Biloxi City Council Meeting Summary for November 18, 2025
Biloxi City Council Meeting November 18, 2025
The Biloxi City Council convened on November 18, 2025, to discuss the Governor's Report on regional insurance mitigation, hear presentations regarding community events including powerboat racing and Christmas activities, and conduct a public hearing on the removal of protected trees in the Hawk Creek subdivision. The council concluded with several routine resolutions and community comments regarding local services and charitable organizations.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of the agenda was granted unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Ashley Bynum (Eagle Point Resident): Expressed strong opposition to the Hawk Creek development; stated she witnessed a tree committee member incorrectly claim the buffer recommendation came from residents rather than the committee herself; argued the spray foam insulation in new homes does not protect neighbors from noise and safety risks from I-10 and demanded a substantial buffer.
- Susan Peterson (Tree Committee Chairperson): Defended the committee's 4-0 vote with two abstentions; stated the developer was cooperative in saving 43 trees and rerouting a road to save an "anchor" tree; clarified that buffer trees (cedars) were a recommendation to mitigate sound, not part of the mandatory mitigation count; noted the contracted arborist found many existing trees unhealthy.
- Larry Troudy (Wells Ferry Resident): Expressed 100% support for Public Works Superintendent Cleo Weights and his crew for their responsiveness and quality of work regarding drainage and street clearances.
- Former Tree Committee Member: Thanked the Mayor and Council for her time on the committee and congratulated the incoming Ward 5 member, Miss Vana Mainer.
- Representatives of Coast City Church and New Beginnings Church: Expressed sadness and support for the Lighthouse Park food outreach; requested the council reconsider prohibiting the groups from using the pavilion for free on Thursday nights, citing the 5-year history of the free service and the high cost ($400/week) if they must rent; argued the policy contradicts community compassion and the city's values.
- Harry Kenney (Eagle Point Resident): Expressed deep concern regarding the destruction of the tree line in Ward 7; argued the city is failing to enforce "Tree City" standards and is moving toward becoming a "treeless city," citing poor enforcement of ordinances and zero fine collection.
- Pastor Sean Stead (Coast City Church): Encouraged the council to support the Lighthouse Park food outreach, calling it a "beacon of hope" that transforms lives and strengthens the community fabric.
- Sean Richardson (Ocean Springs Resident): Supported the food outreach ministries, testifying that the program has successfully helped homeless individuals gain employment and housing.
- Jerad Fusco (Appellant/Speaker on behalf of residents): Clarified that a community member (not the committee) had made the cedar tree recommendation; reiterated that the current development does not meet legal standards regarding the tree permit application completeness.
- Brad Mass (Long Beach Resident): Presented a technical argument that non-protected trees act as underbrush; stated that removing them exposes protected trees to sun scald, causing them to die, and thus the development plan threatens the health of the remaining forest.
Discussion Items
- Mayor's Report: Discussed the formation of "GovPro," a consortium of 12 coastal Mississippi public entities (including Biloxi, Gulfport, Harrison and Hancock Counties) to negotiate better property insurance rates with underwriters in London; stated the combined insurable value is $2.68 billion and projected a potential half-million dollar reduction in premiums.
- Councilman Creel (Ward 7) Report: Commended the Seaman Group for cleaning Claire Hornsby Park; announced "Christmas on the Avenue" is scheduled for December 18-20 and urged small business participation; noted the closing of Rena's Deli after 35 years; accepted a posthumous tourism award for his father, Billy Creel; clarified his voting record on short-term rentals as 34 approvals, 9 denials, and 3 abstentions; denied any conflict of interest regarding the Hotel & Lodging Association.
- Councilman Marshall (Ward 9) Report: Announced a CDBG-funded home repair program focusing on seniors; detailed a facade grant program for East Biloxi businesses in conjunction with the Biloxi Economic Development Foundation and Mississippi Power; reported that CTA will be running bus routes on Division Street for the first time in 12 years."
- Councilman Neil (Ward 10) Report: Updated on Hiller Park striping and Southern Avenue/Camellia Street paving; noted upcoming cleanup at Broadwater.
- Councilman Gray (Ward 2) Report: Discussed beautification commission meetings; thanked Port & Harbor Director Christina Johnson.
- Councilman Shoemaker (Ward 7) Report: Noted the paving of Oak Ridge Place and the Christmas parade route for December 13th.
- Councilman Tisdale (Ward 10) Report: Inquired about the St. Patrick's Day parade route change and requested a list of city speed bump procedures.
- Public Hearing - Hawk Creek Subdivision:
- Jerry Creel (Director of Community Development): Asserted the tree permit application met ordinance requirements as the developer agreed to a mitigation plan with the city's arborist; clarified that only 27 protected trees (Live Oak, Cypress, Southern Magnolia) are being removed, while 43 are saved, with a 2:1 mitigation ratio required; explained the buffer tree recommendation came from a neighbor at the hearing; denied that the application was incomplete despite the absence of a final map, citing the developer's written agreement to comply.
- Jared Fusco (Representing Appellants): Contended the application was incomplete because it lacked a proper mitigation map and failed to include all required non-protected trees (specifically Tupelo and Turkey Oaks over 16 inches) as "protected trees" under the ordinance; argued the process was flawed because the tree committee did not review the correct site plan; stated that ignoring the developer's obligation to follow the law makes the approval illegal.
- Jordan Birch (Meritage Homes): Defended the project's compliance with the ordinance; acknowledged the developer inherited the project from Elliott Homes; stated the developer agreed to any city-required mitigation and to reroute a road to save a specific tree; argued against piecemeal development due to interconnectivity of drainage systems.
- Council Debates: Discussed the definition of "protected trees" (species vs. DBH size), the completeness of the application, the status of the cedars as a buffer vs. mitigation, and potential additional environmental impact studies regarding eagles.
Key Outcomes
- Resolution A (Hawk Creek Trees): Adopted a resolution to deny the appeal and affirm the Planning Commission's decision to remove 27 protected trees, passed by a vote of 6-1.
- Resolution B (Tree Committee Appointment): Unanimously appointed Pamela Mainer as the Ward 5 representative to the Biloxi Tree Committee.
- Resolution C (CDBG Funds): Approved a resolution to allocate Program Year 2026 Community Development Block Grant funds for the creation of a homeowner rehabilitation program.
- Resolution D (Legislative Black Caucus): Approved a facility rental agreement with the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus at the Green Ridge Community Center, with approval to reduce fees.
- Resolution E (Boxing Academy): Tabled the facility rental agreement with the Gulf Coast Boxing Academy and approved a fee reduction pending a representative's presentation at the next meeting.
- Resolution F (Christmas Parade): Authorized a sponsorship agreement and waiver of equipment fees for "Christmas on the Water" boat parade.
- Resolution G (Utility Fees): Approved a temporary moratorium on late fees for water and sewer bills for residential customers affected by the federal shutdown.
- Code Enforcement: Granted a 30-day remediation period for property at 282 Hickory Road; closed violations for multiple other properties.
- Procedural: The Mayor and Council agreed to hold informal "first three" discussion sessions at 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM on Mondays prior to meetings to address agenda questions.
Meeting Transcript
November 18th meeting uh to order. The chair will entertain a motion to approve the agenda. So moved. So moved by Mr. Creel. Do we have a second? Second by Mr. Tisdale. Any discussion? All in favor? Opposed. Motion carries. Mayor's report. Yeah, thank you, Mr. President. See a lot of smiling faces out there. Can you hear me now? Very good. I think a little bit on the agenda. Frank Bardot I was supposed to do the pitch all along, so Frank's not going to do this. But I'm gonna give you, you know, return. I'm a little jet-lagged today, but we did return from London. Uh in uh first slide somewhere. But all last week we were uh had talked a little bit about this uh entity that's called GovPro, which is made up of 12 of the uh you know best of class um uh public entities that the legislature has actually uh allowed us to do, where uh using you know the best in class and some of the mitigation that we've done since the storm to enable uh the very best premiums that we uh uh can be afforded based on some of the uh mitigation that we've done with roofs and and uh different uh things that are done. But it's called as soon as the technology gets up, it's called GovPro, and it's made up of of uh entities, 12 entities, 12 best in class entities, uh school districts, uh City of Gulfport, City of Biloxi, Harrison County Schools, uh inclusive of Memorial Hospital. They're the biggest single uh entity, but Beluxin Gulfport Biloxi, inclusive of uh the uh Shucker Stadium, which is a big ticket item, and and the Gulf Board inclusive of the uh aquarium. So total value of insured value is 2.68 billion. Now there you go, that's the first one. But uh Frank with Gallagher and as well as Will uh Cooper from uh uh the brokerage that put this together. Next slide. Okay, and that's made up, as I said, of uh the best in class entities, and it was legislation allowed this group to come together. I don't know if you can read this uh too well, but you know the statutes. This is a creation of the you know, a creature of the legislature, and that gives us the ability to you know go out and meet with underwriters, and these particular underwriters were you know in and around Lloyd's of London and in London where pretty much the whole insurance world uh takes place. You can go to the next slide. But that's you know who we are. This is part of the pitch we were doing to I think we did 15 uh of the uh sessions, 45 minutes each, and all the underwriters mostly from Lloyd's of London and in and around that, but it's made up of just these five foot coastal counties. So that's gonna put us in a situation where we're not expanding to any other states and and kind of focused on some of the things we've done, the restorations that have been done, even to the Barrier Islands. So that was a big part of the presentation. Go to next slide too. So uh the the uh as I said, the membership is made up of course uh, you know, City of Biloxi, City of Gupport, and Guffort School District, Hankon County, Board of Supervisors, Hancock County Ports and Harbor, Hancock County Utility Authority, Hancock County Water and Sewer, Harrison County Board of Supervisors, Stone County Board of Education, Mississippi Coast Transportation Authority, Harrison County School District, and by the way, you can't read that, but uh represented by Dr. Michael Weaver, who's his younger brother. So, but we did a good part of the presentation together, as well as Memorial Hospital. So together we made some pretty good pitches, and goes to the last slide. That's uh to the right-hand side, you can't read it very well, but that's those are underwriters from Lords of London. Who wrote the insurance for the Titanic? Anyway, uh we're not we're not part of that Titanic picture. We hope we're much better off. But it was a very interesting uh set of information, and we were questioning it in every step. So each each one of these underwriters had aspects of why should we why are you a better bet than just the general population? So the whole of thought was as we grow and our insurance value goes, and I think uh not only was just the reduction, we're expecting about a half a million dollars reduction in our property insurance, just property insurance, uh uh uh premiums.
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