Florida

Historically low interest rates last year helped boost bond sales across the Southeast to $63 billion, an increase of 33% over 2011. The surge in debt was propelled by refundings.

Raymond James Financial plans to drop Morgan Keegan from the name of its fixed income arm later this month.

St. Petersburg, Fla. has failed to break a years-long stalemate between the city and the Tampa Bay Rays over the team's quest to build a new Major League Baseball stadium.

Bond attorney Albert del Castillo has returned to the Miami office of Greenberg Traurig, where he began working in municipal finance.

Florida's new statewide PACE program has inked a deal for $500 million in funding through California-based Samas Capital LLC.

Standard & Poor's raised its long-term revenue bond rating on Florida's Seacoast Utility Authority to AA-minus from A-plus.

Florida has officially given the final approval for the $2.1 billion I-4 Ultimate Project in central Florida to move forward as the state’s largest public-private partnership.

Fitch Ratings downgraded nearly $2 billion of Miami-Dade County's outstanding water and sewer revenue bonds one notch to A-plus from AA-minus on Friday.

Gov. Rick Scott upped his spending and borrowing plans for 2014 proposing Florida's largest ever annual budget at $74.2 billion along with $730 million of bonds for transportation projects.

The Florida Department of Transportation is forging ahead with its biggest public-private partnership to date: a $2.1 billion managed-lanes venture dubbed the Interstate 4 Ultimate Project.

Miami-Dade County approved a resolution last week supporting a plan for public taxes to pay half the $400 million cost of upgrading the stadium where the NFL's Miami Dolphins play.

Citing fiscal imbalances, Fitch Ratings on Monday downgraded the implied general obligation of the Marion County School Board in north-central Florida to A-plus from AA-minus.

The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund Finance Corp. is preparing to sell up to $2 billion of taxable notes this spring for liquidity to pay claims, if needed.

The Florida Department of Transportation is proposing a network of regional transportation toll authorities that would take some financing pressure off the state and move projects forward.

The Treasury and IRS have sent two separate letters to Sens. Lautenberg and Nelson regarding concerns over available financing for housing damaged by Hurricane Sandy and tax guidance on political subdivisions that would affect community development districts in Florida.

Fitch Ratings and Moody's Investors Service said the decision by the Florida Supreme Court upholding legislation requiring that employees contribute to the Florida Retirement System is positive for state and local governments.

A ruling by the Florida Supreme Court last week upholding the state's pension reform measures is a positive credit factor, according to Standard & Poor's.

Florida's Miami Dolphins have renewed a proposal for public funding to help pay for upgrading their 25-year-old football stadium, which they hope will win the 50th Super Bowl game in 2016.

Bank of New York Mellon accelerated about $116 million of toll revenue bonds due to ongoing defaults by Florida's Santa Rosa Bay Bridge Authority. The trustee said payment on the bonds is due immediately.

Florida does not have capacity to issue a significant amount of new debt within policy guidelines in fiscal 2014, though financial metrics show the state's revenues have recovered better than anticipated.