Shelly Sigo

BRADENTON, Fla. — Florida’s ­Citizens Property Insurance Corp. last week closed on a $2.4 billion bond sale to have liquidity on hand in case a hurricane strikes the state during the upcoming storm season, which starts June 1.

Moody's Investors Service last week became the second national rating agency to place a negative outlook on Miami's debt because of the city's weakened financial position.

Moody's Investors Service Wednesday joined Fitch Ratings and dropped its underlying rating on Orlando, Fla.'s highly leveraged tourist-tax revenue bonds into junk territory, while Standard & Poor's placed the rating on negative watch.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County Convention Center Authority plans to move forward with a $633.3 million deal next week to finance the construction of a new facility called the Music City Center.

Gov. Haley Barbour has signed the Mississippi School District Emergency Bridge Loan Act, which may be seeded with bond proceeds.

The Louisville and Southern Indiana Bridges Authority meets today to continue working on a $4.1 billion plan of finance to build two new bridges across the Ohio River between the two states, and to reconfigure a major intersection in Louisville. The bi-state agency's agenda will include discussion about the selection of an advisory team.

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue Tuesday announced that net revenue collections for March totaled $998.24 million compared to $987.98 million in March 2009, an increase of 1%. The slight rise was the first monthly increase since November 2008.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Florida Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments today in the long quest by South Florida water managers to validate $650 million of certificates of ­participation.

BRADENTON, Fla. — While former Jefferson County, Ala., Commission president Larry Langford must report to federal prison tomorrow to begin serving his 15-year sentence on pay-to-play charges, things could get worse for the 63-year-old dethroned Birmingham mayor.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Georgia Department of Transportation announced Thursday that long-time agency member and former treasurer Earl Mahfuz had retired.

BRADENTON, Fla. — A federal judge in Alabama has denied former Jefferson County Commission president and Birmingham mayor Larry Langford’s request to remain free on bond while appealing his federal conviction on pay-to-play charges.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Orlando, Fla., next week expects to price its second round of direct-subsidy Build America Bonds using tax-increment financing after being the first to successfully use such a structure last fall.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Standard & Poor’s Tuesday said it removed Jefferson County, Ala.’s sewer and general obligation warrants from negative credit watch. The agency affirmed its C rating on the sewer warrants with a negative outlook and its B rating on the GOs with a “developing” outlook.

In light of dismal revenue collections, Tennessee got some welcome news Monday when the U.S. Department of Education awarded it $500 million from the Race to the Top stimulus program.

A Republican candidate for governor is promising to create a state bond oversight commission to help overcome difficulties Alabama issuers face due to the sewer debt crisis in Jefferson County.

Former Jefferson County commissioner and Birmingham mayor Larry Langford is scheduled to report to prison Monday to begin a 15-year sentence. But his attorneys have asked that he be allowed to post bond and remain free pending an appeal of his federal pay-to-play conviction before the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Tennessee’s Division of Local Finance will merge with the Division of Bond Finance on Thursday, state Comptroller Justin Wilson announced yesterday.

A year ago, Florida Division of Bond Finance director Ben Watkins was one of the biggest skeptics of Build America Bonds, mostly because the taxable debt structure didn’t fit into the tax-exempt mold.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Miami will close out fiscal 2009 with a $53.6 million deficit and faces a projected deficit of $28 million by the end of the current fiscal year if actions are not taken to cut the budget, commissioners learned late last week.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Florida’s largest ever public-private partnership — a $1.8 billion, limited-access toll road in Jacksonville — will begin moving forward soon.