Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves on Wednesday announced the state is investing more than $110 million toward economic development, infrastructure upgrades, workforce development, tourism, and conservation efforts throughout Mississippi, including the Mississippi River Inland Port Complex Megasite in Warren County.

A total of $10,483,796 has been allocated to Warren County’s South Port project to conduct wetlands mitigation as required by the site’s U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit.

“The Warren County Port Commission, a partner in the Vicksburg Warren Economic Development Partnership, celebrated today the announcement by Governor Tate Reeves,” Warren County Port Commission Executive Director Pablo Diaz said Thursday.  

Diaz said the funding will be provided to the Warren County Port Commission as part of the Select Site Development Grant Program funded by the Mississippi Legislature and administered by the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA). 

“Securing these funds and the timing of the allocation are critically important to the development of the Port Complex,” Diaz said. “The county and the city, along with the Economic Development Partnership, have worked tirelessly in the last several years to advance this project, and it is gratifying to see the state’s leaders recognize its potential and support it in such a decisive way.”

The Warren County Port Commission recently completed the Phase I mitigation requirements for the project through the purchase of mitigation credits. Once Phase II is finalized, there will be no expected additional need for mitigation in order to begin construction of the project.

“It is a great day for Vicksburg and Warren County when you see the governor and other state leaders investing in the future of our community,” Warren County Port Commission Chairman Don Brown said. “They clearly understand the potential that this project has to transform the region and they are willing to support it with their words and their actions. This is yet another testament of the progress a community can make when it works with a united front. We have worked hard to get to this point, but we would not have been able to accomplish what we have without the leadership provided by the Warren County Board of Supervisors and the City of Vicksburg. So much so that the governor publicly recognized the joint investment they have made in this project among the many reasons this large investment by the state makes perfect sense to him and other state leaders.”

Through its Site Development Grant Program, which provides funding in three categories, MDA is committing $29,358,784 in site development grant funding statewide.

“The strength of state support to the Port Complex Megasite in Warren County sends a strong message of the significance of this project to economic development not only in our area, but to Mississippi as a whole,” Warren County Board of Supervisors President Kelle Barfield said. “We were one of 22 projects funded through the Site Development grant program, which is vital to driving our economic momentum. But the Warren County project received more than a third of the total $29.4 million in the fund. Our collaboration and strong relationships with federal, state and local agencies is key to the continued success of this project, under the expert guidance of our Warren County Port Commission and its CEO Pablo Diaz.”

The majority of grant approvals, totaling more than $97 million, will be invested into projects that will further strengthen Mississippi’s economy through site development, infrastructure improvements, and workforce training support, according to Reeves’ office.  

“Mississippi’s economic development results have been historic and unprecedented,” Reeves said Wednesday. “We’ve secured billions in new private sector investment and created thousands of jobs across the state. The funding we announced today will go a long way toward continuing Mississippi’s economic momentum and will help create more high-paying job opportunities for Mississippians across the state.”

Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs Jr. said he believes Wednesday’s announcement is just one more step forward in a process that will yield monumental results for the River City. 

“I really believe that we are beginning to reap the benefit of our relationship and collaboration with the state and federal government,” Flaggs said. “It’s going to be a game-changer. It’s going to create jobs like never before. The greatest thing to ever happen for us has been working together with Pablo, the chamber of commerce, the Economic Development Foundation, the port commission, and the board of supervisors. Because of the investment in this port, we should start seeing the fruits of our labor.”