The abrupt closure of the Shell gas station at Colony Plaza has left golf cart owners with long trips for fill-ups.
The station on County Road 466A at the far eastern edge of The Villages abruptly shut down last week after the longtime operator reportedly opted not to renew his lease in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown. The station, located in Colony Plaza, which is home to the busiest Publix grocery store in The Villages, was a beehive of activity prior to its sudden shutdown. A restaurant owner operating inside the station said he was blindsided.
The gas station was especially important to golf cart owners living in Hemingway, Hadley, Sanibel and the Villages of Fruitland Park. With the closing of the station, the golf cart owners are left with long drives to the service stations at Southern Trace Plaza or the Clark Pump-n-Shop Marathon stations at Pinellas Plaza and Lake Deaton Plaza.
Of course, there is the gas station at the Neighborhood Wal-Mart at Sarasota Plaza, but the congestion can be daunting for golf cart operators.
A new Circle K gas station opened earlier this year at Trailwinds Village on County Road 466A in Wildwood, but it is not golf cart accessible. Two new Wawa gas stations and convenience stores are set to open this year on U.S. Hwy. 27/441 in Lady Lake, but neither one of those will be golf cart accessible.