Mold forces evacuation of state building in Biloxi; employees report sickness
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- Mississippi evacuated the Bolton Building in Biloxi due to mold-related health complaints.
- Roughly 300–400 state employees must work remotely while safety tests are conducted.
- Remediation may take 3 to 4 months if mold tests confirm unsafe building conditions.
Hundreds of state employees were ordered to vacate the Mississippi-owned Bolton Building on Back Bay in Biloxi by noon Friday after some complained that mold found months ago in the building was sickening them.
“Some people are complaining they are not doing well from it,” said Joe Spraggins, executive director of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources. Spraggins estimated that 300 to 400 people work in the building, where most, if not all, state agencies are housed on the Coast.
The DMR alone has 140 employees, he said. Other agencies in the building include the departments of health, environmental quality, and revenue, the Gaming Commission, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, Secretary of State’s Office and State Auditor’s Office.
The Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration — DFA for short — owns the building. Spraggins said DFA called around 4 p.m. Thursday to say the building would need to be closed. He said some employees had complained of headaches and sinus problems.
Trying to keep MS employees safe
Spraggins himself sounds stopped up on the telephone Friday morning. He said that he was having sinus issues but was not convinced it was related to the mold.,
“We’re just trying to make sure that we don’t put anybody in any jeopardy,” he said.
The mold was discovered several months ago, he said, when workers found it behind air conditioning units. He was not sure how many of the four units — on floors 3-6 — had mold behind them. But he said the first and second floors are on a separate system and are not believed to have problems,
Regardless, everyone is being told to leave. Employees will be working remotely until more office space is located, if it is needed. The state is ordering tests to determine whether the building is safe and if employees can return.
DFA will be running air quality tests in the building beginning Monday, said Marcy Scoggins, director of DFA’s public information office. She said the tests would help determine when the building can reopen.
The public body that advises DMR, the Commission on Marine Resources, has already announced that its 9 a.m. Tuesday meeting will be held in the Biloxi City Council chambers at City Hall. The DMR’s licensing office is moving to the agency’s Pass Christian Harbor building.
Spraggins said workers have been trying to remediate the mold and put up plastic around the air conditioning units to protect employees before the decision came to close the building.
This story was originally published August 15, 2025 at 8:44 AM.
