The West Tampa Post Office will remain open, Congresswoman Kathy Castor announced today. “I am elated,” Castor said. “What a relief for our neighbors and community who depend on this post office branch every day.”

Community leaders have noted that many in West Tampa rely on the convenience of the branch office, including residents without Internet access and low-income seniors who would have a hard time traveling to a post office several miles away.

The West Tampa Post Office, 1802 N. Howard Ave., is in the heart of West Tampa. The district manager for the Suncoast District of the U.S. Postal Service has decided it is not in the best interest of the Postal Service or the customers in the community to close the West Tampa branch.

The U.S. Postal Service has been considering consolidating other locations in the Tampa Bay area and across the nation.

“We will continue working hard to try to keep other post offices in our community open,” Castor said. “Our neighbors need to be able to access post offices that are convenient and accessible, without being forced to travel across town to another branch.”