Convenience store chain Buckeyes has quietly backed away from plans to open its largest store in Florida, dealing a blow to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
The original plan was to open an 80,000-square-foot store in Florida that would have been Buc-ee’s largest ever.
But this week, Buc-ee’s head of real estate Stan Beard said the store will actually be 74,000 square feet.
That would put the Florida store just short of a 75,000-square-foot Texas store scheduled to open next month in Luling, 50 miles south of Austin, which will hold the title of the world’s largest Buc-ee’s and boast 120 gas stations.
The explanation is embarrassing for DeSantis, who has bragged about how big a team the Florida Bucks will be.
Convenience store Buc-ee’s has quietly backed away from plans to open its largest store in Florida (Photo: Buc-ee’s – Luling, Texas)
The original plan was to open an 80,000-square-foot store that would secure the title of largest store, but Buc-ee’s director of real estate development Stan Beard clarified in a statement that the store will actually be 74,000 square feet. (Pictured: Buc-ee’s in Florida)
In 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that a third Buc-ee’s will open in the state.
The Marion County, Florida store will be built near Interstate 75 north of Ocala and is expected to open in 2025.
The Texas Buc-ee’s will take the “largest” title from the current record holder in Sevierville, Tennessee, which boasts a 74,000-square-foot location.
“The new Buc-ee’s Luling location will be the largest Buc-ee’s store in the country and bring the largest Buc-ee’s back to the place where the legend began,” the release states.
For Florida locations,“Buckies is currently in the design and permitting stages to build a 74,000 square foot store in Ocala, Florida, which will be our largest store model outside of Texas,” Tan Beard, the company’s director of real estate, said in a statement.
“Marion County’s new Buc-ee’s travel center will be located at the soon-to-be constructed I-75 and NW 49th Street interchange. FDOT, Marion County and the Governor’s Office have all been great partners on this project, and we look forward to construction starting on the freeway later this year or early 2025.”
“Buc-ee’s is committed to adhering to FDOT’s timeline and plans to open our stores as soon as the interchange is complete. We’re excited to open our stores on Florida’s west coast and are grateful to everyone who helped us get here.”
In 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the stateEat a giant Buc-ee’s.
“This will be a gas station haven. It will be an 80,000 square foot store. It will have 120 gas pumps and over 720 parking spaces,” Gov. DeSantis said at the time.
Floridians have had mixed feelings about the news of the downsizing, with some expressing disappointment and others expressing relief that the new location will not cause as many traffic jams as expected.
Florida residents have mixed feelings about the news of the layoffs.
Some expressed disappointment, while others expressed relief that the new location would see less traffic than expected.
A Buc-ee’s convenience store known for “the cleanest restrooms, freshest food and friendliest beavers in the world,” will open in Luling, Texas, next month and boast a sprawling 75,000-square-foot facility with 120 fueling stations, according to a press release.
Today, Buc-ee’s is known for having hundreds of gas pumps in each store, tens of thousands of square feet of shopping space, impeccably clean restrooms, and, of course, a friendly beaver named Buc-ee as its mascot.
The adjustments will bring the Florida store’s square footage just shy of the 75,000 square feet of the Texas store, which currently holds the title of the world’s largest Buc-ee’s. (Photo: An aerial view of the newly constructed Buc-ee’s in Luling, Texas)
“Thank goodness! This is a traffic tragedy,” one person wrote.
Founded in 1982, Buc-ee’s was originally a chain of travel centers along Texas highways before expanding to other parts of the southern United States.
Today, Buc-ee’s is known for hundreds of gas pumps per store, tens of thousands of square feet of shopping space, meticulously cleaned restrooms, and, of course, a friendly beaver named Buc-ee as its mascot.
As one Florida travel influencer described Buc-ee’s in a TikTok video: “It’s not just a gas station. It’s like a gas station meets a Cracker Barrel meets a Walmart meets a Bass Pro Shops. They have everything.”
Many Texans are already excited about the Luling store opening later this month, which will help it reclaim its spot as the largest store.
The store will replace the city’s current Buc-ee’s location, which was built in 2003 as the brand’s first family-oriented travel center, according to a company press release.
The company added that all of Buc-ee’s popular menu items will also be available, including Texas barbecue, homemade fudge, colaches, beaver nuggets, jerky and fresh pastries.
A man who goes by the username Glenshares posted a video to TikTok in April of this year in which he excitedly recounted the entire construction process for the new store.
He drove by the construction site regularly for about a year and a half, taking videos of the construction progress bit by bit.
In January 2023, the main building was completed, but the gas station had not yet been installed. A year later, much of the construction equipment had been removed, the refueling lane was built, and things were finally starting to come together.
Photo: The store’s specialty, “Beaver Nuggets,” which are actually caramel corn
Photo: The spacious interior of Buckeyes in Tennessee, once the world’s largest convenience store.
Luling Buckeye will have 120 fuel pumps and occupy an area of more than 75,000 square feet (more than 1.3 times the size of a football field).
Buc-ee’s cute, red-shirted beaver mascot has become so popular that unauthorized third parties are selling it online.
Buc-ee’s is known for having rows and rows of beef jerky for road-weary tourists to choose from.
The store has 120 gas stations and a barbecue brisket counter with a “Texas Roundup Station” and rows of beef jerky;
But perhaps the most popular food at Buc-ee’s is their famous Beaver Nuggets, or caramel corn.
On the other side of the store, merchandise featuring Buc-ee’s beavers is available for sale, including T-shirts, mugs, socks, stickers and swimwear.
The Sevierville Buc-ee’s, which has 400 full-time employees, also includes a 250-foot car wash.
With the opening of the new Luling store, the company will have a total of 50 stores across Texas and the South.
The company also has plans to expand beyond its current Southern base, aiming to open new stores in Virginia, Louisiana, Colorado, Wisconsin, Mississippi and Missouri over the next few years.