Shelly Sigo

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist late last week signed HB 7179, giving local governments the authority to use municipal bonds to help homeowners finance energy-conservation improvements.

The Jefferson County Commission Tuesday agreed to hire a New York law firm to defend the county against a lawsuit filed by Syncora Guarantee Inc. on April 29.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Broward County in southeast Florida later this month plans to sell $220.2 million of revenue bonds, most of which will be taxable Build America Bonds. The deal represents the county’s first use of BABs and the first time it will leverage a local half-cent sales tax.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Florida Gov. Charlie Crist Friday signed into law a $70 billion budget for fiscal 2011.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Florida last week received $66.6 million out of $80 million in federal grants distributed by the U.S. Department of Transportation for high-speed rail development.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Nashville’s consolidated government next week is selling between $575 million and $775 million of new-money and advance refunding general obligation bonds to finance capital projects and restructure outstanding debt to avoid tax hikes and budget cuts.

An analysis of the Georgia Department of Transportation’s first public-private partnership outlines significant economic development benefits for the Atlanta metropolitan area and the state as a whole.

The Atlanta Development Authority’s housing finance division last week closed on the sale of $9.35 million of multifamily housing revenue bonds to finance the Amal Heights Townhomes project.

The Hillsborough County Housing Finance Authority has issued requests for qualifications for bond counsel and investment banker.

Alabama federal Judge Scott Coogler last week denied a request from Montgomery bond dealer Bill Blount that Coogler reconsider his order denying Blount more time to report to prison so he could continue working on a $1 million forfeiture as part of his plea bargain.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Florida’s AAA implied general obligation rating is “not affected at this time” because of the oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico, Standard & Poor’s said in a special bulletin released yesterday.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Moody’s ­Investors Service yesterday said that credit quality in Tennessee could be affected over the long term because of floods earlier this month that saw federal disaster declarations for 45 counties covering nearly half the state.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Kentucky General Assembly yesterday began what is expected to be a week-long special session attempting to break an impasse over the biennial budget and appropriate funds for upcoming debt-service payments.

BRADENTON, Fla. — As the Deepwater Horizon oil spill expands, attorneys in Florida have begun talking about devising an emergency financing program for a quick clean-up response.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Just ahead of a planned sale of up to $775 million of general obligation bonds, Moody’s Investors Service has placed the Aa1 rating of Nashville’s consolidated government on watch for possible downgrade, citing the devastating recent floods and tornadoes, among other reasons.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Miami-Dade County commissioners on Tuesday said they stand ready to take over the Jackson Health System should the current board overseeing South Florida’s largest public hospital fail to rectify the financial crisis it now faces.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Florida is on the cusp of joining a nationwide trend by giving local governments the authority to use municipal bonds to help homeowners finance energy-conservation improvements.

The Atlanta BeltLine project last week was selected as the Best 2009 Bond Deal at the Council of Development Finance Agencies’ 2010 Annual Development Finance Summit in Portland, Ore.

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum Friday amended the federal lawsuit he filed challenging the constitutionality of the new health care law to add seven new states, including Georgia and Mississippi, the National Federation of Independent Business, and two individuals.

An Alabama judge last week denied Montgomery bond dealer Bill Blount’s request for more time to report to prison so he can work to submit the $1 million forfeiture required as part of his conviction on pay-to-play charges centering on Jefferson County’s sewer bond deals.