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Wall collapse closes Postal Service package center in Tampa

Officials expect service disruption to be limited

Eric Kulisch
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The U.S. Postal Service’s Ybor City distribution center in Tampa on Monday night shortly after a supporting wall collapsed. (Photo: Hillsborough County Fire Rescue)

Key Takeaways:

  • A wall and roof collapsed at a U.S. Postal Service facility in Tampa, Florida.
  • No injuries were reported, as the facility was not open to the public at the time.
  • The cause of the collapse is currently unknown but may be related to a structural issue.
  • The facility is closed, and employees are working at an alternate location; minimal service disruption is anticipated.
Key takeaways sponsored by SONAR

The wall of a U.S. Postal Service distribution center in Tampa, Florida, collapsed Monday night, bringing down the roof, according to officials and local media reports.

“We can confirm that a partial building collapse occurred at the Ybor City Package Support Annex at approximately 9:20 p.m. on April 28. No employees were injured due to this incident. This facility is not open to the public, so no customers were present. Experts are on site now to evaluate the building and determine the cause, which is still unknown,” the Postal Service said in a statement. 

“The building is closed until further notice and employees have been notified to report for duty at an alternate location – the Ybor City Processing & Distribution Center (P&DC). The damaged facility processes packages only. All other mail, including First-Class letters, is processed at the Tampa P&DC, which is currently running a normal operation. No substantial service impacts are anticipated,” the mail service added.

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue responded to the incident.

Fox13 reported that 50 employees were in the facility at the time of the collapse. 

Don Barron, president of the American Postal Workers Union Local 259 in Tampa, told the news station he suspects a water leak or some other kind of incursion may have degraded the concrete used in the 30-to-40-foot-high wall. 

He suggested there could be some package disruption. It is currently not safe for employees to go inside the building to retrieve any packages.

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Eric Kulisch

Eric is the Supply Chain and Air Cargo Editor at FreightWaves. An award-winning business journalist with extensive experience covering the logistics sector, Eric spent nearly two years as the Washington, D.C., correspondent for Automotive News, where he focused on regulatory and policy issues surrounding autonomous vehicles, mobility, fuel economy and safety. He has won two regional Gold Medals and a Silver Medal from the American Society of Business Publication Editors for government and trade coverage, and news analysis. He was voted best for feature writing and commentary in the Trade/Newsletter category by the D.C. Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. He was runner up for News Journalist and Supply Chain Journalist of the Year in the Seahorse Freight Association's 2024 journalism award competition. In December 2022, Eric was voted runner up for Air Cargo Journalist. He won the group's Environmental Journalist of the Year award in 2014 and was the 2013 Supply Chain Journalist of the Year. As associate editor at American Shipper Magazine for more than a decade, he wrote about trade, freight transportation and supply chains. He has appeared on Marketplace, ABC News and National Public Radio to talk about logistics issues in the news. Eric is based in Vancouver, Washington. He can be reached for comments and tips at ekulisch@freightwaves.com