Southeast

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Southwest Florida Expressway Authority had the potential to issue hundreds of millions in bonds for a toll-road project that was once estimated to cost nearly $1 billion.

Tax-exempt toll revenue bonds and public-private partnerships may be used to finance the $4.1 billion Louisville-Southern Indiana Ohio River Bridges Project.

For the second year in a row, Moody's Investors Service has downgraded DeKalb County, Ga.'s general obligation rating because of pressured financial operations and the near-term challenge of restoring the general fund balance to levels consistent with a higher rating level.

BRADENTON, Fla. — After struggling against Alabama Democrats much of his eight years in office, outgoing Republican Gov. Bob Riley finally won passage of bills strengthening ethics and curbing corruption among politicians in the state.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Tennessee has instituted some of the strictest guidelines ever imposed for issuing municipal debt by establishing a model requiring that all ­issuers adopt debt-management policies by Jan. 1, 2012.

The Louisiana State Bond Commission approved a plan Tuesday that allows the state to continue for another year its investment in auction-rate tax-exempt bonds issued in 2006 by the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District.

Tennessee Governor-elect Bill Haslam has selected Mark Emkes as commissioner of the Department of Finance and Administration, which oversees the state budget and health care program.

Standard & Poor's revised its outlook to positive from stable on Orange County's AA general obligation credit rating Tuesday based on continuing improvement in the county's financial position.

The board overseeing the financing and construction of the new $1.2 billion public hospital in New Orleans to replace state-owned Charity Hospital has selected Kaufman, Hall & Associates as financial adviser for a proposed $400 million revenue bond issue.

Moody's Investors Service downgraded Coral Gables' issuer rating to Aa1 from Aaa on Tuesday due to the city's historically narrow financial reserve position. Its total general fund balance as a percentage of operating revenues historically has been around 8% and "well below" the median for a Aaa-rated credit, said Moody's analyst John Nichols.