Latest in the Status of the Islamorada Post Office: Last week we encouraged readers to sign a petition to keep the Islamorada Post Office up and running as rumors continued about a permanent closure.

The concern demonstrated by the petition effort clearly showed that Islamorada residents are adamant about keeping the Post Office in the Village.

It has been reported that the post office is not going to move, suggesting a lease  has been negotiated.

According to the public record, the current owner of the post office property first signed a 10-year lease with the postal service back in 1999 for $53,592/year.  Lease rates have escalated dramatically since then.  It is not known whether the cost was an issue causing a delay in recent negotiations.

The post office’s value is measured in what it provides - service, connection, and community support - not in its bottom line.

Since the 1960s, over 8,000 post offices have permanently closed across the United States. Of the nearly 40,000 post offices that have existed, only 67% remain operational, while roughly a third have shut down permanently.

Closures often result from reduced demand, and they vary significantly by state, with Florida having the highest population-to-post office ratio, serving over 51,000 people per office on average, significantly more than Islamorada’s post office serves via the 33036 zip code.

Many people asked why would Islamorada close and not Layton.The post offices in Layton and Key Largo appear to be the only post offices in Monroe County that are actually owned by the U S Postal Service.