UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                           --------------------------

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 Current Report
     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934


         Date of Report (date of earliest event reported): May 19, 2009


                           EASTGROUP PROPERTIES, INC.
                           --------------------------
             (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)


          Maryland                       1-07094                13-2711135
          --------                       -------                ----------
(State or Other Jurisdiction     (Commission File Number)      (IRS Employer
      of Incorporation)                                      Identification No.)

              190 East Capitol Street, Suite 400, Jackson, MS 39201
             ------------------------------------------------------
          (Address of Principal Executive Offices, including zip code)

                                 (601) 354-3555
                                 --------------
              (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

                                 Not Applicable
                                 --------------
         (Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

     Check the  appropriate  box below if the Form 8-K  filing  is  intended  to
simultaneously  satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the
following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

[]   Written  communications  pursuant to Rule 425 under the  Securities Act (17
     CFR 230.425)
[]   Soliciting  material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
     240.14a-12)
[]   Pre-commencement   communications  pursuant  to  Rule  14d-2(b)  under  the
     Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
[]   Pre-commencement   communications  pursuant  to  Rule  13e-4(c)  under  the
     Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

                               Page 1 of 3 Pages



ITEM 1.01. Entry Into a Material Definitive Agreement

     On May 19, 2009, EastGroup Properties,  Inc. (the "Company") entered into a
Sales Agency  Financing  Agreement  (the  "Agreement")  with BNY Mellon  Capital
Markets, LLC ("BNYMCM"). Under the terms of the Agreement, the Company may issue
and sell, from time to time, up to 1,600,000 shares of common stock, $0.0001 par
value per share (the  "Shares").  The term of the Agreement will be for a period
of up to three years.  BNYMCM will act as the Company's agent in connection with
any offerings of the Shares under the Agreement.

     The Shares may be offered  in one or more  selling  periods,  none of which
will  exceed 20  trading  days.  The  sales,  if any,  of the  Shares  under the
Agreement  will be made in "at the market"  offerings  as defined in Rule 415 of
the Securities Act of 1933,  including sales made directly on the New York Stock
Exchange,  to or through a market maker or through an electronic  communications
network,  or if the  Company and BNYMCM  agree in writing,  sales may be made in
privately negotiated  transactions.  The Company shall specify to BNYMCM (i) the
aggregate  selling  price of the Shares to be sold during each  selling  period,
which may not exceed $40,000,000 without BNYMCM's prior written consent and (ii)
the minimum price below which sales may not be made,  which may not be less than
$1.00 per share without  BNYMCM's  prior written  consent.  The Company will pay
BNYMCM a commission equal to 1% of the sales price of all Shares sold through it
as agent  under  the  Agreement  plus its  reasonable  documented  out-of-pocket
expenses including fees and expenses of counsel (up to $60,000 in the aggregate)
as well as legal fees in connection  with continuing due diligence (up to $5,000
for any fiscal quarter) in connection with its services under the Agreement.

     The  Shares  will be  issued  pursuant  to the  Company's  automatic  shelf
registration  statement  (the  "Registration  Statement")  on Form S-3 (File No.
333-159328)  filed on May 18, 2009 with the Securities  and Exchange  Commission
(the "SEC"). The Company filed a prospectus  supplement,  dated May 19, 2009, to
the  prospectus,  dated May 18, 2009,  with the SEC in connection with the offer
and sale of the Shares.

     The  Agreement is filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this  Current  Report on Form 8-K
and is incorporated  herein by reference;  the description of the material terms
of the Agreement is qualified in its entirety by reference to that exhibit.

ITEM 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits

(d)  Exhibits.

1.1 Sales  Agency  Financing  Agreement  dated May 19,  2009  between  EastGroup
Properties, Inc. and BNY Mellon Capital Markets, LLC.

5.1 Opinion of Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel, LLP in connection with the Shares.

8.1 Opinion of Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel, LLP regarding certain tax matters.

23.1 Consent of Jaeckle  Fleischmann & Mugel,  LLP (included in Exhibits 5.1 and
8.1).


                               Page 2 of 3 Pages




                                   SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the  requirements  of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Date:    May 19, 2009

                            EASTGROUP PROPERTIES, INC.


                            By: /s/ N. KEITH MCKEY
                                ------------------------
                                N. Keith McKey
                                Executive Vice President,
                                Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Treasurer




                               Page 3 of 3 Pages