DAYTONA BEACH — A Texas-based operator of super-sized gas station-convenience stores will put its first Florida outlet in Daytona Beach, with plans to include 120 gas pumps and a store the size of a supermarket.
Consolidated-Tomoka Land Co. announced that it has a contract to sell a 35-acre undeveloped site on the north side of LPGA Boulevard, just east of Interstate 95, to Buc-ee’s, a Lake Jackson, Texas-based chain with 32 locations, all in the Lone Star State. The planned Daytona Beach location, which will include a 50,000-square-foot store, would be the chain’s first outside Texas, confirmed Jeff Nadalo, general counsel for Buc-ee’s. The Daytona Beach location, which industry experts say could be the largest convenience store-gas station in Florida, is just west of the new Stonewood Grill that opened Monday in the former Vince Carter’s restaurant at 2150 LPGA Blvd.
Nadalo said Buc-ee’s stores typically employ 225 workers paying above minimum wage. He said its stores carry a wide selection of goods including convenience products for travelers, “hundreds of snack items,” freshly baked pastries, fresh sandwiches and homemade fudge. The stores are also known for their large restrooms, which have full-time attendants to keep them clean and well-stocked. Popular items include “Bucky Nuggets,” which Nadalo described as caramel-coated corn nuggets. Buc-ee’s are known for their cartoon beaver logo. Each store has a bronze beaver statue in front, Nadal added. Buc-ee’s stores also carry handmade craft items that are unique to the region in which the stores are located.
Nadalo said Buc-ee’s stores are not truck stops. “No 18-wheelers are permitted other than vendors making deliveries,” he said. John Albright, the CEO of Consolidated-Tomoka, said Buc-ee’s is expected to begin construction as soon as it completes the process of securing the necessary rezoning and permits from the city, which are expected by year’s end. Nadalo said it typically takes nine months to a year to build his chain’s stores, but he declined to state when the Daytona Beach location is expected to open. “We don’t have a timetable,” he said.