Tax increment financing approved for D’Iberville Bluewater Beach project

D’IBERVILLE, Miss. (WLOX) - Monday, the Harrison County Board of Supervisors approved tax increment financing for the Bluewater Beach project in D’Iberville.

The board, which voted all in favor, says that Harrison County and D’Iberville will act jointly to issue Tax Increment Financing Bonds, which will finance the cost of installing and constructing certain infrastructure improvements in connection with the development of the project.

Bluewater Beach, an over $400 million resort affiliated with Sports Illustrated, is in the works for the nearly 80 acres right off the I-10/I-110 interchange. It was supposed to be developed into a Galleria Shopping Center, but now, plans are now in the works to transform the empty land into a resort centered around an 11-acre pool.

“We call it delivering the Caribbean to Mississippi with white sand beaches, crystal clear waters and a lot of other attractions surround the blue water bay itself,” said Chris Schroeder, Sports Illustrated Resorts CEO.

According to Schroeder, the Sports Illustrated Brand is branching out to provide family entertainment with another resort planned for Orlando and one also under construction in the Dominican Republic.

“What we’ve done is taken this iconic brand and are creating an experiential lifestyle resort aiming to provide people with immersive interactive experience as part of their vacation and resort stay,” Schroeder said.

As part of the resort, multiple hotels, restaurants and other entertainment amenities would all be within sight of cars passing by on the interstate.

“I think there’s about 80,000 cars a day that pass by there,” Schroeder said.

The board’s approval of tax increment financing is just one step in the process of making this vision a reality. If everything comes together like Schroeder is hoping for, he said ground breaking for the resort could happen around the beginning of 2023, with the opening in late 2024.

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