Florida

Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. last week retained long-time financial advisor and investment consultant, Raymond James and Associates Inc.

BRADENTON, Fla. - The Florida auditor general's office called for the Legislature to consider placing limits on how much debt a community development district can issue and to improve oversight for CDD issuance.

BRADENTON, Fla. - A Florida judge has validated $2 billion of municipal bonds to fund Property Assessed Clean Energy initiatives statewide.

BRADENTON, Fla. - After nearly 10 months of inaction, investors of the defaulted bonds issued by North Florida's Santa Rosa Bay Bridge Authority may see restructuring negotiations get under way now that a governing board is in place.

BRADENTON, Fla. - After 30 years at Bryant Miller Olive PA, Randy Hanna will step down Nov. 1 from the Florida-based law firm to become chancellor of the state college system.

BRADENTON, Fla. - The Santa Rosa County Commission is poised on Thursday to restore a quorum to the junk-rated Santa Rosa Bay Bridge Authority by appointing three new members. The Florida agency's board hasn't met since 2010 and it defaulted on a bond payment in July.

Two South Florida Republican legislators intend to push for Las Vegas-style casino resorts now that an appellate court has ruled that lawmakers can expand gambling without voter approval.

BRADENTON, Fla. - Republicans are redoubling their efforts to consolidate Florida's local and state toll-road agencies. But the targeted agencies are pushing back.

A major effort by the Legislature to privatize many of Florida’s prisons was ruled unconstitutional by a state judge last week.

BRADENTON, Fla. - Florida-based Bryant Miller Olive PA has elected Grace Dunlap as its new managing shareholder.

BRADENTON, Fla. - Ten volunteers are interested in serving on the Santa Rosa Bay Bridge Authority that oversees the defaulted bonds sold to build the 3.5-mile-long tolled Garcon Point Bridge in North Florida.

After the recession temporarily derailed discussions about building the Tampa Bay Rays a new ballpark, area chambers of commerce have joined forces in recent months to study financing options for the team.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott last week asked the state’s elected Cabinet to withhold approval of $15 million of new capital outlay bonding for education.

BRADENTON, Fla. - The trustee for the Santa Rosa Bay Bridge Authority's $115.9 million of defaulted bonds is providing financial support to entice volunteers to serve on the authority's board, according to the Florida state representative who negotiated the deal.

Fitch Ratings on Friday lowered the rating on Hollywood, Fla.’s general obligation bonds to A from A-plus, citing a structural budget imbalance and “consistently optimistic revenue projections.”

The Internal Revenue Service has completed an audit of $51.1 million of auction-rate securities the Orange County, Fla., Health Facilities Authority issued in 2005 for an Orlando health care provider without changing the tax-exempt status of the bonds.

The new Florida PACE Funding Agency is seeking a financial advisor and third-party administrator to assist with financing and start-up services.

BRADENTON, Fla. - The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority said in a notice that Florida has refused to pay its monthly bill under a lease-purchase agreement for facilities built with toll-backed debt.

BRADENTON, Fla. - With a deal uniquely structured to meet investors' demands, a Florida conduit issuer has sold one of the largest tax-exempt bond financings to date for an airport fixed-base operator.

The Internal Revenue Service has completed an audit of $60 million of hospital revenue bonds issued in 2002 by Lakeland, Fla., finding no change to the bonds’ tax-exempt status.