Biloxi Politics Uncensored

09/06/2026

Biloxi has three development-related meetings coming up over the next couple of weeks, so here is your advance warning before somebody starts moving dirt and everyone suddenly asks what happened. The Development Review Committee (DRC) meets Wednesday, 9 September 2026; the Architectural and Historical Review Commission (AHRC) meets Thursday, 10 September 2026; and the Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Adjustments (PC/BZA) meet Thursday, 17 September 2026. The agendas are attached, along with our handy little map showing where the various projects are scattered across the city.

The projects furthest along in the process are headed to the Planning Commission on 17 September. Those include a request to rezone approximately 6.9 acres at 980 Motsie Road from Regional Business to Industrial, another rezoning involving roughly 11.2 acres at 280 Eisenhower Drive and 2649 Pass Road from Neighborhood Business to Regional Business, a proposed auto sales/rental facility at 226 Iberville Drive, and two proposed gas stations, one on Old Highway 67 and another at Cedar Lake Road and Brodie Road. The agenda, naturally, calls them “Convenience Stores with Gas Sales,” which is municipalese for a gas station with better branding.

Before those projects get their turn, Wednesday’s DRC agenda includes the Hemphill-Pass Road project, Cedar Springs Subdivision, Bayside Luxury Garages Phase 2, and Coffee Y’all Espresso on Popp’s Ferry Road, giving us another healthy mix of housing, commercial development, storage for expensive toys, and caffeine. AHRC meets the following day with a much lighter agenda involving routine historic-district approvals. So, for anyone keeping score, September’s development lineup includes subdivisions, garages, coffee, rezonings, car sales, and two gas stations working very hard not to be called gas stations.

09/06/2026

Well, at least we got a flag!

09/06/2026

09/05/2026

Paul Tisdale (Ward 5) latest (5 Sept 2026) eBlast is available here:https://tisdaleforbiloxi.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/eBlast-09-05-26.pdf

09/05/2026

On 28 July 2026, Biloxi Mayor “FoFo” Gilich responded “It doesn’t matter!” when Councilman Anthony Marshall simply asked what ward the Division Street project was in, during a discussion over the Mayor’s decision to remove the grass strips between I-110 and the Keesler Base Gate and replace them with concrete. Apparently, what ward it is in, who represents it, and what the people living there think are just pesky little details.

After more questions from the Council, FoFo offered his public-participation policy: “If you want to do everything I am supposed to do, run for Mayor!” 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝗙𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀.

09/05/2026

The "Gruich Oak" was a nearly 58-inch-diameter protected Live Oak at Pass Road and Nelson Road, on the site of the new Chick-fil-A. Biloxi Development Group sought permission to remove 8 protected trees, and after the Planning Commission approved the request 10-1, several residents appealed specifically to save Tree #18, which became known as the “Gruich Oak.” On 28 January 2025, the Biloxi City Council voted 6-1 to deny those appeals and the tree was cut down the very next day. The removal occurred before the 10-day period to appeal the Council’s decision had expired, and on 6 February 2025, Carroll Campbell filed an appeal of the Council’s decision in Harrison County Circuit Court.

The Circuit Court did not rule that Biloxi was right to remove the Gruich Oak, nor did it decide whether the City properly applied its ordinances. Instead, the Court dismissed Campbell’s appeal because she lacked standing and because, once the tree had already been cut down, the case was moot. Campbell lived about a mile from the site and had not shown an individualized injury different from the public generally. The Court also upheld Mississippi’s municipal-appeal statute against Campbell’s constitutional challenge.

That brings us to the upcoming "Black Marlin Casino", where the Planning Commission approved removal of 25 Live Oaks and 3 Southern Magnolias on September 3. Unlike what happened with the "Gruich Oak", the City is requiring a building permit to be issued before the tree-removal permit becomes lawful to actually remove the trees. Biloxi also updated its Tree Protection ordinance in July 2026, adding additional procedures surrounding protected-tree removals. Residents now have until September 11 to file an appeal of the Planning Commission’s decision to the Clerk of City Council, meaning there is still time for the Black Marlin tree-removal decision to receive another level of review before any of those protected trees can lawfully come down.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗝𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁/𝗢𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 "𝗚𝗿𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗢𝗮𝗸" 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲:
https://files.biloxipolitics.com/share.cgi?ssid=888877adf6f547e09ea6c38b6a9d7cf9

09/05/2026

Biloxi could soon be getting another casino proposal, this time from Southern Gulf Development Group, which announced plans for "The Alaskan King Crab Casino", a new waterfront gaming and entertainment complex. Developer Richard Coleman said the name was selected because the company wanted something “strong, coastal, and recognizable” that would reflect Biloxi’s connection to the water, just like the recently approved "Black Marlin Casino".

When asked whether Alaskan king crabs are actually native to the Gulf of Mexico, Coleman said the company does not believe that should distract from the larger vision. “It’s a crab. Biloxi has seafood. We think people will understand the connection,” he said. Project spokesman Daniel Reeves added that the company considered several names before settling on Alaskan King Crab because it “tested well as a premium coastal brand.”

The development team says the casino will feature Gulf Coast architecture, seafood restaurants, waterfront entertainment, and extensive landscaping intended to create what it calls an “authentic Biloxi experience.” The Alaskan King Crab does not live in the Gulf of Mexico. It lives thousands of miles away in the North Pacific. But if putting an ocean animal on the sign is all it takes to make a casino “Gulf Coast,” Biloxi should go ahead and reserve a site for The Emperor Penguin.

09/05/2026

09/04/2026

Yesterday, 3 September 2026, Biloxi's Planning Commission approved the removal of twenty-five (25) Live Oaks and three (3) Southern Magnolias for RW Development's Black Marlin casino project. There is now a petition circulating to appeal the removal of the trees, which has been signed by 351 people so far.

The deadline to appeal is Friday, 11 September 2026, to the Biloxi's Clerk of City Council at 140 Lameuse Street. The City's Land Development Ordinance provides that any aggrieved person may appeal to the City Council by providing written notice of the appeal to the Clerk of Council within ten (10) days of the applicant receiving the determination. While the petition demonstrates public opposition, anyone seeking a formal appeal should make sure written notice is actually filed with the Clerk of Council within that ten-day period.

Appeal the removal of protected trees on Highway 90