Tate Reeves has spent millions updating the governor’s mansion in Mississippi—including tens of thousands on lemon trees and a meditation garden.
show another $168,000 in updates, including for a new gas range, multiple 15-inch “undercounter/freestanding nugget ice machine[s] with drain pump,” and a microwave and mini-fridge “for security area.” Last year, the foundation put another $219,095 into renovations.
While it’s possible that some of the foundation’s $900,000 in expenses overlap with some of the $2.4 million in taxpayer expenses provided by the Department of Finance Administration, it’s unlikely. The public records requests specified costs directly incurred by government entities, and the DFA is not required to maintain records for the independent nonprofit. The governor’s office did not address any such overlap in response to The Daily Beast’s comment request. Taxpayer money has also funded significant repairs, including efforts to mitigate known toxins. Those costs include $598,131 for “Renovation to Staff area/asbestos abatement” with a separate $114,490 expense for “asbestos abatement,” which itemizes “air containment, temporary protective barriers, removal, disposal and sample air monitoring during and immediately following removal.” The living area updates also mention asbestos, a carcinogen formerly used in insulation. One $49,480 expense item includes “the removal of all asbestos flooring” in the living quarters, among a litany of other highly detailed improvements. Another $11,865 item reveals costs to “correct elevator code violations” and repair the mansion’s dumbwaiter. It wouldn’t be the first time the Mississippi governor’s mansion had to address hazards. The residence—a Greek revival structure which has housed governors and their families since 1842—was the second gubernatorial mansion to be designated a national landmark. It received that honor in 1975, four years after building inspectors, forcing the then governor to move out while it was repaired. But while some of Reeves’ improvements—such as the asbestos mitigation—appear urgent or even past due, not all of the $2.4 million in taxpayer costs fit that description. Reeves appears to have used about $120,000 in state funds to renovate the mansion’s family living quarters, across three projects, state records show. Those projects included steps “To allow for accommodations for a larger family” , “renovations to the old media room,” “closets,” and installing bookshelves and carpeting. Some improvements are hyper-detailed in the records, such as stripping “peeling grasscloth” and “the removal of two lights and a patch of plaster ceiling, the repair of wood, and the repainting of five window sill lower units only.” State records reveal that taxpayers also covered another one of Reeves’ top personal costs—the $1.2 million in total salaries for the 18 Mississippi state troopers that have been assigned to the governor, along with around $140,000 for two new SUVs. The records did not include detail about the process for awarding contracts. But state campaign finance records reveal that Reeves has over the years received $11,750 from entities who scored mansion contracts, most of which came from Wier Boerner Allin Architecture PLLC. In response to The Daily Beast’s comment request, Reeves’ deputy chief of staff Cory Custer provided a 225-word statement, claiming that the governor’s mansion garden is “comparable to the White House grounds” and citing the capital city of Jackson’s
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