Gaming Commission takes no action on proposed Tullis Gardens site

The Mississippi Gaming Commission took no action Thursday on a request for site approval for the Tullis Gardens project in Biloxi.

Gaming Commission Executive Director Jay Daniels told our media partner the Sun Herald that a lawsuit filed by Secretary of State Michael Watson over a tidelands lease — as well as other information that came up during the meeting — gave the commission pause and Daniels said they were not ready to make a determination.

The proposed Tullis Gardens Hotel and Casino would be located just west of Harrah’s Gulf Coast, along Highway 90 and Oak Street.

The potential casino could have over 900 slot machines, and a 53,280 square foot casino floor. Tullis Gardens would include an 11-story hotel with 300 rooms including penthouses and suites and a rooftop restaurant facing the waterfront.

In addition to the casino, a replica of the historic Tullis Manor, which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, would be built on the west end of the property.

Watson’s lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Harrison County Chancery Court, says the proposed site isn’t legal because the developers do not own nor did they enter into a public tidelands lease. Instead, the developers entered into an agreement with the City of Biloxi on the waterfront property across from the site to build a public pier.

Watson is asking for a temporary restraining order to prevent the lease with Biloxi until a public tidelands lease with the state is made.