Shelly Sigo

With local Florida governments and school districts reeling from the recession, many are looking for novel ways to increase revenue.

Broward County Commissioner Ilene Lieberman was elected president of the Florida Association of Counties at the organization’s annual conference last week.

A public-private partnership of the Greater Birmingham Regional Planning Commission, the Georgia Department of Transportation, and Norfolk-Southern railroad will study the feasibility of a high-speed rail connection between Birmingham and Atlanta.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Port of Palm Beach, located in one of Florida’s wealthiest areas, saw one of its revenue bond ratings drop below investment grade last week.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Fitch Ratings on Wednesday downgraded the Seminole Indian Tribe of Florida to below investment grade because of spending irregularities cited in a recent notice of violation by the National Indian Gaming Commission.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Moody’s Investors Service yesterday downgraded Miami’s general obligation ratings just ahead of a financing to build parking garages for the Marlins’ new baseball stadium, which is under construction.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Kentucky officials hope a popular federal loan guarantee program will be the catalyst to resume construction of a $465 million, 62-story skyscraper on the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Louisville that has been stalled by the credit crisis.

Standard & Poor’s has raised its long-term underlying rating on Herndon’s general obligation debt to AAA from AA-plus based on its strong financial position and good management practices, the agency said. The outlook is stable.

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen on Friday signed into law a $29.9 billion state budget for fiscal 2011.

Momentum is growing again for Florida lawmakers to hold a special session on oil drilling and clean energy strategies.

Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman’s appeal of his corruption conviction will be reviewed by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals based on last week’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court narrowing the focus of the “honest services fraud” criminal statute.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed has selected municipal finance veteran Joya De Foor as his nominee to become the new chief financial officer of Georgia’s largest city.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Lakeland, Fla.-based Holland & Knight LLP has hired Eric Eikenberg as a senior policy adviser in the firm’s public policy and regulation practice group.

BRADENTON, Fla. — An Alabama judge has set Sept. 7 for trial to begin in the Bank of New York Mellon's quest to obtain a receiver to take over control of Jefferson County's sewer system, which is saddled with close to $3.2 billion of troubled variable- and auction-rate debt.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Atlanta is looking for companies interested in setting up operations in its commercial tax allocation districts.

Gov. Sonny Perdue has announced that net revenue collections for May totaled $1.18 billion compared to $1.26 billion a year ago, a decrease of 6%, or $75.5 million for the month.

U.S. attorneys last week filed a motion to dismiss the federal lawsuit filed in March by Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum challenging the massive health care reform bill.

Assured Guaranty last week filed a civil suit in New York alleging that JPMorgan, along with Jefferson County, "fraudulently induced" it to provide more than $378 million in insurance coverage for the county's nearly $3.2 billion of variable- and auction-rate sewer warrants.

Former Jefferson County commissioner Larry Langford has lost another bid to remain free while appealing his corruption conviction on pay-to-play charges related to the county's failed sewer warrants.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Fitch Ratings on Friday maintained a negative outlook on Collier County, Fla.’s sales and gas tax bonds in part because of “the potential impact of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.”