Appointment creates third House vacancy

TALLAHASSEE

The Legislature will have another vacancy due to the appointment Monday of state Rep. Wilbert "Tee" Holloway to the Miami-Dade County School Board.

Gov. Charlie Crist named Holloway, D-Miami, to replace Robert Ingram, who died Sept. 5. Holloway, 59, cannot seek re-election next year due to term limits and will have to resign from the House to take the School Board job.

Former Rep. Bob Allen, R-Merritt Island, resigned Friday after being convicted of agreeing to pay $20 to perform oral sex on an undercover police officer in the men's room of a Titusville park.

Crist will call special elections to replace Holloway and Allen. A special election today in Broward and Collier counties will fill a third vacancy caused by the death of Rep. Mike Davis, R-Naples.

HOLLYWOOD

Cruise passenger's body has been found

The body of a missing Dutch cruise passenger has washed ashore in Hollywood.

Broward County sheriff's officials say the medical examiner has ruled the woman's death a suicide. Her boyfriend is cooperating with detectives. No foul play is suspected.

Officials say the woman was identified as 49-year-old Monique Teresia Van Der Steenstraeten. She had disappeared from a Discovery Cruise Line ship Sunday.

Discovery Cruise spokeswoman Roberta Backus says the boyfriend contacted the ship's manager when the woman vanished.

JACKSONVILLE

Man dies after being tasered during struggle 

Jacksonville authorities say a man died after being Tasered during a struggle with police.

A Jacksonville Sheriff's Office spokesman says an officer had pulled over the man in his car. But when the officer approached it, he took off running.

The officer caught up with him and during a struggle, authorities say the officer used his Taser to subdue him.

Rescue workers checked the man and cleared him to be placed in the back of a police car. The Sheriff's Office says he then became unresponsive. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy is planned. The man's name has not been released. It's not yet clear why he was pulled over.

[Last modified November 19, 2007, 23:14:29]