The number for Citizen Services Director Ken Little listed on page A6 of the Walton Sun is 850-892-8530.
litken@co.walton.fl.us He is a great guy and has been helpful in regards to this issue in the past. We citizens now need to renew the interest in correcting and improving our Walton County postal addresses and service. Ken has worked with the U.S. Post Office before, if I recall correctly.
We have issues all over the place. Some people in Sandestin or Miramar Beach don't know they aren't stuck using the Okaloosa County Destin address anymore. Some in Choctaw Beach have a Niceville, Okaloosa County address. Those in Inlet Beach or WaterSound may be hampered with a Panama City Beach, Bay County address. Those in the Paxton area may even have an Alabama address!! Those near Ponce de Leon are also stuck with or use the Holmes County address. There are others that need to be corrected to Walton County place names and zipcodes. With the approaching 2010 census and following redistricting, we need to be sure we're counted correctly. Funding and fair representation will be based on those numbers. It is very important we get an accurate count.
DL,
Thanks for the plug.
Yes, the county did address this with USPS a few years back, and after a year of meetings and letter writings, USPS did give Walton County residents a little more identity -- not new zip codes, mind you, but the ability to put a Walton County community on the address with the same zip code; e.g., 32413 is the PC Beach Post Office, but mail can be addressed to Seacrest, FL 32413 as well.
Miramar Beach and Sandestin now have their own zip - 32550 - and mail can be addressed to Miramar Beach or Sandestin with the 32550 zip. Surprisingly, many in Sandestin and Miramar Beach use the correct zip, but still use "Destin" as their city. I've been told that they feel this gives them better place recognition.
We lie between two regional USPS offices -- 324 in Panama City and 325 in Pensacola. The USPS we learned is extremely territorial in guarding their turf and protecting their home delivery routes...for funding reasons I presume. Their mantra is "more efficient delivery of the mail", but it seems to work against us in some cases.
I wouldn't hold my breath for assignment of more zip codes until our population increases to parity with Bay County or Okaloosa County. Place names has also contributed to our problem as the USPS doesn't like to use city names that are similar to other names in the state. I was surprised that Miramar Beach got through since there is a Miramar, FL which is a sizeable city down by Miami.
This brings us to the use of what is known as Contract Branch Post Offices -- e.g., Seaside is a branch of the Santa Rosa Beach (32459) post office. I will add an amen to kudos for Pat and Angie at the Seaside branch...they're terrific. The Rosemary Beach, Watersound, etc. post offices are also contract branches of the 32413 zip I believe. They did get a different zip when the USPS abandoned the Sunnyside Beach post office some time back, but if I'm not mistaken they are contract offices that are supported by those developments -- not USPS employees.
The USPS is not swayed or influenced by the county...but they are responsive to congressional interest.