Downtown Fort Myers post office to return in February

Homeless people are taking shelter outside a post office in downtown Fort Myers.

The post office has been closed since Hurricane Ian brought a storm surge to the area.

The USPS spokesperson said homeless people are allowed to gather there because it’s the holiday season and many people lost their homes during the hurricane.

The post office will be closed until at least February.

“The floors had to be replaced and kind of that Fort Myers look right now with the halfway cut up. You know, plastered walls,” said USPS spokesman Robert Rhoad.

Rhoad said what is happening up behind the boarded-up doors at the post office will breathe new life into the area.

“I believe it was a second week after the storm that we had our construction crews in here working,” Rhoad said.

Outside of the doors, homeless people are camping under the awnings.

“They’ve got a rough go at it as it is,” Rhoad said. “The United States Postal Service, we’re not in the eviction business, we’re in the delivery business. Once we open up shop, of course, they will have to find somewhere else to sit. But for now, it’s not a main concern for us. We have a secure building.”

The City of Fort Myers said they have not received any complaints about the homeless encampment.

Stephanie Schultz was a regular at the post office. She runs her own online business and to do that, she has to go to the post office every day.

But since it’s been closed, she has had to drive down to the post office by Page Field. She is counting down the days until the downtown post office opens again.

During the holidays the post office downtown usually has a long line. But now, the line is only getting longer at Page Field.

“The downtown one would be really great,” Schultz said. “If it would open soon, for sure. Much more convenient.”

The downtown post office isn’t the only one that got knocked out in the storm.

The Fort Myers Beach one got flattened and the one on Sanibel was severely flooded.

Those won’t be open as early as February, but Rhoad said they will definitely return.