Ocala no longer expected to hold record for ‘largest Buc-ee’s’ travel center

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tosses Beaver Nuggets from Buc-ee’s to people in the crowd as he talks about the future construction of a new Buc-ee’s and the new, planned Diverging Diamond Interchange at I-75 and Northwest 49th Street in Ocala during a press conference in the auditorium at the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion in Ocala, Fla. on Friday, April 7, 2023.

Sorry, Ocala, the future Buc-ee’s planned for northwest Marion County is no longer expected to hold the title of largest Buc-ee’s store when it opens.

A new store in Luling, Texas now holds the title of largest Buc-ee’s with the opening of a 75,000-square-foot superstore. In previous reporting, the Ocala location was expected to top this size when Marion County zoning documents said the location off Interstate 75 would be 80,000 square feet.

Buc-ee’s officials now say Ocala’s store will be 74,000 square feet instead, just shy of the massive size of the new facility in Texas. The travel center will have more than 800 parking spaces, 120 gas pumps, and indoor and outdoor retail, food and beverage services, according to the Marion County.

Even with the updated plans for square footage, Ocala’s store will still be a close second to the franchise’s largest store, said Stan Beard, Buc-ee’s director of real estate and development.

“Buc-ee’s is currently in the design and permitting phase for a 74,000-square-foot-store in Ocala, FL, which is our largest store model outside the state of Texas,” wrote Beard in a statement.

The store will be located just west of I-75, at the future interchange at Northwest 49^th Street. The franchise purchased the 35-acre parcel of land in April 2023 for $8.6 million.

The land formerly belonged to the Baldwin Angus Ranch and was used for cattle ranching until the plans for the interchange were finalized and projected to landlock a large portion of the land, cutting it off from the remainder of the farm and making it no longer sustainable for cattle ranching.

In addition to the roads being built over what used to belong to the ranch, a retention pond beside the interstate is also being planned on 100 acres of the remaining land the Baldwins own. The family purchased a plot just north of their existing property and recently had it rezoned for agricultural use in an attempt to offset the surrounding development and keep their family farm in business.

The opening of the Buc-ee’s location is contingent on the construction of the interchange, which is anticipated to be complete in 2025.

The entire project, including extending and building county roads to connect to the interchange, is anticipated to cost $121,279,072 in federal, state and local funds, according to the Ocala Marion Transportation Planning Organization.

The county has been working with FDOT for nearly a decade to create an interchange at this location due to continuous growth, such as the nearby Chewy, Amazon, FedEx and AutoZone distribution centers, and the need to improve the flow of traffic.

Funding for the interchange will in part come from Marion County’s penny sales tax, approved by voters in 2016, “which in part enabled Marion County to develop and present FDOT with a plan to partner with funding for a new interchange by 2020,” according to county spokesperson Stacie Causey.

The project is also funded in part by a $4 million grant from the state, after Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his goal to help fund the interchange to support the development of the new Buc-ee’s, reduce traffic and congestion at other I-75 interchanges and allow better access to the nearby World Equestrian Center and industrial parks.

When the governor announced the grant, he shared his hopes that the funds would allow the state to “step on the gas” and fast-track the process.

“FDOT’s infrastructure project is expected to have an economic impact of $21 million and create 1,500 new jobs. The new interchange will further establish the city of Ocala as a strategic Central Florida hub for freight-related traffic,” according to the governor’s office.

Buc-ee’s anticipates the opening of the Ocala location will happen shortly after the interchange project is finished.

“FDOT, Marion County, and the Governor’s Office have all been outstanding partners in this project and we look forward to the highway construction beginning toward the end of this year or early 2025,” Beard said.

About 90% of the anticipated traffic to Buc-ee’s is expected to come from I-75, while the other 10% of traffic is expected to be local, according to a traffic analysis conducted by the consulting firm Kimley-Horn.

 “Buc-ee’s will be following the FDOT schedule closely and we intend to open the store soon after the interchange is completed,” Beard said.

In Florida, Buc-ee’s currently has two locations, one in Daytona Beach and the other in St. Augustine. The Ocala location will be the third to open, and now the franchise has announced a fourth location being planned for Fort Pierce off Interstate 95.

With all the current and future stores having locations on the east coast, the Ocala location is the only one that will serve central Florida.