Updated: Friday, March 30, 2018 at 10:46 a.m.
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The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports that due to a construction delay, Buc-ee's will "'open in a about 18 months, which would put it at summer 2019.'" A few lines of red tape delayed the start of project, but the work appears to be back on track after site permits were recently issued this month.
Rob Merrell, Buc-ee's representing attorney, told the publication that the Daytona Beach location is expected to create 225 jobs. The Texas chain is also expecting to open a location in St. Augustine next year, along with standing plans to build a location in Fort Myers.
Original article follows
You know you're a Texan if you've ever taken the long way home just to pass a Buc-ee's. Oh, how much love we have for the candy selection, the beef jerky, the kolaches, and the Beaver Nuggets. It's so much that when we talk to people from out of state, we forget they might not even know who that beaver is. Well, not anymore. The Lone Star State's beloved gas station chain announced that it was ready to expand beyond Texas.
So what state would capture the heart of Buc-ee's? Look no further than Daytona, Florida, where the massive gas station will sit on a site of about 32 acres, slightly east of Interstate 95, as KSAT12 reported. Florida, you are welcome.
Ever since the first Buc-ee's opened in Lake Jackson, Texas in 1982, it became a Texas tradition on roadtrips as it expanded to the 37 locations it has today. There was talk of a Buc-ee's opening in Baton Route, Louisiana this time last year, though the plans were terminated in during Fall 2016.
Somehow Florida, you made the cut. Congratulations! Now here's a peek at what you'll be getting.
1. The candy wall
2. The cozy pillows
3. The life-size beavers
https://www.instagram.com/p/BSzVvBQASBF/?tagged=bucees
4. The Buc-ee's Beaver Nuggets
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRMF82JhfaW/?taken-at=33389201
https://www.instagram.com/p/BSuqvqaAlbr/?tagged=bucees
5. The cleanest gas station bathrooms
https://www.instagram.com/p/BR7ai2eBZGd/?taken-at=33389201
6. The cold necessities
https://www.instagram.com/p/BP2_60HAxBw/?taken-at=33389201
https://www.instagram.com/p/BSY0Y_vhXU-/?taken-at=33389201
7. The breakfast options
https://www.instagram.com/p/BSbaYOoA-v6/?taken-at=33389201
8. The beef jerky
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRo8ZlPlaKw/?taken-at=33389201
9. The BBQ rubs
https://www.instagram.com/p/BSFGPa4BoFI/?taken-at=33389201
10. The excitement when you pull up to one
https://www.instagram.com/p/BS0t1Lqj5Ct/?taken-at=33389201
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRKBbGGDsJT/?taken-at=33389201
So Florida, do you think you can handle all of that? Maybe now Texans will start flocking to Daytona!
To what state should Buc-ee's expand next?! I can think of a few deserving places.
This article was originally published in April 2017.
