Shelly Sigo

All Aboard Florida moved a step closer to financing the first phase of its private passenger train project when the U.S. Department of Transportation approved AAF’s new application for $600 million of tax-exempt private activity bonds. PAB financing for the project’s second phase remains uncertain.

Orange County, Fla., will competitively price $282 million of new money and advance-refunding tourist development tax-backed revenue bonds on Tuesday.

At the request of Jefferson County, Ala.’s bankruptcy attorneys, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals set what appears to be a firm date to hear oral arguments on Dec. 16 in Atlanta.

Miami city commissioners will be asked Thursday to approve their first bond issue since a federal jury found the city guilty of violating securities fraud charges and paying a record $1 million settlement.

Former Miami budget director Michael Boudreaux has been ruined financially fighting securities fraud charges and cannot pay a $450,000 civil penalty sought by the Securities and Exchange Commission, his attorney argued in a court filing Monday.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is seeking a $450,000 civil penalty against former Miami budget director Michael Boudreaux, who refused to reach a settlement after a jury found him guilty of securities fraud.

After seven postponements in the appeal of Jefferson County, Ala's bankruptcy case, the county's attorney requested that the chief judge of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals schedule oral arguments as soon as possible.

Sweeping tax and budget policy changes proposed by a Louisiana legislative panel could put the state on a more sustainable fiscal path, according to S&P, which said it views the recommendations favorably.

In Tuesday’s election, North Carolina and West Virginia got new governors while the region also saw the passage of bond-related measures, including big-ticket transportation initiatives.

To keep the Atlanta Hawks playing at Philips Arena, the 17-year-old venue will undergo up to $192.5 million in interior renovations financed with $110 million of bonds and cash.

A federal judge has granted a 30-day extension for All Aboard Florida and the U.S. Department of Transportation to respond to lawsuits challenging a $1.75 billion private activity bond allocation to finance a private passenger train project.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s revenue bonds received a one-notch upgrade to AA-minus by Fitch Ratings, which cited a 20-year lease agreement with Delta Air Lines as a major factor behind its action.

A lawsuit that threatens to invalidate the sole security for bonds issued by the Chilton County Health Care Authority in Alabama prompted Fitch Ratings to place debt’s AA-minus rating on watch negative.

The developers of the All Aboard Florida intercity passenger train project unveiled a new financing strategy in court documents saying that it is designed to moot two pending federal lawsuits nearing conclusion in Washington, D.C.

Competition for tertiary care and declining admissions at Opelousas General Health System in Louisiana led S&P Global Ratings to lower the hospital’s bonds below investment grade.

Indian River and Martin counties filed motions for summary judgments requesting a federal judge block the $1.75 billion private activity bond allocation for All Aboard Florida’s Brightline passenger train project.

The tax supporting a $38 million bond deal for a rural Alabama hospital faces a legal challenge, though supporters say a state constitutional amendment on the Nov. 8 ballot should cure the problem for Chilton County and other localities, including Jefferson County.

Triple-A rated Georgia reported $136.4 million of present value savings on an $890 million general obligation refunding, helped by improved negative arbitrage conditions.

The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund is well positioned to absorb losses, the fund’s financial advisor says, even though $454 million in insurance claims have been filed since Hurricane Matthew brushed the state.

Big-ticket transit plans are riding on the outcome of ballots cast in densely populated Wake County, N.C., and Atlanta in November, where voters are being asked to increase sales taxes to fund those plans.