Department of Marine Resources violated new law
By The Wire · ·
D'IBERVILLE — The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources acknowledged on August 19 that it used the wrong legal procedure to fine a Bay St. Louis property owner and his contractor over unpermitted wetlands construction, and moved to rescind the fines and start over.
"First off, I apologize for not following the rules. As the executive director, I'm responsible for that," the agency's director told the Marine Resources Commission, after staff counsel said the case had been handled under a superseded law rather than a newer statute allowing fines up to $10,000 per violation.
The matter will return to the commission under the corrected process.
Verified at source