Gulfport Economic Development

Gulfport Mayor Billy Hewes is one busy man and the city has seen a lot of growth in 2019.

From kicking off yesterday’s Gulf Coast Half Marathon to gearing up for the opening of the Mississippi Aquarium in 2020, Mayor Hewes stopped by our studio today to fill us in on how these developments are impacting the city’s economy.

Thousands of people from out of state are now driving across state lines to come to our Gulf Coast for these attractions as the Harbor Lights Winter Festival now stands as the number four Christmas event in America.

Mayor Hewes credits his hard-working team for the city’s success. “Gulfport, we have a great team of leaders. And we’re making sure everything’s running from making sure all the plumbing works, the sewer and water systems, to all the way to the beautification efforts that we do. So there’s a lot of foresight that goes into the planning for our city from events to the day to day for folks to streets and drainage. So we’re very blessed to have a great team and it is bringing home some great results.”

Mayor Hewes says the city’s police chief is ramping up efforts to help the homeless population to learn more about where they are as well as their needs in the community.