The Lafayette County Board of Supervisors voted Monday to endorse resort status for Roundabout Oxford RV and Water Resort.

State law says a restaurant or other establishments can only sell alcohol if they are within the city limits. For those establishments in the county that cater to tourists, they can apply for “resort status” from the Department of Revenue to serve alcohol.

The first step, however, is going before the local governing board.

Roundabout Oxford is being built on about 85 acres off Highway 6 West and County Road 105.

Developer Jay Hughes said the alcohol will be served at the resort for onsite consumption only. There will be no retail sales of any alcohol.

He also said that folks will be staying at the resort in their RVs or in a rented cabin and less likely to be leaving the property like folks do when they go to an event venue and attend a wedding and then drive home.

“Those who are buying food and drinks can have a frozen daiquiri while floating around the ‘Swayze River,’”

The supervisors unanimously approved the request with little discussion.

The approval broke a decades-long tradition of the Board not approving resort status requests.

Other than approving a request in 2018 from the University of Mississippi to make certain areas on campus “resort’ areas, the supervisors have denied every other similar request that has come before them.

The reason for denial was usually due to the Board stating that they did not want to put extra strain on the Sheriff’s Department deputies.

The Mississippi Department of Revenue has the final say for the approval. The DoR could override approvals or denials from the local board to grant or deny a resort status.