As Growth Surges, Harrison County Eyes Funding for It

HARRISON COUNTY, Miss.—As population growth and tourism continue to reshape Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, leaders in Harrison County say infrastructure funding, economic development and public services are among their top priorities heading into the 2026 legislative session.

This story is part of a Roy Howard Community Journalism Center reporting project examining what mayors and county supervisors across southeast Mississippi want from state lawmakers during the 2026 legislative session. The project includes county-by-county reporting and an interactive overview highlighting shared priorities, regional differences and policy challenges facing local governments.

Readers can explore the full project, including an interactive overview and reporting from all 10 counties, here.

In Harrison County, those priorities reflect the challenges of managing rapid growth along the coast while maintaining infrastructure, tourism assets and quality of life for residents, according to local leaders.

Countywide Growth and Infrastructure Needs

Harrison County Board of Supervisors President Nathan Barrett said the county has worked to keep pace with steady population growth across coastal communities. With that growth, he said, comes rising costs tied to expanding and maintaining infrastructure.

“The big task is always infrastructure because we’re the fastest-growing area in Mississippi,” Barrett said. “With growth comes growing pains, and that means having to expand infrastructure.”

Barrett said the county plans to ask the Legislature for funding and resources to support roads, bridges and drainage systems, which he described as the county’s most pressing needs. He said officials are also seeking funding for a new pickleball facility to expand parks and recreation opportunities, as well as assistance for the Isaiah Fredericks Community Center in Gulfport.

A $50 million beach restoration project is currently underway to restore and widen Harrison County’s shoreline. Barrett said the project is largely funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and involves adding sand to reinforce the beach and protect coastal infrastructure.

Barrett also said the Coast Coliseum and Convention Center is being surveyed to determine whether it should undergo major renovations or be replaced entirely.

“We’re asking the Legislature for money to do a study,” Barrett said. “The study will tell us if we need a new coliseum or if we just need to make some major renovations to bring it up to date, to where we stay competitive in that concert venue.”

In addition, Barrett said the county plans to expand the intersection of U.S. Highway 49 and West Wortham Road to ease traffic congestion. With continued development along Blackwell Farm Road, the county is also seeking funding to complete that project.

Tourism and Infrastructure in Biloxi

Biloxi Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich said the city has focused on improving infrastructure while expanding tourism-related amenities that support the local economy.

Gilich said Biloxi is seeking funding to enhance several marine sites, including projects that would add a pier, boat launch areas and other recreational attractions designed to draw visitors.

“The more revenue we get from the state and from the sales tax or use tax, the better we are in providing what we need to do in order to keep our people safe, friendly and beautiful,” Gilich said.

He also said the city is looking for funding to support hotels and other tourist-related development to generate additional revenue.

“The dollarization and maybe a little bit more direct revenue support from the visitation… people staying hotel rooms, those kinds of revenue opportunities. We’d be looking for maybe a little bit more of occupancy support when it comes to tourism.”

Beyond waterfront improvements, Gilich said Biloxi continues to prioritize road and bridge upgrades. As the city’s population grows, some bridges need to be expanded to maintain efficient traffic flow, he said.

Long Beach Recovery, Insurance and Business Growth

Long Beach Mayor Tim Pierce said much of his first term has focused on rebuilding the city’s harbor and pier after Hurricane Zeta destroyed the facilities in 2020. For years, the city was unable to secure funding to rebuild.

Since Pierce took office, the city has constructed a reinforced harbor designed to withstand up to a Category 3 hurricane. Pierce said Long Beach is still about $7.6 million short of opening the rebuilt harbor and plans to seek funding to complete the project, including electrical systems, through Gulf Coast Restoration Funds.

Pierce said the city has also focused on improving appearance and walkability by addressing derelict properties, enforcing dumpster ordinances and using internet sales tax revenue to expand sidewalks that connect neighborhoods to the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Park campus.

“I’ve made it a point to build up our front door,” Pierce said.

Pierce said attracting new business remains difficult because FEMA flood level requirements make development more challenging. He said the city hopes those levels can be reconsidered to encourage economic growth.

He also said state lawmakers could help address high insurance costs along the coast by implementing programs similar to those in Alabama and Louisiana that provide assistance for fortified roofs.

“We’re such a high-risk community, insurance companies don’t want to come in and compete,” Pierce said. “The longer we wait, the more we’re getting behind the eight-ball.”

Gulfport Priorities and Legislative Requests

Gulfport Mayor Hugh Keating, who took office in July 2025, said road expansion is one of his top priorities for the legislative session.

One major project, Commerce Parkway, would extend Daniel Boulevard and open hundreds of acres for commercial development. Keating said the project would help manage heavy traffic loads and improve public safety.

Keating also said he supports increasing the use tax, which is often used to fund infrastructure, roads and sewer projects. He said Gulfport currently lacks adequate guardrails to ensure sales tax revenue can support essential services such as fire and police departments.

Keating said he would like to raise the tax from 15% to 20% and implement a tourism-related alternative tax to fund recreational projects, including an auditorium, on-campus football facilities for local high schools and a renovated soccer complex.

“Such a greater number of financial resources to spend on promoting their communities to bring people here, to spend dollars here, to increase the resources that we need to pay for our fire and police, our general fund stuff,” Keating said.

Keating also said he wants to redevelop vacant properties, including former Chrysler and Dollar Tree buildings, for recreational use.

“We’re the front door of the state of Mississippi,” Keating said. “We need to present the best image we can.”

Keating said expanding support services for people experiencing homelessness is another priority. He said the Legislature could do more to support mental health facilities and professionals and pointed to organizations such as Continuum as potential partners to help coordinate resources.

“The Legislature could do a better job of making resources available such that we could attract and provide for more and better mental health facilities and professionals,” Keating said. “We need it.”

RHCJC News also sought input from D’Iberville City Manager Bobby Weaver. Interview requests were sent during November and December, but the requests were not acknowledged.

This article is one of 10 county-level stories in the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center’s project examining local leaders’ priorities for the 2026 legislative session. The full interactive project is available here.