Florida

Ben Watkins, Director of the State of Florida's Bond Division, talks with Chip Barnett about the latest news coming out of the Sunshine State and takes a look at what's happening in Reedy Creek. He discusses Florida's bonding and debt, infrastructure plans and dives into the state's ESG priorities. (30 minutes)

Brightline is building a 168-mile extension to Orlando International Airport of its original 70-mile line connecting Miami with West Palm Beach.

Municipal bond issuers in the Southeast sold $40.7 billion of bonds in the first half of this year, a 6.3% year-over-year increase.

Funding transit infrastructure is one of the county's key initiatives and also reinforces its policy to reduce carbon emissions, increase mobility equity and promote transit-oriented development, says Fitch's Michael Rinaldi.

A proposal would prohibit fund managers at the State Board of Administration from considering ESG factors when investing the state’s money and require them to only consider maximizing returns on investment.

The Miami metro area saw the most private-sector job growth among all metro areas in the state in June and year-over-year.

Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said her proposed $9.3 billion fiscal 2022-2023 budget, with the tax cut, safeguards the county's fiscal stability and maintains critical services.

“In the Great Recession it took us like seven or eight years to get back to where we were pre-recession,” Florida's Ben Watkins said. “This time it was less than 24 months.”

Coming back from COVID, states in the Southeast are seeing their revenue streams perk up as economic activity resumes across the region.

Changing federal policies toward hurricane aid may change these events' credit impacts.

Florida’s unemployment rate has been lower than the national rate for 18 consecutive months, the state Department of Economic Opportunity says.

Hosting a World Cup game brings a variety of economic benefits to cities and counties, from increased spending by fans and tourists from around the world to burnishing a region's reputation.

Natalie Cohen of The Public Purse and John Mousseau of Cumberland Advisors take a deep dive into what’s happening in Reedy Creek in the wake of the Florida battle between Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Disney Co. Is it a portent of things to come or just a tempest in a teapot? Chip Barnett hosts the podcast recorded June 9. (33 minutes)

NOAA predicts six to 10 hurricanes and expects that between three and six of those will be classified as major storms in categories three to five.

As summer beckons, it's time for a reporters' roundtable with some of the Bond Buyer's senior staff. Yvette Shields, Karen Pierog, Keeley Webster and Thomas Nocera talk with Chip Barnett about what's hot in their regions and what municipal bond market participants should expect to see in the months ahead. (25 minutes)

"It is a disturbing trend that elected officials are using their powers to punish companies and municipal governments (and individuals) based on their social views," says Natalie Cohen, founder of The Public Purse.

John Boyd, principal at The Boyd Company, chats with Chip Barnett about how the COVID-19 pandemic and hybrid work has altered the way companies look at cities and states when they think about locations for their headquarters. (20 minutes)

Several states have passed, or are considering, legislation to bar local governments from making payments to criminals who hold computer systems hostage.

Moody’s Investors Service raised the city's rating, noting noted a trend of strong finances, a diverse economy and a willingness to tackle pension issues.

The special district formed for the Walt Disney Company in Florida is to be dissolved under a new state law driven by Gov. Ron DeSantis.