Shelly Sigo

Despite questions being raised about the cost of high-speed trains as November elections near, Florida is moving forward with the first phase of its $2.6 billion rail project from Tampa to Orlando.

With just a month before the general election, federal indictments were unsealed Monday charging four Alabama state senators, an employee of the Legislature, and six other individuals in a bribery conspiracy involving electronic gambling legislation.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Atlanta City Council on Monday gave unanimous final approval for the sale of up to $800 million of revenue bonds to finance the completion of a new terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

BRADENTON, Fla. — In its only issuance this year, gilt-edged Georgia expects to sell $975 million of general obligation bonds Tuesday in a single competitive sale.

BRADENTON, Fla. — A north Florida grand jury decided Wednesday not to pursue an investigation into the construction and furnishing of a $48 million appeals court building that was financed with $33.5 million of bonds.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Fifteen schools across Tennessee will get interest-free loans for capital projects thanks to the qualified school construction bond program afforded by Congress as part of the federal stimulus program, state officials said Tuesday.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Palm Beach County, Fla., officials hope that Congress will extend federal stimulus bond and tax-credit provisions needed to provide a critical financing element for a long-planned convention center hotel.

Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor’s upgraded Lakeland’s energy revenue bonds to AA-minus from A-plus recently. The higher rating was assigned to the upcoming sale of $200 million of revenue and refunding bonds by both agencies. They said the outlook is stable.

Federal prosecutors filed a brief on Monday urging the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta to uphold former Jefferson County Commission president Larry Langford’s conviction.

A federal bankruptcy judge on Monday reaffirmed a recent ruling that the city of Prichard does not qualify under Alabama law to file for Chapter 9 municipal bankruptcy. The judge said state law requires a local government to have outstanding debt to file for bankruptcy.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Although Jefferson County, Ala.’s sewer debt has been rated at junk level for quite some time, Moody’s Investors Service said Monday that the appointment of a receiver for the sewer system is a positive credit development for the county and bond insurers.

BRADENTON, Fla. — A Florida grand jury will consider whether to investigate a court building costing $47 million that was financed largely with tax-exempt bonds.

BRADENTON, Fla. — An Alabama judge said Wednesday that bankruptcy is not a feasible alternative for Jefferson County and appointed a receiver with rate-setting powers to take over the county’s sewer system.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Atlanta plans to bring $1.34 billion of new and refunding airport revenue bonds to market between November and January in two long-planned transactions.

BRADENTON, Fla. — An Alabama judge today said that bankruptcy is not a feasible alternative for Jefferson County and appointed a receiver with rate-setting powers to take over the county’s sewer system.

The Louisville and Southern Indiana Bridges Authority has adopted four strategic objectives to move it closer to developing a finance plan for a $4.1 billion project that would build two new bridges across the Ohio River between Kentucky and Indiana, and reconfigure a major intersection in Louisville known as Spaghetti Junction.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed appointed Cathy Hampton as the new city attorney on Friday.

Florida’s unemployment rate rose to 11.7% in August, a gain of 0.2 percentage points from the prior month, according to the Agency for Workforce Innovation, the state’s employment reporting agency.

The Birmingham City Council approved a resolution Tuesday supporting an increase in the lodging tax rate by 3.5% to support the development of sports and entertainment facilities.

BRADENTON, Fla. — ACA Financial Guaranty Corp. is asking Santa Rosa Bay Bridge Authority bondholders if they are interested in creating a committee to investigate potential resolutions to the northwest Florida issuer’s looming payment default.