ORLANDO, Fla. – Buc-ee’s, the Texas-born convenience store chain with a devoted following, is continuing its push into Florida — and Gov. Ron DeSantis appears to have another possible site in mind.
On Friday, DeSantis responded on X to a user who suggested it would be “PHENOMENAL” to see a Buc-ee’s near the U.S.-1 exit in Florida City, positioned just ahead of the highway stretch that carries drivers toward the Florida Keys.
“Yes and it would do very well,” DeSantis wrote in reply.
The governor has made no secret of his support for Buc-ee’s expanding in the state. He has previously highlighted a planned location near Interstate 75 in Ocala, one of several new Florida sites expected from the popular roadside retailer.
During a news conference last year, DeSantis joked that he backed an expansion project along I-75 after finding out Buc-ee’s was part of the plan.
“I said, ‘Sign me up,’” he said at the time.
[RELATED: DeSantis holds 2024 news conference to discuss I-75 project]
DeSantis has also spoken warmly of Buc-ee’s owner Arch Aplin III, describing him as both a friend and a political ally.
“He’s been supportive politically, and he’s involved in Texas. And sometimes if you’re involved on one side, the other side wants to attack you,” he said. “So I remember there was a couple years ago, there was an effort. These are probably paid left-wing groups. They wanted to boycott Buc-ee’s because the owner had given to (Texas) Gov. Abbott. And I’m like, ‘Yeah, that boycott ain’t going to work very well.’”
The Ocala location is slated to open in 2029. But it’s not the only location that’s planned for Florida.
FT. PIERCE
According to TCPalm, another gas station is expected to open in Ft. Pierce sometime in 2027.
Site plans unveiled last year show that this store is set to open north of Fort Pierce, likely on the southeast corner of the I-95 Indrio Road interchange.
Those plans also show that the site may feature up to 120 gas pumps and well over 700 parking spots.
TALLAHASSEE
During the same news conference where DeSantis discussed the I-75 project in Ocala, he also claimed that a new Buc-ee’s is coming to the state capitol.
There’s no opening date yet for this site, but according to DeSantis, this Buc-ee’s store is planned to be built off Interstate 10 near Tallahassee, which he said will “revolutionize driving on I-10.”
Per the Tallahassee Democrat, the Tallahassee store is slated to bring in around 200 new jobs, and the travel center itself could span 75,000 square feet, which would even overtake the gargantuan Ocala location.
PORT CHARLOTTE
Last year, News 6 also dug up property records showing that a rezoning project for a potential was approved along Harborview Road near Interstate 75, clearing the way for over 650 acres of development.
North and east of the highway, the project is slated to bring in plenty of residential development, though a smaller parcel of land to the southwest of I-75 may potentially become home to a new Buc-ee’s gas station, county records reveal.
