Except as otherwise provided in this section, any contiguous area situated within any county of the state located along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and not being situated within the corporate boundaries of any existing municipality, and experiencing shoreline and beach erosion and other related problems, may become incorporated as a shoreline and beach preservation district in the manner set forth in the following sections. The purpose of the district shall be to provide for the planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance and improvement of shoreline and beach improvement projects, including habitat restoration projects. This chapter shall not apply to Harrison County or Hancock County, Mississippi.