight every minute of the day, trying to get justice for us regular folks.

12 Likes

sounds about time for a municipal bond or two. ( paved roads are a luxury maybe. the drainage seems required if people are going to stay living there )

6 Likes

I wouldn’t be surprised if State Law limits their options. The county has already admitted that it is obligated to approve building permits as if no drainage issues existed.

4 Likes

That could be a problem in their unincorporated libertarian paradise.

4 Likes

That would certainly do the job(if the fact that it’s an unincorporated part of the county, so there is no town/city level entity to do it isn’t an issue; I’m not sure what the county or the state might be restricted from doing); but the potential for (additional) perverse incentives seems like it could be a real problem.

Clearly the regulatory environment is not good enough to keep dodgy developers in check; and if “rely on misrepresentation or buyers who aren’t concerned about the corners you’ve cut; take the money and run” incentives are already juicy it seems like “just don’t bother; it’ll get fixed at taxpayer expense once it becomes glaring” seems like it would be significantly worse(especially since it substantially damages the only real check on what developers can pull: what they can sneak past buyers. As-is buyers may lack information but don’t want to be sold a bill of goods if they can avoid it. If they can expect problems to be fixed once they become severe going full see-no-evil starts to look like a pragmatic strategy.)

That said, there probably are some genuinely duped buyers whose position is quite pitiable; which inclines one to want to do something; but the impact of the perverse incentives is absolutely of concern(not unlike the policy of providing exceptionally cheap insurance to unwise beachfront property: there absolutely are people with limited options who would otherwise be screwed; but it’s also a very generous subsidy to people building and rebuilding vacation homes in defiance of risk assessments).

1 Like

I think the idea is “if you people aren’t willing to pay for accessible roads in your own development then the American public shouldn’t have to pay for a special mounted division just to deliver your junk mail.”

But as others have said this mostly looks like a failure on the part of the county for letting these shady developers build this village in the first place.

8 Likes

Although as I recall, they are two wheel drive.

2 Likes

I say ‘good luck’. As if developers have never donated to local politicians.

posts brian GIF

/S

7 Likes

Poor Steve from Blue’s Clues!!!

5 Likes

There’s a Carl Hiaasen novel in this situation. More than one, actually.

5 Likes

sounds like there’s an app for that :upside_down_face:

3 Likes