ORLANDO -- A 13-year-old boy will be getting $1.8 million from the state for an incident in 2003 in which he was mauled by a pit bull on the playground near his school.

According to the "Orlando Sentinel," the attack happened near Ridgewood Park Elementary School while Daniel Decembre waited for a tutoring class to begin.

Decembre's family settled its lawsuit with the school district last fall. However, according to state law, only $200,000 could be paid until the Legislature approved the larger amount.

Decembre has undergone five surgeries after being bitten on the head, losing his left ear and part of his right ear.
 
On Monday, Gov. Charlie Crist signed into law new legislation approving the money for the boy.

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