BONIFAY, Fla. (WDNews) — The long-awaited Busy Bee travel center planned for Bonifay has been delayed again, pushing construction further into the future.
Construction is now expected to be delayed another 14 to 16 months as Busy Bee focuses on completing another development in Ellisville, Florida.
The Ellisville location has faced delays and is now expected to open in late 2027. Busy Bee plans to complete that project before beginning construction on the Bonifay location.
The latest change marks another shift in the timeline for the Bonifay development. When the property sale was completed in December 2024, construction was expected to begin in 2025. The timeline was later pushed back, with plans calling for construction to begin in late 2025 and the travel center to open in 2026.
Busy Bee purchased 86 acres near the Interstate 10 and State Road 79 interchange in Bonifay. Plans call for a 55,000-square-foot travel center along with additional commercial development on the surrounding property.
The larger development is expected to eventually include hotels, restaurants and retail businesses.
The travel center itself was initially projected to create about 100 jobs, with some earlier projections placing the number at more than 130 jobs.
Economic projections released when the property sale was announced estimated the completed development could generate about $23.8 million in annual sales, $1.8 million in annual local and state sales tax revenue and approximately $200,000 in annual property tax revenue for Holmes County.
Despite the latest delay, plans for the Bonifay development remain active. Efforts are also continuing to attract buyers for commercial lots surrounding the future travel center, which could bring additional restaurants, hotels and businesses to the Interstate 10 interchange.
