The planned Buc-ee's near Fort Pierce is no longer just an early proposal. The company now lists St. Lucie, Florida, among its estimated 2027 openings, and the project has already cleared major county votes tied to land use and its 100-foot interstate sign.
That does not mean an exact opening date is locked in. As of July 2026, public reporting still describes the site as being in planning and development, with no widely announced groundbreaking. The most useful way to read the project is: confirmed by Buc-ee's for 2027, far along in review, but still dependent on permits, site work, utilities, and construction.
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- Buc-ee's lists St. Lucie, Florida, for an estimated 2027 opening and warns that opening dates can change
- The planned site is at the southeast corner of I-95 and Indrio Road in north St. Lucie County, near Fort Pierce
- Recent plans describe a 76,245-square-foot travel center with 120 fuel pumps, 18 EV charging spaces, and more than 700 parking spaces
- Major rezoning and sign approvals are complete, while later site-plan, permit, utility, and construction steps still determine the schedule
- Buc-ee's says its Luling, Texas, travel center will remain the chain's largest, correcting the viral Fort Pierce record claim
The Latest Update, in Plain English
The most important change is that Buc-ee's itself now includes St. Lucie, Florida, on its list of estimated 2027 openings. That is stronger confirmation than an unofficial social-media post or an early planning document, although the company also tells travelers to check back because opening dates can move.
The public record is less specific about the construction calendar. Local reporting in 2026 has described revised plans, permit activity, promotional billboards, and continued planning and development, but not a completed store or a firm ribbon-cutting date. Until Buc-ee's or St. Lucie County announces a groundbreaking and construction schedule, 2027 is the best available year—not a guaranteed month or day.
- Buc-ee's now lists St. Lucie among its estimated 2027 openings
- The company says listed dates are subject to change
- Recent reporting still places the project in planning and development
- No exact opening day or widely announced groundbreaking has been published
How the Project Reached This Point
The proposal first became public in 2023, when county officials discussed a large travel center on roughly 33 acres at the southeast quadrant of I-95 and Indrio Road. Buc-ee's formally submitted a site plan in February 2024, moving the project from preliminary discussion into the county review process.
Later in 2024, the Planning and Zoning Board and County Commission advanced the rezoning and sign requests needed for the 120-pump layout and a 100-foot interstate sign. A final site plan was submitted in early 2025, followed by later revisions and permit activity. By 2026, Buc-ee's was promoting the future St. Lucie location on nearby billboards and listing it on the company's estimated opening schedule.
- 2023: a pre-application concept appears for the Indrio Road site
- February 2024: Buc-ee's formally submits a site plan
- August and September 2024: rezoning and sign-related approvals advance
- 2025 and 2026: final and revised plans, permits, state review, and development work continue
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No, Buc-ee's Does Not Call It the World's Largest
The 'world's largest' headline spread because the proposed St. Lucie building was reported at 76,245 square feet, slightly above the commonly cited size of the Buc-ee's in Luling, Texas. On a simple comparison, the Florida number appeared larger.
Buc-ee's later corrected that interpretation. A company representative said Luling is and will remain the largest travel center in the chain's fleet. The difference appears to involve how space is counted in planning documents, so the safest reader-facing description is that the Fort Pierce-area store would be enormous, but not a confirmed new record holder.
- The 76,245-square-foot figure prompted the record claim
- Luling, Texas, is commonly listed at 75,593 square feet
- Buc-ee's publicly rejected the Fort Pierce record-holder description
- The accurate wording is very large, not the chain's confirmed largest
Approved Does Not Mean Ready to Open
The project has cleared important public decisions, including rezoning and approval connected to the 100-foot sign. Those votes established that the proposed use and key site features could move forward, but they did not complete every administrative, engineering, utility, and building requirement.
Large developments move through overlapping tracks: site-plan review, transportation coordination, drainage and utilities, building permits, roadway work, inspections, and construction. That is why reports can accurately say Buc-ee's is coming while also noting that the site is still in development. The practical milestone to watch next is visible site work backed by a confirmed construction schedule.
- County rezoning and sign decisions were major milestones
- Final site-plan review can be handled administratively
- Building, utility, roadway, and construction work remain separate steps
- A public vote is not the same as a completed travel center
When Is Buc-ee's Expected to Open?
The clearest answer is 2027. Buc-ee's includes St. Lucie on its official estimated-opening list, while emphasizing that dates are subject to change. Some reporting has narrowed the window to late 2027, and other coverage has allowed for early 2028 if the schedule slips.
Treat any precise month circulating online as tentative unless it comes directly from Buc-ee's or a dated county announcement. A groundbreaking, active construction permits, hiring notices, and an official grand-opening release will provide much stronger timing signals than a countdown based on an old projection.
- Buc-ee's currently lists St. Lucie for 2027
- The company does not publish a specific day for this location
- Late-2027 estimates remain plausible but are not guaranteed
- Permitting, utilities, site work, and construction can shift the schedule
What the Current Plans Include
Recent planning coverage describes a 76,245-square-foot travel center with 120 fuel pumps, 18 electric-vehicle charging spaces, and more than 700 parking spaces. Some reports cite 778 total spaces, while earlier versions of the proposal used different building and parking totals.
Those variations are normal when reporters are working from different plan revisions or counting categories differently. The stable takeaway is the scale: this is designed as a major interstate travel center, not a neighborhood convenience store, with enough fueling, parking, and retail capacity to draw substantial I-95 traffic.
- A reported 76,245-square-foot retail building
- 120 fuel pumps
- 18 EV charging spaces
- More than 700 parking spaces
Traffic, Access, and the 100-Foot Sign
The 100-foot Buc-ee's sign became one of the project's most visible policy questions because it exceeds ordinary county sign limits. Commissioners approved the request, while later discussion raised concerns about light pollution and potential effects on migratory birds and sea-turtle hatchlings.
Access planning is equally important. Reported plans avoid a direct driveway from Indrio Road and instead use an extension of Koblegard Road, with a roundabout and internal entrances intended to manage traffic. Residents should expect the interchange area to change further as nearby housing and commercial projects develop, even before Buc-ee's opens.
- The sign required a county exception from ordinary height limits
- Plans route access through an extension of Koblegard Road
- A roundabout has been described as part of the entrance design
- Traffic, lighting, wildlife, and nearby development remain local concerns
What We Know—and What to Watch Next
Buc-ee's plans to build its first Treasure Coast travel center at the southeast corner of I-95 and Indrio Road. The proposal has moved through years of county review, and the company now publicly identifies St. Lucie as an estimated 2027 opening.
The current concept is commonly described as a 76,245-square-foot store with 120 fuel pumps, 18 EV charging spaces, and more than 700 parking spaces. Buc-ee's has also made clear that the location should not be promoted as the future world's largest Buc-ee's.
For residents and travelers, the next meaningful updates will be concrete ones: final permit activity, utility and roadway work, a public groundbreaking, local job postings, and a company-issued grand-opening date. Until then, the project is confirmed and advancing, but the exact schedule remains flexible.
- The company lists the St. Lucie location for 2027
- The site is near I-95 and Indrio Road, north of Fort Pierce
- The project is large and has cleared major county votes
- Groundbreaking, hiring, and a dated opening announcement remain the key next signals
FAQ
Common questions
Is Buc-ee's officially coming to the Fort Pierce area?
Yes. Buc-ee's lists St. Lucie, Florida, among its estimated 2027 openings. The project has cleared major county votes, although later permitting, site work, utilities, and construction still affect when the doors open.
When will the Fort Pierce-area Buc-ee's open?
Buc-ee's currently lists 2027 and says estimated opening dates are subject to change. No exact public grand-opening day has been announced for the St. Lucie location.
Will this be the world's largest Buc-ee's?
No. The claim grew from the reported 76,245-square-foot plan, but Buc-ee's said its Luling, Texas, travel center is and will remain the largest in the company's fleet.
Sources
Reference links
- Buc-ee's - Official estimated opening dates
- WPTV - Buc-ee's site plan formally submitted to St. Lucie County
- WPTV - Buc-ee's submits final site plan for the St. Lucie County location
- WPTV - County decision on rezoning and the 100-foot Buc-ee's sign
- Treasure Coast Newspapers via Yahoo - St. Lucie Buc-ee's plans advance in 2026
- NewsRadio WFLA - St. Lucie project remains in planning and development
- Houston Chronicle - Buc-ee's 2027 expansion schedule includes St. Lucie
- USA Today via Yahoo - Buc-ee's corrects the largest-store claim
- WPEC - Wildlife and light-pollution concerns about the planned sign
- ClickOrlando - Buc-ee's St. Lucie location listed for 2027
Written by
Derek Brumby
We publish Treasure Coast guides for residents, newcomers, and weekend planners. Our goal is to combine local context, linked source material, and ongoing page updates so a reader can act on the guide instead of just skim it.
Derek Brumby is currently the sole author and editor. Publisher review is handled by Brumby LLC, the company that owns and operates On The Treasure Coast.
Research and updates
Last verified July 24, 2026
This guide was written and edited by Derek Brumby using linked local and official sources, then reviewed for Treasure Coast planning context.
