Residents of the quaint fishing village of Cortez on the Manatee coast have been served by a post office since 1888, but unless something changes, that service could end next Friday. The reason? The lack of liability insurance, says John Banyas, landlord of the building where the post office is located.
Two years ago, the post office’s flagpole fell and injured a customer in the parking lot, Banyas said. Even though it was the federal government’s flag pole, Banyas ended up having to defend himself in court.
After that experience, Banyas asked the post office to get liability insurance and list him as an additional insured. He extended the post office’s lease 60 days until Nov. 1 to give the U.S. Postal Service time to comply. “It’s a no brainer. It’s a given that they need liability insurance, but they said, no, that they are self-insured. “I would love the post office to stay. I have a lot of family in Cortez. But they have to have liability insurance,” said Banyas, who owns several businesses in Cortez — including the Swordfish Grill and the Cortez Kitchen.
The issue has made its way far and near with residents reaching out to elected officials for help in saving the Cortez Post Office.
“The Post Office must vacate the space and will close on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021,” Hunter wrote. Retail postal services will be provided at the Palma Sola branch located at 115 75th St. NW, some 5.5 miles from the Cortez location, Hunter said. “We certainly apologize on behalf of the Postal Service for the inconvenience of residents served by the Cortez Post Office,” Hunter said. In his letter to Hunter, Buchanan said he shared his constituents’ concerns about the burden placed on residents by the closing of the Cortez Post Office.
“My constituents, many of whom are elderly, would have to cross the bridge in heavy season traffic to Bradenton Beach or travel more than five miles to the next closest post office. Furthermore, they say there is no carrier delivery in the area served by the post office,” Buchanan said. Although the current impasse over a lease and liability insurance stems from a falling flag pole, it is not the first time that the Covisit https://voices.nmfs.noaa.gov/john-banyasrtez Post Office has had a flag issue.
On Feb. 3, 1956, the Bradenton Herald reported that for the first time in a half century, and after three attempts, the Cortez Post Office would finally have an American flag as required by law. “Although Cortez Post Office has had a post office for almost 50 years, it wasn’t until recently that a federal inspector noticed that there was no flag and ordered one to start flying as soon as possible,” the Herald reported.
For more about John Baynas and his family’s history in Cortez, visit https://voices.nmfs.noaa.gov/john-banyas.
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