Southeast

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.

Fitch Ratings Tuesday downgraded to A from A-plus $114 million of Indian River County School Board’s outstanding certificates of participation. The rating outlook is stable.

DALLAS — Louisiana will sell $325 million of general ­obligation bonds next week as the state enters the new-money market for the first time in three years.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Florida Hurricane ­Catastrophe Fund could be back in the bond market next year to again sell debt to pay damage claims caused by hurricanes in 2004 and 2005.

WASHINGTON — The South Carolina Public Service Authority, the state’s largest issuer in 2008, will begin selling $418.6 million of tax-exempt and taxable new-money and refunding bonds today as the power utility begins to shift toward nuclear energy and away from coal-generated electricity.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The $1 billion Port of Miami Tunnel project Thursday reached financial closing — a conclusion that took nearly four years due to economic challenges, political problems, and diminished access to credit for large transportation-related public-private partnerships.