Long Beach Casino Developer Sues Mayor, City Alderman on Collusion Claims
Posted on: January 30, 2026, 06:02h.
Last updated on: January 30, 2026, 09:13h.
- Jim Parrish is suing the City of Long Beach
- Parrish claims his casino proposal has been wrongly pushed aside by city officials
A longtime local business owner in Mississippi’s Long Beach alleges in a chancery court lawsuit that city officials have colluded to prevent his casino project from moving forward.
Jim Parrish owns Parrish’s Restaurant & Lounge and The Inn at Magnolia Alley in Bay St. Louis. Parrish signed a 20-year lease with Long Beach to operate his namesake restaurant in February 2010 on the city-owned Gulf-front property. A previous leaseholder had constructed the raised structure, which some locals say looks like a “submarine in the sky.”
Parrish has proposed redeveloping the land into a casino hotel, with the resort located just across Beach Boulevard/US 90 on the former Kmart site that was demolished after it was heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Casino Lawsuit
Parrish alleges that Long Beach Mayor Tim Pierce, who was elected last April, has purposely impeded his casino plans in favor of other possible resort developments. In November 2024, the Long Beach Board of Aldermen approved the casino plans of Long Beach Harbor Resort LLC’s casino plans, Parrish’s operating entity for the investment.
Parrish’s complaint claims Pierce and the Aldermen have sought to lure other real estate developers to lead the city’s casino project. Parrish is hoping the discovery phase of the litigation can shed light on who the elected officials have been speaking to about the possible opportunity.
Parrish’s attorneys allege that Pierce has told those developers that Parrish’s pier lease is month-to-month. Parrish says his lease runs through February 2030.
Long Beach’s prior mayor, George Bass, had supported the Parrish project.
This is our opportunity,” Bass declared in November 2024. “If we miss this, we may never get this opportunity again.”
Before his election, Pierce said the “biggest issue” facing the city is the “reconstruction of our harbor.”
“I hear from multiple people who aren’t from around here that they come over the beautiful Bay St. Louis Bridge, they pass through Pass Christian, and before they know it, they’re in Gulfport. So, we’ve got to turn that around. We’ve got to refurbish our harbor and build our new pier. My primary mission as mayor of the City of Long Beach is bringing economic growth to the city,” Pierce said.
Nearby Casinos
Just up the road from Long Beach, there are three casinos floated for development, with each targeting the already-saturated gaming market of Biloxi.
Local businessman Ray Wooldridge has secured a city permit to build a casino resort at Veterans Ave. at Beach Blvd, along with a new, handicap-accessible pier.
Real estate developers Daniel Conwill and his Biloxi Capital have proposed a casino resort where the Tivoli Hotel stood until it was demolished by Hurricane Katrina. Just east of that project, Tennessee businessman Israel Schwartz has proposed the Tullis Gardens Hotel & Casino, with a full-scale replica of the Tullis-Toledano Manor, a historic mansion that Katrina also destroyed.
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