Shelly Sigo

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.

Atlanta may bring its next airport bond issue to market sooner than anticipated because of widespread investor interest in last week's successful sale of $588 million for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, officials said.

A new county commission in Jefferson County, Ala., will be seated Wednesday and is entrusted with resolving the continuing saga of how to deal with nearly $3.2 billion of variable- and auction-rate sewer warrants.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Defaults by some Florida community development districts that sold “dirt bonds” to finance infrastructure improvements for residential and commercial real estate projects continued Monday as debt-service payments came due.

Moody’s Investors Service on Tuesday removed $460 million of mortgage revenue bonds issued in 15 separate series by the Mississippi Home Corp. from watch for possible downgrade.

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue was among eight state and local government officials around the country named Governing’s 2010 Public Officials of the Year.