Buc-ee's breaks ground in Florida, latest beachhead in owner's U.S. 'invasion' plan

Cars are seen entering and leaving the Buc-ee's convenience store/gas station on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008, in Pearland. ( Julio Cortez / Chronicle ) Cars are seen entering and leaving the Buc-ee's convenience store/gas station on Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008, in Pearland. ( Julio Cortez / Chronicle ) Photo: Julio Cortez, Staff Photo: Julio Cortez, Staff Image 1 of / 21 Caption Close Buc-ee's breaks ground in Florida, latest beachhead in owner's U.S. 'invasion' plan 1 / 21 Back to Gallery

The eyes of Buc-ee's are upon you, Florida, as well as much of the rest of the South.

On Monday, Texas' favorite pit stop broke ground on its newest location, and the first in Florida.

The Sunshine State's governor, Ron DeSantis, tweeted: "This morning I had the pleasure of joining

@bucees for the groundbreaking ceremony of their new facility in Daytona Beach. Our state remains ripe with opportunity and my administration will continue to strive to make Florida the ideal location for new and growing businesses."

This morning I had the pleasure of joining @bucees for the groundbreaking ceremony of their new facility in Daytona Beach. Our state remains ripe with opportunity and my administration will continue to strive to make Florida the ideal location for new and growing businesses. pic.twitter.com/J8d7AQ4GNj — Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) September 16, 2019

This is only the second out-of-state outpost for the Lone Star beaver, following the store that opened in Baldwin County, Alabama, in January. It's certain it won't be the last.

Earlier this year, co-founder Arch "Beaver" Aplin detailed to Texas Monthly his plan for "world domination", unveiling a map with an "invasion plan" to open additional stores in Georgia and North Carolina as well.

ON CHRON.COM: Florida, Georgia, North Carolina: Buc-ee's founder details U.S. 'invasion' for Texas Monthly

His world domination plan may be unwittingly ahead of schedule. A Buc-ee's knock-off store was spotted near Amman, Jordan, earlier this year.

With each store sporting amazing restrooms, every type of jerky you could dream of, and, of course, cheap gas, it won't be long before the rest of the world (or at least the South) will be praising Buc-ee's beloved beaver.

Danny Hermosillo is the Digital News Editor for Chron.com | Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com | Follow him on Twitter at @Dannyherm1| Email him at Danny.Hermosillo@chron.com