The planned Busy Bee Travel Center at the southwest corner of Interstate 10 and State Road 79 near Bonifay has been in development since 2022, but groundbreaking has been repeatedly postponed, with the latest delay announced in late August 2026.
The family-owned North Florida chain still intends to build a large travel plaza plus additional commercial space, yet construction has not started.
Busy Bee, headquartered in Lake City and operated by the Waring family, first contracted with the Holmes County Development Commission in June 2022 to develop a major service plaza on a roughly 98-acre tract known as Project Gateway.
In October 2022 the company bought 11.8 acres for $1.8 million. County officials and the development commission had acquired the larger property with a $4.4 million loan and pursued state grants for water, sewer, and road infrastructure, including a $1.87 million Rural Infrastructure Grant.
Early announcements described a destination-style plaza—potentially the company’s largest at the time—with extensive food options, merchandise, truck parking, Tesla chargers, and a Starbucks, and an opening targeted for 2024.
The project was framed as a catalyst for Holmes County. Projections have consistently cited roughly 100 to 133 jobs at the travel center itself, annual sales around $23.8 million once operating, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in local property and sales-tax revenue.
Officials also planned hotels, restaurants, and retail on the remaining acreage. Busy Bee later agreed to donate a parcel for a new Bonifay Fire & Rescue station. Bonifay Mayor Larry F. Cook and development officials have repeatedly called the investment a landmark opportunity for the rural county.
Progress proved slower than hoped. Tensions surfaced between the Holmes County Board of County Commissioners and the Development Commission over contract terms, loan-interest payments, and transparency.
In March 2024 Busy Bee offered to purchase the remaining 86 acres; that sale closed in December 2024, making the company the sole owner of the site. At that point officials still expected groundbreaking in 2025.
By mid-2025 the timeline slipped again. County commissioners approved a grant-agreement extension after Busy Bee requested more time. Development officials then said construction would start in November 2025 with an opening in December 2026.
A joint commission meeting in August 2025 addressed unpaid interest on the original land loan; the development commission agreed to reimburse roughly half (just under $289,000). Officials still spoke of a November start. mypanhandle.com +1That schedule did not hold.
In late August 2026 the Holmes County Development Commission confirmed another substantial delay of 14 to 16 months before construction would begin. Representatives tied the latest postponement to setbacks at Busy Bee’s planned Ellisville location, now expected to open in late 2027; the company intends to complete that project first. As of the end of August 2026, no groundbreaking had occurred at the Bonifay site.
The travel center remains a high-priority economic-development project for Holmes County. Infrastructure grants and site-preparation work have already been invested, and Busy Bee has publicly restated its commitment to the location.
Local leaders continue to cite the expected jobs, tax revenue, and spin-off commercial development. Whether the newest delay holds or is shortened will depend on the company’s other construction schedule and any further negotiations with county officials.
Residents and travelers on I-10 will have to wait longer than originally promised to see the first pumps and stores open.
