Margaritaville Amusement Park owes $5 million in overdue bills, contractor’s lawsuit says
A contractor is threatening in a federal lawsuit to stop work on Margaritaville Amusement Park over what it says are $5 million in unpaid construction bills.
The Tindall Corp., a South Carolina family business with a division in Moss Point, has filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Gulfport. Tindall is suing companies affiliated with Margaritaville Resort Biloxi and the amusement park being built beside it on U.S. 90 in east Biloxi.
The amusement park has generated wide interest. It is supposed to include the country’s first AEROBAR, where riders can enjoy drinks while seated around a bar that ascends into the sky for 360-degree views of the waterfront. A Ferris wheel and other rides also are planned.
Tindall is casting the two-story parking garage and platform the rides will sit on. The company is suing Biloxi Lodging LLC, owner of Margaritaville, and the Stewart Family Trust.
Margaritaville company owes taxes too
As head of the trust, Lori Stewart signed a guarantee of payment for the Margaritaville podium that Tindall is building. She is listed in state records as a manager of Biloxi Lodging.
Margaritaville developers say their dispute with Tindall is over how much work has been completed, and the parties are in negotiations to resolve their issues. Representatives of Tindall have declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Tindall’s lawsuit says Biloxi Lodging, referred to as “BLL,” stopped paying on construction work in July 2019.
“BLL did not stop payment due to any flaws, errors, or problems with Tindall’s work,” the lawsuit says. “BLL continued to promise payment to Tindall for months — beginning in September 2019 — by claiming that BLL was about to get its funding from loans once it cleared up some small tax issues.”
The Mississippi Department of Revenue confirms it has more than $553,612 in tax liens against Biloxi Lodging for unpaid sales taxes from July and August 2019.
Amusement park one of several developments
Tindall notified Biloxi Lodging in January that it intends to stop working on the Margaritaville project unless payment is made, the lawsuit says. Tindall is asking that the judge presiding over the case, Sul Ozerden, enter a judgment in its favor for the $4,937,264 it says is owed, plus interest and attorney’s fees.
Biloxi Lodging developers say Tindall is not on site right now because foundation work is being completed before the amusement park parking garage can be expanded to the west.
Developers hope to open the park in early 2021. Biloxi Lodging is one of several companies associated with Lori Stewart and her husband Greg Stewart.
They also renovated and opened the White House Hotel overlooking the beach in Biloxi through a company called Barrington Development and are partners in the development of Centennial Plaza in Gulfport.
This story was originally published February 10, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
