by Hunter Dawkins, Owner/Publisher – editor@thegazebogazette.com or hdawkins@supertalk.fm
GULFPORT (GG) — While the Harrison County Board of Supervisors do not usually approve an appeal of a planning commission ruling, they did just that Monday, February 2, 2026 at the Harrison County Courthouse in Gulfport. After a motion to deny the appeal by District 3 (Pass Christian, Long Beach, Gulfport) Supervisor Dr. Marlin Ladner, the board decided to overrule that measure and adopt a substitute motion approving the appeal 3-2 with nays being from Ladner and District 2 Supervisor Rebecca Powers.
This public hearing was based on a previous ruling by the planning commission to deny a change in the zoning district classification for a 77.6 acre parcel of land off Firetower Road in rural Pass Christian. The properties were currently zoned as an A-1 (General Agriculture) District and the request was to switch the area to an R-1 (Low Density Residential) District to create a single-family residential subdivision.
Residential subdivisions require a conditional use permit from the Harrison County Planning Commission. Following the ruling by the commission, P.E. Agent Jason W. Wooten for Badgers Construction, LLC and Attorney Malcolm Jones requested an appeal to the Board of Supervisors.
Before the public hearing, six change orders for projects in West Harrison County were approved. Each project was from ARPA funding for Bells Ferry Road Elevation – Drainage, Firetower Road Water System, Kiln DeLisle Sewer System, and Menge Avenue Sewer System.
Finally, two appointments were made to represent municipalities to the Harrison County Emergency Communication Commission until February 2030. The Board of Supervisors approved Long Beach Fire Chief Griff Skellie to represent the city of Long Beach to the commission as recommended by the Long Beach Board of Aldermen at their meeting December 16, 2025 and Captain Shane Steele to represent the city of Biloxi as recommended by the Biloxi City Council December 23, 2025.
The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the appointment of Harrison County Fire Chief Pat Sullivan as the county fire investigator on a recommendation by Harrison County Sheriff Matt Haley. Sullivan will provide reports required by the Mississippi Department of Insurance to the Insurance Commissioner’s Office.
(Photo by Hunter Dawkins/The Gazebo Gazette via Associated Press)
