Shelly Sigo

An Alabama circuit court judge last week ruled unconstitutional an occupational and business license tax that provides a major source of income for Jefferson County's general fund budget. Commissioners are appealing the decision, the Birmingham News reported.

Outgoing Alabama Gov. Bob Riley has called a special session of the Legislature to deal with ethics reform that he has sought, but failed to pass, during his eight years in office when Democrats were in the majority.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Georgia Department of Transportation has issued a request for proposals for a master developer to undertake a complex multi-modal passenger terminal in downtown Atlanta that will help shape future city ­development.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Santa Rosa Bay Bridge Authority in north Florida has received a letter from the Securities and Exchange Commission inquiring about “disclosure issues,” the board’s attorney, Roy Andrews, said during a special meeting late Wednesday.

Tennessee’s revenue collections for October rose 4.95% to $732.8 million from the same month last year.

Standard & Poor’s Monday revised its rating outlook on Jones County general obligation bonds to negative from stable ahead of an upcoming issue, citing a deteriorating financial position while also affirming its A-plus rating on the county’s debt.

Moody’s Investors Service placed the Baa3 rating it assigns to Citrus Memorial Hospital’s debt on watch for possible downgrade last week.

Moody’s Investors Service has revised its outlook for Alabama State University’s A2 rating to negative from stable due to concerns about its increasingly leveraged balance sheet and limited growth in financial resources as the current economic climate undermines its traditional level of state support.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Birmingham Airport Authority, which operates the largest airport in Alabama, expects to be in the municipal market next week to offer new-money bonds for the first time in several years.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Although Florida Governor-elect Rick Scott has yet to take a position on the fate of high-speed rail, the state agency overseeing the project is moving toward seeking qualified consortiums to build the $2.6 billion Tampa-to-Orlando line.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Seven months after the largest oil spill in U.S. history, the credit ratings of state and local government bond issuers in the Gulf Coast region have remained stable, according to Moody’s Investors Service.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Florida Supreme Court has handed down a ruling that reaffirms the use of certificates of participation in the state, according to attorneys.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Clay Gas Utility District of Clay County, Tenn., filed a notice last week saying that it has not made scheduled principal and interest payments on its bonds since 2000.

Outgoing Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen appointed Mike Morrow to be the Department of Finance and Administration commissioner on Tuesday.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Two days after the Nov. 2 general election, when Florida Republicans won a majority of seats in the Legislature, incoming leaders decided to call a special session to override vetoes by outgoing Gov. Charlie Crist.

In the Nov. 2 election, a referendum that would have given Florida public school officials more flexibility to accomplish class-size reductions was approved by a majority of voters but did not get the supermajority required to pass.

Florida’s Cabinet approved the sale of about $400 million of new and refunding bonds on Tuesday.

A preliminary report on the impact of the oil spill off the coast of Louisiana predicts that Alabama could suffer losses up to $3.3 billion in economic output, $971 million in earnings, and nearly 49,000 jobs under a worst-case scenario through the end of this year.

MIAMI — Despite some setbacks in privatizing major U.S. airports, including the economic downturn and contraction among airlines, prospects remain good for future public-private partnerships, industry experts and airline officials said here Tuesday.

MIAMI — With the potential expiration of popular Build America Bonds at the end of the year, issuers looking to finance transportation projects should not rule out using variable-rate debt in their portfolios or wrapping bonds with insurance, experts said here Monday.