Biloxi Firm Awarded $23 Million Army Deal to Restore Mississippi Beaches

Southern Contracting LLC secured a $23 million firm-fixed-price contract for coastwide beach and dune restoration in Bay St. Louis, with work due by May 4, 2027.

First Published: August 7, 2026, 1:36 PM ET

BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI — Southern Contracting LLC, a Biloxi, Mississippi, construction firm, received a $23 million Army contract to restore beach and dune ecosystems along the state’s coast, as announced on war.gov.

The firm-fixed-price award covers coastwide beach and dune restoration in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, with an estimated completion date of May 4, 2027, according to war.gov. Nine bids came in after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers solicited the project over the internet.

“Southern Contracting LLC, Biloxi, Mississippi, was awarded a $23 million firm-fixed-price contract for coastwide beach and dune ecosystem restoration,” the Defense Department said in its daily contract notice.

The project matters beyond the Gulf Coast because it shows how the federal government splits infrastructure costs with local governments, letting counties leverage federal dollars for storm defenses they could not fund alone.

The funding blends federal and local money. Fiscal 2022 civil construction funds covered $14,949,853, while fiscal 2026 cost-share money contributed by Hancock County Rivers and Harbors added $8,049,921, obligated at the time of the award, according to war.gov. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office in Mobile, Alabama, serves as the contracting activity under identifier W91278-26-C-A017.

Coastal restoration work carries stakes for residents and businesses along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Rebuilt dunes and widened beaches buffer inland property against storm surge, protect tourism revenue, and stabilize shorelines that erode during hurricane season. Hancock County, which shares the cost, gains protection for Bay St. Louis, a waterfront community of roughly 10,000 people. The contractor gains steady civil-works revenue and a reference project for future Corps competitions.

The award marks the first contract for Southern Contracting LLC in 2026, lifting the company’s total contract value for the year to $22,999,774, according to firestore:contracts. The sum trails the firm’s record award of $30.3 million. Measured against the Army’s 2026 portfolio, the deal sits above the year-to-date minimum of $9.1 million and well below the maximum of $53.9 billion. It ranks as the sixth Defense Department contract awarded in Mississippi during 2026 and stood among seven Defense contracts issued nationwide on August 7, 2026.

This kind of award has happened before. The Army Corps of Engineers routinely funds beach nourishment and dune projects across the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, often pairing federal appropriations with state or county contributions. Such partnerships have become standard practice for shoreline defense in hurricane-prone regions.

The next decision rests with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Mobile, which will oversee performance and certify completion. A date for any follow-on award tied to this shoreline has not been announced.

Coastal defense along the Mississippi Gulf has drawn federal attention as happened before. Hurricane Katrina slammed the coast on August 29, 2005, destroying much of Bay St. Louis and killing more than 1,800 people across the region. In the years after, Congress directed billions toward levees, dunes, and shoreline repair to shield rebuilt communities. Those investments reshaped the Army Corps mandate in the region, turning routine beach work into a long-term commitment to protect towns that a single storm once nearly erased.

This contract represents the 1st contract awarded to Southern Contracting LLC, in 2026, bringing the company’s total contract value for the year to $22,999,774. It is also the 6th Department of Defense contract awarded in Mississippi during 2026. While this is not the largest contract ever awarded to Southern Contracting LLC, whose record stands at $30,347,517, it is notable within the Army portfolio. Specifically, it falls between the 2026 Army portfolio’s year-to-date minimum of $9,051,490 and maximum of $53,859,843,289. Overall, this award was announced among 7 Department of Defense contracts issued nationwide on August 7, 2026.