The Biloxi City Council reportedly voted 5-1 on Tuesday night before a packed house to approve rezoning of the site of the planned Black Marlin casino, paving the way for the destruction of a grove of protected live oak trees.
Preston Martin, who has helped organize opposition to the destruction of the trees, posted an update to a Change.org petition that has so far garnered almost 900 signatures, noting that a casino project architect said at the Oct. 6, 2026, hearing that the site plans have been altered to “save additional trees since the last meeting” and that the casino is “open” to relocating some of the mature trees.
A website that reported on the city council meeting and includes a video of the deliberations notes that members “discussed the proposed Black Marlin casino and hotel, including site plans, tree mitigation, access, and infrastructure, and approved an amendment setting a 79-foot height limit, requiring 209 mitigation trees, and restricting tree removal until after a building permit and in relation to construction mobilization. The transcript does not clearly capture a final vote on the overall Black Marlin proposal.”
Biloxi’s Planning Commission on Sept. 3, 2026, voted unanimously to approve the removal of the 28 trees, including 25 mature live oaks, some of which are believed to be more than a century old, from the property near U.S. 90 and Veterans Avenue. Biloxi created its tree protection ordinance to preserve live oaks, Southern magnolias and other important trees, yet on numerous occasions the city has made exceptions for developers.
Opponents had appealed the commission approval to the city council.
Image: Audience at the Tuesday hearing (credit Wendy Lally, via Change.org)