Mississippi Code Title 59. Ports, Harbors, Landings and Watercraft § 59-3-1

The corporate authorities of any municipality in which there is situated, wholly or partially within its boundaries, a harbor that is a port of entry, shall have the following power and authority: to construct all needful improvements in such harbor, including the deepening of any part of said harbor, and/or extending, enlarging and adding to the same by dredging in any direction including inland; to acquire, construct, repair and improve public wharves and docks for said municipality, in connection with said harbor, and to operate the same under the port commissioners; to own, construct, lease and maintain sheds, warehouses, elevators, compresses, floating dry docks, graving docks, marine railways, tugboats, and other structures and facilities needful for the convenient use of the same in the aid of commerce, and other works of public improvement, including roadways necessary or useful for such port, harbor, and/or dock and wharf purposes, and to control and operate the same under the port commissioners; said sheds, warehouses, elevators, compresses and other works of public improvements, including roadways, to be situated either upon the municipal wharves and docks, and/or upon lands owned, purchased, reclaimed or leased by the municipality and situated within reasonable and practical proximity to such wharves, docks, harbor or port; to set aside or lease portions or all of the said lands, wharves, docks, sheds, warehouses, elevators, compresses, floating dry docks, graving docks, marine railways, tugboats, and other structures and facilities needful for convenient use of the same in the aid of commerce, or any of the said necessary or useful improvements, for special purposes, for a term not exceeding twenty-five years; and to lease same for industrial use for a term not exceeding ninety-nine years to individuals, firms or corporations, public or private, on such terms and conditions and with such safeguards as will best promote and protect the public interest. Any such industrial lease may be executed upon such terms and conditions and for such monetary rental or other consideration as may be found adequate and approved by the city in orders or resolutions authorizing the same. Any covenants and obligations of the lessee to make expenditures in determined amounts and within such time or times, for improvements to be erected on the land by such lessee and to conduct thereon industrial operations in such aggregate payroll amounts and for such period of time or times as may be determined and defined in such lease, and to give preference in employment where practicable to qualified residents of the port of entry and of the county in which said port is situated, shall, if included in said lease, constitute and be deemed sufficient consideration for the execution of any such lease in the absence of a monetary rental or other considerations; any such instrument may contain reasonable provisions giving the lessee the right to remove its or his improvements upon termination of the lease. Such corporate authority shall also have the power and authority to acquire by eminent domain proceedings, purchase, or otherwise, the land, property and rights that may be necessary or useful for the foregoing purposes, and for such purposes the municipality shall have the right to reclaim submerged lands.