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When will Buc-ee's come to St. Lucie County?

It's still got 'several layers of review' to become reality, but residents already 'psyched' about possibility
Posted at 9:36 PM, Feb 20, 2024
and last updated 2024-02-20 21:36:57-05

FORT PIERCE, Fla. — The possibility of a Buc-ee's coming to the Treasure Coast has made for plenty of eager beavers waiting for the mega-sized gas station to become a reality.

A site proposal for Buc-ee's was submitted to St. Lucie County last week, county spokesman Erick Gill said Tuesday.

"Staff is still in the process of distributing that and reviewing it internally," he said.

Buc-ee's is eyeing a 33-acre property on the southeast corner of Interstate 95 and Indrio Road near Fort Pierce.

Indrio Road and I-95 exit ramp could be busier if Buc-ee's built there
The Interstate 95 exit at Indrio Road, seen here in February 2024, could be busier if a Buc-ee's is built there.

The site plan proposes a more than 70,000-square-foot retail building, almost 800 parking spaces and 120 gas pumps.

"It's almost a tourist destination, you know, along 95," Gill said of the Texas-based gas station chain's two current Florida locations in Daytona Beach and St. Augustine.

A third location is being built near Interstate 75 in Ocala.

Buc-ee's location in Daytona Beach, May 31, 2021

Fort Pierce

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Gill called Buc-ee's a "job creator."

"They do pay a little above average for salaries there at Buc-ee's," he said.

Gill said it'll "likely be several months before it's officially approved."

"It still goes through several layers of review before a final approval is taken to the board of county commissioners," he said.

One man who was pumping gas at a 7-Eleven in St. Lucie County told WPTV his introduction to Buc-ee's was in Daytona Beach. He equated it to a "super-sized Cracker Barrel."

"The food was outstanding, actually," he said.

Another man, who lives across the street from the proposed location in St. Lucie County, said he's not certain what it will mean for traffic in the area.

"But I'm kinda psyched about it," he said.

He'll just have to wait a little longer.