Southeast

BRADENTON, Fla. — A biomedical institute on Florida’s east coast is exploring replacing its planned conduit issuer in hopes of lowering the cost of selling $70 million of bonds to finance the construction of a research ­facility.

DALLAS — Louisiana’s 14 state colleges and universities were advised at a legislative budget hearing on Tuesday to begin preparing now for a loss of almost $300 million in federal stimulus funds after fiscal 2011.

BRADENTON, Fla. — With President Obama’s signature barely dry on the massive health care reform bill, Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Treasury Department and the Department of Labor, alleging that the bill is unconstitutional.

WASHINGTON — South Carolina this week will competitively sell $324 million of new-money and $336.5 million of refunding general obligation bonds, foregoing Build America Bonds partly because of a growing concern that federal lawmakers or regulators could lower the subsidy rate or actual payments.

DALLAS — The Louisiana State Bond Commission gave its approval Thursday for a general obligation refunding that could total up to $600 million.

DALLAS — Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Financing Corp. is asking for help in its quest to issue debt based on hundreds of million of dollars in offshore energy royalties that won’t begin flowing into the state treasury for another seven years.

DALLAS — When the Louisiana Legislature convenes for its 2010 session in 11 days, lawmakers may face a budget situation that is worse than anticipated just three months ago.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority in central Florida expects to be in the market today with retail pricing of up to $375 million of revenue bonds.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Miami-Dade County Commission today will review a financial crisis that has enveloped the public health system whose flagship is Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Miami, which tangled with the Securities and Exchange Commission over financial disclosure issues earlier this decade, has hired the law firm of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius to represent it in the SEC’s latest probe.