- Associated Press - Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Your daily look at news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today.

ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGES TO BE DROPPED AGAINST MOM WHO DROVE KIDS INTO OCEAN

An attorney for a mother charged with trying to kill her three children by driving them into the ocean off Daytona Beach says prosecutors will drop attempted murder charges and she will plead not guilty by reason of insanity to child abuse. Ebony Wilkerson’s attorney says a judge will consider the proposed deal later this week.

FLORIDA DEBT FALLS FOR 4th YEAR IN A ROW

Florida’s amount of debt keeps dropping and has now fallen to $24.2 billion. That’s according to an annual report that will be presented Tuesday to Gov. Rick Scott and members of the Cabinet. This marks the fourth year in a row that the amount of money the state owes has dropped. The state debt dropped $400 million during the fiscal year that ended on June 30.

SEAWORLD SUED OVER RENEWAL OF SEASON PASSES

A former annual pass-holder at SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa has filed a class-action lawsuit against the theme parks’ parent company, claiming his pass was automatically renewed without his permission in a breach of contract. Jason Herman is seeking at least $5 million on behalf of the class of annual pass-holders in his lawsuit filed last week in federal court in Tampa. Herman claimed SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment continued to charge his credit card a monthly $35 fee beyond the one year for which he had purchased the pass.

CENTRAL FLORIDS WOMAN DIES OF FLU

Health officials in Melbourne say a 45-year-old woman has died of complications from the flu. The woman died Friday in Brevard County. The health director in Brevard County and the Florida Department of Health urge people to get the flu vaccine. They say it remains the best defense against the flu.

GOVERNOR REAPPOINTS ELIZABETH DUDEK TO HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION

Gov. Rick Scott reappointed Elizabeth Dudek to oversee the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. Dudek has been the head of the agency since 2011. Together, they helped privatize the Medicaid program, paying private insurance companies a set fee for roughly 3 million Medicaid recipients instead of the state paying for each service patients incur.

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