Florida

Moody’s Investors Service last Thursday downgraded the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority’s revenue bonds to A1 from Aa3. The move affects $692.4 million of outstanding debt. The outlook is stable. The HCAA oversees Tampa International Airport on Florida’s west-central coast.

BRADENTON, Fla. - Santa Rosa Bay Bridge Authority bondholders, in limbo since a majority of authority board members resigned and having seen a payment default July 1, may see some relief soon.

BRADENTON, Fla. - Tampa, Fla., Tuesday priced $121 million of water and sewer revenue bonds in a deal where more than half the sales went to retail buyers after the underwriters were incentivized to find them.

BRADENTON, Fla. - A federal bankruptcy judge in Tampa on Monday issued a final ruling in a developer's Chapter 11 filing that could have a chilling effect on owners of Florida community development district bonds, observers said.

The termination of NASA’s space shuttle program, primarily located at the Kennedy Space Center in central Florida, is a credit negative for Brevard County and surrounding areas, Moody’s Investors Service said in Monday’s Weekly Credit Outlook.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Emmet & Co. and First Manhattan Co. have filed suit against Catholic Health East and Merrill Lynch claiming that $132.26 million of escrowed bonds issued by conduit entities in three states were improperly called.

BRADENTON, Fla. - South Miami, has reached a closing agreement and settlement with the Internal Revenue Service over impermissible uses of tax-exempt bond and bank loan proceeds to build a parking garage.

BRADENTON, Fla. - A stalled beltway project near Jacksonville in northeast Florida will get a partial kick-start with the construction of a bond-financed segment, state officials announced Wednesday.

Miami City Manager Johnny Martinez Monday declared a financial urgency to open new talks on collective bargaining agreements with four unions covering police, fire fighters and city workers.

WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service has closed an audit of the Highlands County Health Facilities Authority's 2005 refunding bonds with no change to their tax-exempt status.

BRADENTON, Fla.— Standard & Poor's has lowered to AA-plus from AAA the issuer credit rating of the South Florida Water Management District, citing recent legislative changes that "significantly reduced the district's financial flexibility."

Florida plans to advance $3 billion of transportation projects, according to Transportation Secretary Ananth Prasad.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who was elected recently following the ouster of the previous mayor in a recall vote, has named a number of senior managers, including a former First Southwest Co. executive.

BRADENTON, Fla. - Credit pressures are on the rise for some of Florida's 67 school districts as effects of the recession linger, according to a report by Fitch Ratings.

Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Ananth Prasad has chosen a toll road industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience to be the executive director of Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise.

Florida’s elected Cabinet on Tuesday approved the issuance of up to $613 million of refunding bonds.

The Florida Supreme Court last week upheld a $28.3 million judgment against the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.. The award goes to the relatives of a Pensacola man who died 16 years ago.

BRADENTON, Fla. - A new Florida agency created to fund statewide Property Assessed Clean Energy improvements filed a complaint to validate the issuance of up to $2 billion of municipal bonds.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood signed a full-funding agreement Monday for the first phase of the central Florida commuter train called SunRail.

After two-and-a-half years with a negative outlook, Florida was returned to stable by Standard & Poor’s on Tuesday.