Shelly Sigo

Tampa Bay Water on Monday voted to issue bonds to finance some of the repairs to its cracked reservoir.

Bankrupt Jefferson County has rejected the lease securing $82.5 million of warrants. A payment default could occur on Oct. 1, though the debt is insured by Ambac.

A Florida law allowing local governments to declare a "financial urgency" can be an effective strategy for budget relief, says Fitch. Miami has used it several times.

Lloyds TSB sold its defaulted Jefferson County, Ala., sewer warrants, and is the second creditor to drop an appeal in the nation's largest municipal bankruptcy.

Georgia asked four firms to bid on the Northwest Corridor project Thursday. The metro Atlanta congestion-reliever is estimated to cost up to $850 million.

A South Carolina judge has allowed the Georgia Ports Authority to intervene in a lawsuit challenging the deepening project in Savannah Harbor.

West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin issued an executive order creating a blue ribbon commission to study long-term transportation needs.

Standard & Poor's Tuesday affirmed its BBB rating on Miami's general obligation bonds in the wake of SEC actions.

Miami Beach voters Tuesday's agreed to increase the local tourist tax on hotel rooms by 1%.

The Birmingham, Ala., City Council refused to approve the mayor's request for a special bond election.

A federal judge has denied Tampa Bay Water's motion for a new trial to seek repair costs for Florida’s largest reservoir. The agency will now press on with an appeal.

To prevent further siphoning of revenues from bankrupt Jefferson County's general fund, commissioners will decide whether to close the county's indigent-care hospital.

A federal judge is allowing a lawsuit against the $2.6 billion Ohio River Bridges Project to proceed. Judge John Heyburn ordered briefs filed by the end of February.

Attorneys for Miami have proposed a settlement to head off federal civil charges proposed by Securities and Exchange Commission, which filed a similar case against the city in the 1990s.

Major environmental groups in Florida this week unveiled a campaign to ask the state's voters to approve a new bond program that could fund as much as $10 billion in conservation programs.

The Tennessee State School Bond Authority has closed on a $437.7 million bond deal that will save the state $27.8 million while financing projects at colleges and universities.

Moody's Investors Service changed the rating outlook to positive from stable on the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority's $197 million of A2-rated bonds. Moody's also upgraded the authority's $63 million of rental car facility bonds to A3 from Baa1.

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has issued the final guidelines that three teams will use to develop proposals for building the state's half of the $2.6 billion Ohio River Bridges Project.

The Tampa Bay Rays will begin talks with Hillsborough and Pinellas counties about the team's future on Florida's west coast. Those discussions could include moving the team from its current homebase in St. Petersburg.

Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman was re-sentenced last week to 78 months in prison for bribery, conspiracy, fraud and obstruction of justice. Siegleman was convicted of selling a seat on a state health panel in return for donations to a failed state lottery initiative.