Exhibit 5.1

                                  May 19, 2009



EastGroup Properties, Inc.
190 East Capitol Street, Suite 400
Jackson, Mississippi 39201

          Re:  Up to  1,600,000  shares of Common  Stock,  $0.0001 par value per
               share,  to be  offered  pursuant  to the Sales  Agency  Financing
               Agreement

Ladies and Gentlemen:

     We are  acting as  counsel  for  EastGroup  Properties,  Inc.,  a  Maryland
corporation (the  "Company"),  in connection with the issuance and sale of up to
1,600,000  shares of Common Stock,  $0.0001 par value per share,  of the Company
(the "Shares") pursuant to the Sales Agency Financing Agreement, dated as of May
19, 2009 (the  "Agreement"),  by and between the Company and BNY Mellon  Capital
Markets,  LLC. The Shares may be offered and sold from time to time  pursuant to
Rule 415 under the  Securities  Act of 1933 (the "Act") in  accordance  with the
terms of the Agreement.

     We have examined the  Agreement,  the Company's  Registration  Statement on
Form S-3 (File No. 333-134959) (the "Registration  Statement") and the Company's
Prospectus  Supplement  dated May 19, 2009 with respect to the Shares and we are
familiar  with the  documents  referred to therein and  incorporated  therein by
reference.  We have also examined the Company's  Articles of  Incorporation,  as
amended,  and Bylaws, as amended,  such records of proceedings of the Company as
we deemed  material,  and such  other  proceedings  of the  Company as we deemed
necessary for the purpose of this opinion.

     We have examined the proceedings  heretofore taken and we have assumed that
(i) the  resolutions  authorizing  the  Company to issue and  deliver the Shares
pursuant to the Agreement will be in full force and effect at all times at which
the Shares are issued and delivered by the Company, and the Company will take no
action  inconsistent  with such  resolutions and (ii) each issuance of Shares by
the Company  under the  Agreement  will be approved by the Board of Directors of
the Company or an authorized committee of the Board of Directors. Based upon the
foregoing,  we are of the  opinion  that the Shares to be issued by the  Company
will be, when issued and paid for pursuant to the  Agreement,  the  Registration
Statement and the  Prospectus  Supplement,  duly  authorized for issuance by all
necessary  corporate  action and, upon the issuance  thereof in accordance  with
their terms, the Shares will be legally issued, fully paid and non-assessable.



EastGroup Properties, Inc.
May 19, 2009
Page 2

     We  consent to the  filing of this  opinion as an exhibit to the  Company's
Current  Report on Form 8-K and to all  references to our firm in the Prospectus
Supplement.

                                   Very truly yours,

                                    /s/ Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel, LLP