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The Jackson City Council on Oct. 6 tabled a request to declare about 93 acres of surplus property along the Pearl River, meaning the city has no further use for it, and to approve an option to sell it to LeFleur Development LLC, WLBT reported. The group is pitching a resort and casino costing nearly $1 billion.
The next day, City Attorney Drew Martin, who also serves as interim chief administrative officer, said he would meet with council members and possibly renegotiate the option.
LeFleur member William Richardson said the project could generate up to $24 million a year in new sales and property taxes and create 2,600 direct jobs. The city cut about $26 million from its 2026 budget after revenue shortfalls. WLBT noted the figures are unverified.
Is Jackson underselling Pearl River land?
Mayor John Horhn requested the option, which would let LeFleur buy the land for about $111,000, the average of two March appraisals ($112,000 and $110,000). He said a casino is only one possibility and no final decision has been made. The sale would likely hinge on state approval for a casino. WLBT had reported no new vote date.
Ward 1 Councilman Ashby Foote said the city could “look pretty foolish” if the land became worth 10 to 20 times more after a casino was approved. He and Ward 2 Councilwoman Tina Clay argued the city should wait to sell. Martin said the council should weigh the revenue the resort could bring.
LeFleur would pay $1,000 for a one-year option through Oct. 31, 2027, extendable to Oct. 31, 2031, for $2,000 a year. Martin said the city could cancel the option before the sale is completed. Reverter clauses would return the land if the owners fail to develop it. He said the contract remains negotiable, but he would not remove city protections because “this is still a speculative deal,” WLBT reported Oct. 7.
State law remains biggest casino hurdle
State law limits casinos to three Gulf Coast counties and counties along the Mississippi River. Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes doubted lawmakers would approve one in Jackson. He pointed to Xanadu, a $600 million casino resort proposed in the mid-1990s that lawmakers never approved, according to a Dec. 13, 1996, Clarion-Ledger article.
At least one bill to allow gaming in Jackson was introduced each year from 2010 through 2026, but none advanced out of committee, WLBT reported. Rep. Chris Bell wrote the 2026 bill. He said delaying the vote could cost the city a potential half-billion-dollar investment and that a similar bill next year would likely face Senate resistance, though added incentives could help.
Martin said proposed legislation would allow one gaming license in Jackson and include a five-year guarantee to offset losses for Vicksburg and Warren County casinos.
Flood control group says projects are unrelated
The land, between Fortification Street and the J.H. Fewell Water Treatment Plant, includes Belhaven Beach and lies within the footprint of two flood-control alternatives under study, WLBT reported Oct. 8.
Keith Turner, an attorney for the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District, said the casino proposal is separate. “We’re not associated in any way,” he said.
Officials defend process, seek deal revival
Council President Vernon Hartley asked whether the administration followed proper procedures and considered other proposals. Horhn said the developers approached the city. WLBT’s original Oct. 6 report said his calendar shows an August 2025 meeting with former Gov. Haley Barbour, who was advising LeFleur. Barbour asked Horhn in February to write a letter supporting the casino to the Hinds County Legislative Delegation.
Martin said the city followed the law and declared the land surplus Aug. 20 only after determining it had no other use.
