27-05-2025
‘Not here': Neighbors push back against proposed Buc-ee's in Southwest Florida
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (WFLA) — News of a proposed Buc-ee's location in Southwest Florida has some residents dreaming of chowing down on Beaver Nuggets and using 'the cleanest restrooms in America,' but not everyone is excited about the idea.
The sprawling gas station and convenience store may be built off Interstate 75 in Charlotte County, pending local government approval.
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Residents of the nearby Harbour Heights community told NBC affiliate WBBH that the proposed development just isn't right for the neighborhood.
'I have nothing against Buc-ee's, but I just, it does not belong there,' Rebecca Scholl said.
Neighbor Drema Doolittle concurred, saying, 'This is just not the place for it. It's not the land for it. I'm sure Southwest Florida would welcome a Buc-ee's, it's just not here.'
Scholl said the proposed development is within the coastal high hazard area and flood plain. Some neighbors fear that developing the land will make flooding even worse than what they saw from last year's hurricanes.
Some worry the construction will encroach on important wildlife habitat.
'This Buc-ee's that's being proposed would be abutting or being right next to an area that the locals call the bayou. It's a nursery for the smalltooth sawfish and other fish,' neighbor Edie Driest told WBBH.
The proposed development has sparked concerns from some and excitement from others, but it has a long way to go until it becomes reality.
'Until they're actually breaking ground and we're sitting there eating Beaver Nuggets, it's still just a potential project,' planning and zoning official Shaun Cullinan told WBBH last month.
The potential Buc-ee's faces a hurdle on Tuesday, when the county's board of commissioners meets to discuss the proposal.
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