Ronnie Musgrove Has Helped The Coast Before And After Hurricane Katrina

While He Was Governor:

1. Governor Ronnie Musgrove helped clean up our beaches. During his time as Governor, Musgrove continued the annual beach cleanup day and stressed the importance of keeping the coasts in good shape for our future generations.

2. Governor Ronnie Musgrove signed a bill to protect deer island. Ronnie Musgrove signed a bill that helped turn 499-acre Deer Island into a nature preserve. The bill authorized the purchase of the land for $16.8 million including $10 million in general obligation bonds, $2 million from the public land disputes on the Gulf Coast, $1 million in land acquisition funds and $3.8 million in a federal grant engineered by U.S. Senator Thad Cochran.

3. Governor Ronnie Musgrove often visited the Coast to gain insight from local business leaders and to build public support for his plans for progress. Ronnie Musgrove set up meetings on the Coast early in his term open to anyone and asked for questions on any topic.

4. Governor Ronnie Musgrove worked to improve quality of life on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. He helped to pass and signed major pay increases for teachers and worked with the legislature to further encourage business development including helping industry in Jackson County secure loans for major expansion.

After Hurricane Katrina:

1. Ronnie Musgrove came down from his home in north Mississippi dozens of times to assist in the relief and rebuilding efforts. Because he came as a private citizen and worked through existing organizations he did not seek out press or get any. He was on the Mississippi Gulf Coast working to help get us back on our feet after that horrific storm.

2. Ronnie Musgrove helped lead discussion among local business leaders on tax assistance from the federal government. In January 2006, Musgrove, along with other attorneys, held a breakfast discussion to educate about 100 business leaders, local elected officials, and tax specialists about the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act. The Gulf Opportunity Zone Act, which had been recently passed by Congress, was designed to help businesses recover after Katrina. Musgrove stated "The incentives for business are specific and on point. It is rich in encouraging Central and South Mississippi businesses to rehire, reinvest and redevelop."

3. On the first day of active campaigning he announced his support for Representative Gene Taylor's Multiple Peril Insurance Bill saying "I think it's necessary to have stability to have insurance and in so many instances the insurance companies aren't writing and for us to have the kind of multi-periled policy that the federal government can do is what the coast needs. And so, I would certainly be a big supporter of that.” He specifically addressed the issue in his speech to Mississippi Gulf Coast residents.

4. When asked in an interview why he chose a concrete slab he told them that "(he) thought that this site showed the contrast of the devastation of Katrina and yet with the steeple the hope of good things to come. And it’s because of the dedication and the hard work and the painful contributions of people all along the coast and some help from Jackson and Washington that we are moving forward. But I think it’s important to have a United State Senator who understands the problems of the coast but also knows the hopes of what can happen and what needs to happen with the help from Washington, and to me it would be a priority to help Gene Taylor and others to make sure we get the insurance, that we get the legislation, that’s needed from Congress to help the coast rebuild.”