Tensions are apparently running high at the Lady Lake Post Office as 21 contract carriers will lose their jobs Saturday.
Although located in and named the “Lady Lake” Post Office, it actually handles mail for a wide swath of The Villages, including the 32159, 32162 and 32163 ZIP codes.
As of Saturday, contracts with 21 carriers will expire and are not being renewed. Many of the carriers deliver mail to postal stations in The Villages.
The post office appears to be a pressure cooker.
Law enforcement was called to investigate a complaint of battery at the post office at 850 Teague Trail after an incident this past Friday.
Post Master Denise Elizabeth Buell had to physically step in between a supervisor and a man related to a carrier who made the complaint. One witness described the exchange between the two men as a “heated conversation,” according to an incident report from the Lady Lake Police Department.
Buell told police that the 21 contract carriers would be losing their employment as of the end of March. That prospect appears to have fueled the argument.
The 40-year-old contract carrier who reported the incident to police said she had witnessed the altercation which involved the man and the manager. Even the Post Master admitted the argument “got loud.” She said she stepped in between the men to diffuse the situation.
It appeared the 40-year-old contract carrier, who will be unemployed as of Saturday, began recording the incident on her phone, something she later denied. She said the Post Master demanded to see her phone and said that if there was any video of the incident, it needed to be deleted. The Post Master told the woman that videotaping was not allowed inside the Post Office. The Post Master later told police there are cameras inside the building, but they are “not operable.”
A witness told police that the Post Master approached the woman with the phone and “got in her face,” according to the incident report. He claimed the Post Master elbowed the woman before walking away.
There were no arrests in the incident, however sworn statements were taken from six people either directly involved in the incident or who witnessed it. Police determined the allegation of battery was unfounded.
