Local

Sanford's old post office demolished

SANFORD, Fla. — Sanford's old post office was demolished Wednesday.

The building on Palmetto Avenue and Seminole Boulevard had been vacant for nearly a decade, but the city never had money to tear it down, until now.

The mayor had called the building an eyesore for years.

It cost the city between $80,000 and $90,000, but Mayor Jeff Triplett said it's worth it.

The hurricanes in 2004 left the inside of the post office a mess.

There were puddles of water, weeds growing inside and asbestos.

The post office is near the marina and Riverwalk, which is what city officials consider prime real estate. The property is 1.65 acres and it's in a commercial zone.

Now that the city has taken the step to demolish it, officials said they are hoping a private investor will come in and do something with the property.

The city is spending millions of dollars to build the Riverwalk and revamp areas near the picturesque marina.

"The responsible thing to do is to have this property cleaned up. We own it right now," Triplett said.

The city purchased the building almost 10 years ago for a half million dollars.

Alfredo Colimodio opened his pizzeria across the street not long after that and has wondered if anyone would do something with the property.

"At one point I thought, 'What's the deal with that building?' It's been all these years and they haven't done anything," Colimodio said.

The 1.65-acre plot has been up for sale but the city said there hadn't been many viable offers, which is why the city demolished it.

"Government shouldn't be in the business of owning property when it should be generating tax dollars," Colimodio said.

Colimodio hopes whoever moves in will generate more foot traffic too.

"I'm not going anywhere even if they don't do anything with that," Colimodio said.