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Plans to develop a billion-dollar resort casino on Pearl River are on hold after city leaders held off on the vote required to make it official. Several officials want more details about the deal behind the property before signing off on the agreement. As a result, the resort casino – along with the millions of dollars in new revenue that it will generate – is now uncertain.
A billion-dollar resort casino
LeFleur Development LLC is proposing to buy land along Pearl River and bring in a developer to build a resort and casino. William Richardson, a member of the organization, says that the resort casino could bring in as much as $24 million per year for the city in new sales and property taxes. He also noted that it could create 2,600 direct jobs.
However, Mayor John Horhn cast doubt on the revenue projections, saying, “The amount of ad valorem tax, the amount of property tax, that would be generated is going to depend on the development. It could be something very substantial, and it could not be. It just depends on what the development is going to be.” Interestingly, Jackson had to cut its budget by about $26 million in 2026 due to revenue shortfalls. As such, the $24 million projected tax revenue would be a major boost to the city.
Concerns over land value
On October 6, the Jackson City Council tabled a request from Mayor Horhn to declare approximately 93 acres of land along the Pearl River as surplus property and sell it to LeFleur Development LLC. City documents show that the land is situated between Fortification Street and the J.H. Fewell Water Treatment Plant, with a small portion extending to Flowood. The group has proposed to buy the land for about $111,000.
However, some members of the council were concerned that the proposed price was too low, expressing misgivings about the land’s estimated value. Ward 1 Councilman Ashby Foote said, “If we just okayed this and sold the option for $1,000, and then two months from now, it became worth $20 million, we would look pretty foolish if we just agreed to it. The value of the land would increase dramatically, perhaps 10 to 20 times the value of this.”
The city obtained two appraisals for the site back in March 2026. Casey W. Wingfield assessed its value at $110,000, while Crook Appraisal Consultants put it at $110,000. The appraisals also revealed that comparable property in Rankin County sold for $1,566 an acre in September 2022 and $3,500 an acre in Madison County in October 2023. Crook’s appraisal further described the property as primarily wooded bottomland and noted that it is located next to a FEMA flood hazard area.
Based on the terms of the deal, LeFleur Development LLC would pay the city $1,000 for a one-year option to buy the land. The option would last till October 31, 2027, after which the organization would be allowed to extend it to October 31, 2031 for an additional $2,000 per year.
Richardson said that the acreage would cost millions of dollars to develop, noting the swampy conditions. To justify this, he cited similar projects elsewhere when costs rose as much as $1 million per acre to develop. “The city’s owned this property for about 40-something years, and in all of that time, it has remained unused and undevelopable, without significant sums put into it,” said Drew Martin, city attorney and interim CAO.
Concerns over legal procedure
Notably, Council President Vernon Hartley also questioned whether the administration followed due process before striking a deal with LeFleur Development LLC. “In other words, was there any competition, or is this the only proposal we examined?” he asked.
City attorney Martin noted that the city followed due process. He further noted that Jackson only asked for the land to be declared surplus after the city determined that there were no other uses for it. The parcels were declared surplus by the Surplus Property Committee at a meeting on August 20.
Mayor Horhn said that LeFluer Development approached the city about the project. City calendar entries further reveal that the mayor met with former Gov. Haley Barbour, who was advising the development agency, in August 2025. Records also show that the former governor asked the mayor to write a letter to the Hinds County Legislative Delegation supporting the proposal for a casino.
A hard sell for the state
While Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes expressed his support for the proposed casino, acknowledging that it would generate revenue and create new jobs for the city, he still questioned whether the state would support it. His concerns are based on Xanadu, a project from the mid-90s, which he references. Xanadu was a project proposed to develop a $600 million resort, hotel, and casino in Jackson in the 90s, but lawmakers rejected it.
“It’s not going to be an easy sell for this city because as many people in that legislature hate Jackson and they don’t want Jackson to have additional money,” said Stokes. The councilman also questioned whether other gaming markets in the state, from traditional Gulf Coast destinations to unregulated digital competition like online casinos, would lobby or oppose the proposal to set up a new commercial casino in Jackson.
The proposal arrives at a dynamic time for gaming policy in the state, as lawmakers also continue to debate the broader future of commercial gaming and regulated Mississippi online casinos.
In response to Stokes’ concerns, Rep. Chris Bell, who authored the legislation permitting a casino in Jackson last year, expressed concerns that a similar bill next year would face strong opposition in the Senate. However, he also believes that the inclusion of certain incentives could improve its likelihood of passing.
“Incentives for the [University of Mississippi Medical Center] cancer clinic, incentives for the JSU stadium… money for businesses to open up, incentive for tax rebates. It’s not just a piece of legislation that says we’re going to put a casino there. It’s legislation that provides economic development,” said Rep. Bell. In the meantime, Rep. Bell says that the city risks giving up “a half-billion dollar investment” by delaying the vote.
Striking a compromise
Mayor Horhn also said that the development agency proposed various options to mitigate any of the concerns raised by other cities with casinos, especially Vicksburg. He also noted that no final decision had been made over what the developer would put up. “A resort development, a casino development, is just one option they want to consider,” he said.
City attorney Martin further said that the proposed contract could be negotiated further, adding that the administration would consider any amendments proposed by the council. “For example, the option is cancelable by the city at any time prior to it being exercised… If someone learned that there was some other value of this land, that some other developer had a great plan that was imminent, the city could cancel the option and move forward with somebody else,” he said.
Moreover, the proposed contract includes reverter clauses, which would allow the land to return to the city if no action is taken. “I don’t think the purchasers like those agreements very much, by the way. But those provisions are all in those agreements currently to protect the city,” said Martin.
