Southeast

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Securities and Exchange Commission has approved a distribution plan allowing ­Jefferson County, Ala., to receive a $25 million disgorgement and civil penalty that ­JPMorgan paid into a “fair” fund to compensate harmed investors and issuers.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Mississippi expects to price this week’s largest negotiated deal with a $650.7 million taxable general obligation bond transaction that represents only its second issuance of Build America Bonds.

DALLAS — New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu rolled out a $483 million operating budget for 2011 on Thursday that he said would pay for essential city services while setting strict spending limits.

The North Carolina Turnpike Authority will price $275 million of debt Thursday, including $250 million of Build America Bonds, for the Monroe Connector System in a transaction that illustrates how some issuers are jockeying for pricing position ahead of the BAB program’s scheduled expiration.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The South Florida Water Management District paid $194 million in cash Tuesday for the purchase of 26,800 acres of land from U.S. Sugar Corp. for Everglades restoration, and may use debt to buy additional acreage over the next decade.

BRADENTON, Fla. — A Florida audit of a $48 million appeals court building financed with $33.5 million of bonds Tuesday listed 17 findings that “appear to be inconsistent” with Florida statutes, state operating policies, or generally acceptable internal control practices.

WASHINGTON — Virginia is preparing to competitively issue $168.4 million of general obligations bonds for seven universities at a time when the Pentagon’s proposal to close a major military base in the Hampton Roads area is raising concerns about the state’s credit.

The Santa Rosa Bay Bridge Authority board will work with bondholders to establish a creditors' committee in hopes of restructuring $115 million of debt for a toll bridge in northwest Florida that is headed for default next year.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Tennessee will bring its fourth deal in six weeks to market on Wednesday with the competitive sale of $213.3 million of tax-exempt general obligation bonds.

DALLAS — Louisiana’s chief budget officer huddled Tuesday and Wednesday with state agency heads, elected officials, and higher education executives on potential spending cuts after determining the state ended fiscal 2010 more than $100 million in the red.