Affects $637 million of Series 2012Q Bonds and $585 million of outstanding senior lien bonds
New York, September 10, 2012 -- Moody's Ratings
Issue: Airport System Revenue Bonds, Series 2012Q-1
(Non-AMT); Rating: A1; Sale Amount: $525,000,000;
Expected Sale Date: 09-14-2012; Rating Description:
Revenue: Government Enterprise
Issue: Airport System Revenue Bonds, Series 2012Q-2
(AMT); Rating: A1; Sale Amount: $112,000,000;
Expected Sale Date: 09-14-2012; Rating Description:
Revenue: Government Enterprise
Opinion
NOTE: On December 07, 2012, the press release was revised as follows: In the third paragraph of the Regulatory Disclosures section, removed “confidential and proprietary Moody’s Analytics information” as a source of information. Revised release follows.
Moody's Investors Service has assigned an A1 rating to Broward County's
$637 million Airport System Revenue Refunding Bonds, Series
2012Q issued for Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
(FL). Moody's is also affirming the A1 rating on $585 million
of outstanding senior lien revenue bonds. The previously outstanding
convertible lien bonds were fully refunded in May 2012.
RATINGS RATIONALE
The rating is based on the airport's fundamental strong market position
and service offering, supported by below median cost per enplanement
(CPE), and continued robust Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) revenue
collections. The rating also considers the strong support for the
expansion project provided by grant revenues as well as the immediate
doubling of debt for a necessary but sizable expansion plan.
Outlook
The negative outlook reflects the size and complexity of the capital expansion
plan which is currently taking place, and forecasted below median
coverage ratios and more limited financial flexibility based on projections
that assume higher than historical growth levels in the medium term.
STRENGTHS
* Low CPE, estimated FY 2012 CPE of $4.13,
and low average fares makes the airport attractive relative to multiple
competitor airports in the area, , forecasted to remain below
$7 by FY 2019
* Demand for air service in the local O&D market remains strong
with a consistent tourism component, including Port Everglades -
the nation's second largest cruise terminal
* Well-diversified revenue stream and diverse carrier-mix
that have generated historically strong enplanement growth, with
69% of total revenues from non-airline revenues in FY 2011
*Overall stabilizing regional economic trends, but primarily
boosted by tourism industry which could soften
* Almost $400 million in grants already committed to expansion
project debt service over the next several years
CHALLENGES
* Current issuance for runway expansion is doubling debt outstanding,
and debt is likely to almost triple in the medium term with additional
planned capital improvement projects
*Debt service coverage ratios (DSCRs) are forecasted to decline going
forward due to expenditure growth from expansion costs, and increased
annual debt service costs from higher leverage
*Projections assume constant enplanement and non-airline revenue
growth at higher than historical rates
* Significant capital improvement program to address airfield capacity
constraints requires large coordination efforts among airport contractors
and projects in order to minimize impacts to airport operations
* Competition from other airports is increasing as Miami International
Airport (rated A2 stable) completes capacity expansion; FLL's
market share averaged 34.7% in the past three years,
versus 35.2% in the last five years, partially mitigated
by strong domestic market share averaging 53.7% over the
past 6 years.
What could change the rating--UP
The rating is unlikely to move up during the medium term amid significant
ongoing construction, doubling of leverage and lower DSCRs.
What could change the rating--DOWN
A period of sustained enplanement decline or lower than projected growth,
lower than projected DSCRs, unforeseen construction events,
days cash on hand below 300 days, or CPEs above historical averages
could place negative pressure on the rating.
The principal methodology used in this rating was Airports with Unregulated
Rate Setting published in July 2011. Please see the Credit Policy
page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.
REGULATORY DISCLOSURES
The Global Scale Credit Ratings on this press release that are issued
by one of Moody's affiliates outside the EU are endorsed by Moody's
Investors Service Ltd., One Canada Square, Canary Wharf,
London E 14 5FA, UK, in accordance with Art.4 paragraph
3 of the Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009 on Credit Rating Agencies.
Further information on the EU endorsement status and on the Moody's
office that has issued a particular Credit Rating is available on www.moodys.com.
For ratings issued on a program, series or category/class of debt,
this announcement provides relevant regulatory disclosures in relation
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or category/class of debt or pursuant to a program for which the ratings
are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's
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this announcement provides relevant regulatory disclosures in relation
to the rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular
rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the
support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings,
this announcement provides relevant regulatory disclosures in relation
to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive
rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt,
in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed
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Jennifer Chang
Analyst
Public Finance Group
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
250 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10007
U.S.A.
JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: 212-553-1653
Maria Matesanz
Senior Vice President
Public Finance Group
JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
SUBSCRIBERS: 212-553-1653
Releasing Office:
Moody's Investors Service, Inc.
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JOURNALISTS: 212-553-0376
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Moody's assigns A1 rating on Broward County's Airport System Revenue Bonds; Outlook is negative