Southeast

DALLAS — Louisiana’s State Bond Commission declined Tuesday to approve a tax-exempt option for $75 million of bonds for a grocery distribution facility in St. Tammany Parish.

The Santa Rosa Bay Bridge Authority, which oversees the Garcon Point Bridge in north Florida, appears to be headed for default in July.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Alabama Supreme Court Friday denied a motion by JPMorgan and other defendants to dismiss a lawsuit that was filed by Jefferson County in November 2009.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Florida is on the road to recovery, according to economists.

DALLAS — Sen. David Vitter, R-La., met last week with federal officials to oppose Louisiana’s request for credit enhancement on $400 million of revenue bonds for a new $1.2 billion teaching hospital in New Orleans.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Jefferson County, Ala., faces a $77 million deficit by the end of the fiscal year due primarily to the loss of tax revenues while “contingent” expenses could render the county insolvent, according to the national turn-around firm FTI Consulting.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Government-owned hospitals in Florida will come under scrutiny by a panel appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to review whether they are in the best interest of taxpayers.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The five-notch downgrade of DeKalb County, Ga., two weeks ago calls into question whether market participants can rely on the financial disclosure practices of issuers or their ratings, two municipal analysts say.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Jefferson County, Ala., must restructure its troubled debt or take “other significant reorganization activities,” according to the county’s first audit in three years.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Some municipal bond market observers say last week’s stunning five-notch downgrade of Georgia’s third-largest county highlights the importance of disclosure — or what Standard & Poor’s sees as insufficient disclosure in the case of DeKalb County.