New Florida Costco coming? Warehouse retailer buys site for $55 million

• Costco purchased a 55-acre site in Fort Myers for $55 million to build a new store.
• The new, larger location is expected to replace the current, overcrowded Fort Myers store.
• Costco is expanding across Florida, with new stores also planned or opened in Pensacola, Naples, and Sanford.

Plans are moving forward for a new Costco in Fort Myers.

The warehouse discount giant famous for its $1.50 hot deal meal, cheap rotisserie chickens, and bulk staples and snacks, bought a 55-acre development site at the intersection of Colonial Boulevard and Plantation Road, with additional frontage along Metro Parkway, for $55 million, according to a May 13 press release from the broker, Mayhugh Commercial Advisors.

The warehouse chain initially wanted a smaller footprint of 25 to 30 acres, the broker said, adding that this marks "one of the largest and highest-value land sales in Southwest Florida history."

The Fort Myers City Council approved rezoning for the site in April 2025. The new location is expected to replace the current, overcrowded Costco 5½ miles away on Cypress Lake Drive.

Costco Wholesale has been aggressively expanding its presence in Florida as part of a national growth initiative. A new location opened in Stuart last April and another in The Villages in August.

The new Costco is expected to be larger than the existing one, with more gas pumps to accommodate the growing population. A Costco at the Gulf Coast Town Center in South Fort Myers recently doubled its gas pumps to 24.

Where is the new Fort Myers Costco?

The site Costco acquired is at the corner of Colonial Boulevard and Plantation Road in Fort Myers.

When is the new Fort Myers Costco opening?

Costco rarely discloses opening dates this far out, and the location does not yet appear on the company's list of coming-soon sites.

Once construction starts, it takes 110 days to build a Costco store, according to the big-box retailer's longtime architects, MG2.

Where else is Costco opening new stores in Florida?

Costco plans to open 28 new stores nationwide in the U.S., according to CEO Ron Vachris in a March 5 earnings call, and 30 more stores a year going forward. Some of the planned new Florida locations, in various stages of development, include:

• Pensacola: Costco announced a June opening.
• Naples: Work has begun on a new store at the southeast corner of Rattlesnake Hammock Road and Collier Boulevard, with an opening expected this fall.
• Sanford: The largest Costco in Central Florida, spanning more than 156,000 square feet, is planned to take the place of the former Macy's location in the now-closed Seminole Towne Center mall. It's expected to open by early 2027.
• St. Lucie: The city council approved the 22-acre land sale in March. 
• Perrine: Developers broke ground in Miami-Dade County for a building to be leased to Costco in 2028.

How much is a Costco membership?

Costco offers two membership levels.

• Gold Star membership: $65 a year, includes two cards for you and someone in your household
• Executive membership: $130 a year, includes two membership cards and:
  • 2% back on eligible purchases (up to $1,250), paid annually
  • Expanded shopping hours
  • Monthly $10 credit for orders of $150 placed through the company's "Same-Day" service or Instacart
  • Discounts on select services

Membership gets you access to the store, plus Costco's tire center, optical center, travel deals, pharmacy, hearing aid center, and discounted gas pumps. You can even buy pre-negotiated cars.

What can I buy at Costco?

Like similar membership warehouse chains such as Sam's Club and BJ's, Costco is famous for bulk items and wholesale prices. Costco also features an in-store bakery and meat department with a variety of bulk meat cuts and their famous rotisserie chicken, as well as produce and dairy products.

Shoppers are greeted by rows of electronics like TVs and headphones, and the store swaps in lawn furniture, sheds, and other outdoor items to match the seasons. Fans share tips on Reddit and TikTok for the best deals on clothing, snacks, and food, and bottled water, paper towels, and toilet paper are sold in bulk from pallets.

The prices on name brands are generally lower than in regular stores, but Costco also features its own Kirkland brand of just about everything. Outside, Costco's gas pumps generally beat any regular gas station's prices.

Sam's Club, BJ's also making changes

In the other warehouse membership club news, Sam's Club recently raised its membership prices by $10 a week after rolling out a new "enhanced tier" for its popular minimum-free express delivery service to get an order delivered in an hour or less, for an additional $10.

BJ's Wholesale Club opened a new location in Delray Beach in January and one in Casselberry in December. Another is planned for Port St. Lucie.

C. A. Bridges is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida's service journalism Connect team. Laura Layden is a business and government reporter. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.