Southeast

BRADENTON, Fla. — Georgia next week plans to bring $700 million of new-money and refunding general obligation bonds to market. As much as $400 million of the offering is expected to sell as the state’s first taxable Build America Bond transaction.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Kentucky State Property and Buildings Commission today expects to complete pricing $393.3 million of new-money lease revenue bonds, a large portion of which is expected to sell as taxable Build America Bonds.

DALLAS — Louisiana officials were gratified Tuesday with significant investor interest in the state’s first offering of new-money debt in three years.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The pay-to-play corruption trial of Birmingham, Ala., Mayor Larry Langford began last Monday in Tuscaloosa, and before the week ended two of the government’s star witnesses described their roles in bribing Langford while he was president of the Jefferson County commission.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Top Florida officials are considering calling a special session of the Legislature in early December to solve problems that could prevent the state from getting federal stimulus funds for a variety of rail projects.

Transportation officials and an advocacy group in Virginia are battling over whether a Virginia or District of Columbia judge should decide whether drivers on the Dulles Toll Road are being illegally charged tolls used to back bonds issued for the Dulles Metrorail project.

The Charleston County Airport District’s outstanding revenue bonds were upgraded last week to A1 from A2 by Moody’s Investors Service despite a negative outlook on the airport sector, which the agency expects to maintain through early 2010. The airport has $13.3 million of rated debt outstanding.

Kentucky’s preliminary unemployment rate fell to 10.9% in September, which was down from 11.2% in August, the Office of Employment and Training said Tuesday.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear last week appointed the 11 members of the new Kentucky Public Transportation Infrastructure Authority.

Supporters of Florida Forever, the state’s land conservation program, have launched an effort to convince the Legislature to restart bond financing so that the state can resume purchasing land while real estate prices are low.