>> right now at newschannel8 at 5:30. >> good evening. i'm jennifer leigh. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us tonight. downtown tampa is one of many cities people call home. they are breathing new life into downtown. and a bay area city hopes to take advantage of a same kind of grow. josh thomas joins us live from lakeland. we are hearing new residential units are now under construction. >> reporter: yes, and they are the ones you see behind me. this development has been slowly taking shape in downtown lakeland. but some business owners who have businesses nearby, quite frankly, they have soured on its progress. as you can tell, it is not even nearly complete.

an urban reawakening happening at downtowns all over the country. matt clark is the president of the company behind the project. >> we hope it attracts other developers. we want to see a real renaissance period. >> reporter: but not everyone is happy to see this. marty johnson owns a business that is being overshadowed by the project. a project built for 150 space parking lot once existed right in front of her shop. >> people can't see that i'm here so the line of vision is broken by the wood that is out there. but it will be worse when the buildings are up. >> reporter: johnson has been in this location for 13 years and wonders what the future holds for her business. >> i think people just need to think about the impact of such a project. i think it is too big for this space. >> reporter: the developers say they are trying to be good neighbors. >> sometimes, progress and

long term, we think it will add value to their property as well and have a big impact to their business. >> reporter: joel just opened a barbecue restaurant across the street from no bay. he is keeping his fingers crossed that the new residents will frequent his business. >> i think in the long run, this is really going to help create a bigger business for us. >> all right, we apologize for that. we seemed to have some issues with josh's mic. josh, can you hear me? i don't think we can hear josh. all right. moving on. well, when it is finished, an incident involving a hover board and a gun leaves a teen dead. 13-year-old lavardo fisher died from an accidental gunshot wound to the head.

gun on a hover board and the gun went off. >> as a matter of fact, i saw him last week playing basketball in the driveway. it is sad. >> yeah, that's horrible. you have to be careful. you have to keep that stuff locked up where it is safe. >> a death investigation is underway. the teen on the hover board may face charges. right now, plant city police are looking for a lady bank robber. the robbery happened at the sunshine state bank yesterday afternoon. a woman walked in, demanded money and left. she may have the money in a large leather bag with carry handles. if you see this woman, call plant city police. ups is investigating a driver who hurled a package over a gate, scattering its contents everywhere. check this out. a miami homeowner caught the incident on camera. the driver walks up to the gate and without even pausing or trying to open the gate, he just dumps the packages onto the hard ground.

they could have walked them in. they had a helper there with them and didn't proper will properly deliver the packages. >> inside one of the packages is handgun ammunition. debtor prisons are against the law, but thousands of floridians who can't afford to pay a ticket are often jailed on felony charges. this story. >> reporter: it begins with a traffic stop. those who can't pay often ignore the fine that leads to licenses being suspended, people drive anyway and some end up in jail. public defender nancy daniels says she sees cases like this everyday. >> everyday, first appearance, you see the people who have been arrested for this. now, they are entitled to a bond. but of course, because they are so poor, they can't pay the bond. so they sit in jail and we

too. >> reporter: we met will norman making a payment at the clerk's office. >> i have to pay them now. >> how much extra did it cost you? >> uh ... about $1,500. >> reporter: more than 800,000 floridians had their licenses suspended last year for not paying a fine. another 600,000 lost their driving privileges for other offenses like underaged smoking or drinking, theft, defacing a building. senator jeff brandis wants to stop suspending so many of them. >> we suspend 1.5 licenses every year. any one of those are because of the inability to pay fines or fees. >> reporter: without a hammer of suspension, there is no incentive to pay a fine they say. >> if you take that tool away, what does a court order mean? it becomes voluntary as to whether you pay or not.

them to work on payment plans that don't exceed 2% of a person's monthly income. mike vasilinda, newschannel8. >> the clerks estimate that at 15%, more people stop paying fines, it would cost them $24 million a year. legislation that aims to prevent another rape kit backlog is moving forward. the bill rolled through another senate committee thursday. more than 13,000 rape kits around the state remain untested according to the florida department of law enforcement. the bill looks to standardize kit testing procedures and speed things up. >> the data collected show s that we have the opportunity in florida to help thousands of victims. there were 13,435 rape kits that were backlogged and untested. testing those kits would provide valuable evidence that would help law enforcement and

>> the legislation has one more senate committee to clear. are you looking for a way to make your special someone swoon this valentine's day? >> how about taking tips from the pros? we will show you the moves that make the animal kingdom go wild. >> and when you have diabetes, what should you eat? we will show you the top foods straight ahead. >> well, no freeze warnings for the upcoming night. it will actually be quite cool this evening but not as cold. we are headed into a slow warming trend despite a cold fronted expected for saturday. a very nice weekend ahead. forecast is coming up. >> we will have that and more coming up. you're watching newschannel8,

(donkey sound) (elephant sound) there's a big difference between making noise, (tapping sound) and making sense. (elephant sound) (donkey sound) when it comes to social security, we need more than lip service. our next president needs a real plan to keep social security strong. (elephant noise) hey candidates. enough talk.

>> if you have diabetes going through the bakery section of the grocery store without buying anything can be tough. but just because you can't eat shouldn't enjoy others. >> you want to look for foods with a low glycemic index. we have a look at superfoods that are healthy and delicious. >> reporter: in the fruit category, the superfoods are berries. blueberries, strawberries, blackberries. they are sweet and good for you. they are loaded with antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins. skip the regular potato and go for the sweet potato. and if you like cinnamon on it, it can also reduce your glycemic index, so sprinkle away.

like spinach, kale, brussels sprouts. they often contain a nutrient that can reduce inflammation and strengthen nerves. toe tomatoes are a fruit, they are rich in vitamins and can reduce a risk of heart disease. rounds out the buffet table. fish like salmon, tuna. they can reduce inflammation and your risk of heart attack or stroke, but don't fry the fish or it doesn't count. >> as far as breakfast goes, fat free milk and yogurt are safe for diabetics. more women will undergoing testing for breast cancer mutations. a recent study shows women under 40 diagnosed with breast

brca gene mutation after diagnosis. angelina jolie famously had her breasts removed after it was revealed that she had the gene. bruce springstein is publishing his autobiography. it should hit the shelves september 27. and the eagles will honor frey. jackson brown cowrote the eagles hit take it easy with him. he also wrote best of my love, lion eyes and hotel california. nominees at this year's oscars will get a gift bag worth $200,000.

a ten-day first class trip to israel. an unlimited audi car rental from silver car. the most interesting and terrifying item might be a voucher for the vampire breast lift. i had to look this up. it is said to use blood derived growth factors to create rounder cleavage without implants. think about that for a while. 88th annual academy awards are february 28. >> wow. >> that's deep. love is in the air at newschannel8 and in the animal kingdom too. >> just days away from valentine's day, the zoo fought our gene ramirez a thing or two about dating and mating. >> reporter: you know that song that says you and me baby ain't nothing but mammals? you know the rest of it. it is not that far off. check it out. bald eagles have the all american love story. monogamous mostly and it all starts with a dance.

you will see them spiraling to the ground. >> reporter: this is what it looks like right before they get a room. but not all love lasts. >> sometimes, you may have a divorce, but it happens. >> it is between them. >> it is. >> reporter: now, these guys, florida's famous manatees? they are not so discreet. >> it's a group effort. >> oh. oh. i wasn't expecting that. [ laughter ] >> yeah, they just sort of get together and during certain times of the year, all the boys are chasing the girls. >> reporter: and sometimes the boys chase the boys too. elephants draw the line at sharing. ear flapping and other signs show who is the dominant male, but it is all about the moment. dad probably won't stick around. now let's get back to romance. these southeast asian apes sing duets of duets. it all gives way to a family tradition aw.

>> this is where the term necking comes from. >> reporter: but as many of us know, it doesn't always work out as planned. >> they have to be really careful because they are really high up in the air. if she is not in the mood, she just walks away. >> left high and dry. >> reporter: yep, love is wild. you and me baby ain't nothing but mammals so let's do it like they do on the discovery channel. >> reporter: so, you see we are not so different. this guy, like salad. i'm gene ramirez. back to you guys. >> i learned a lot. >> more than i intended to. >> yeah. well, just two days until valentine's day. we want to hear your romantic stories. your romantic people stories. send them to us on social media using the #iheartwfla. you might see them on tv

hope you have plans for this valentine's day weekend, we have some great weather. generally sunday, valentine's day itself actually looks pretty good. 59 degrees at frenchies at the moment. bright sunshine. not a cloud in the sky. looks like the camera is out of joint here at freedom plaza. 64-degree is the temperature. a few of the nice rooftop. lake club looks good. we have a southwest wind at 7 miles an hour. so for the weekend overall saturday, 67 degrees. a cold front coming through. with little impact we will readjust our temperatures a little bit. not much. we have plenty of sunshine sunday. valentine's day. we are looking pretty good. as for this evening 57 degrees. bring a jacket if you will be out this evening. clear skies. light jacket weather not as chilly as previous nights but still on the cool side for florida given the time of year. sunny skies. jackets again to start the day in the afternoon. we are looking for mostly sunny skies. comfortable temperatures for us.

60s , low 70s . it is 63 degrees at tampa international 62 at downtown saint pete. winds are not as strong as they were 24 hours ago. so, an answer to the question when will it get cooler, we look at the upper level winds. the next wind chance kind of troughing through that period. and our temperatures near or below normal. the changes in the upper level pattern, warmer temperatures at the surface for us. as this ridge of high pressure builds across the southeast, we will see a milder condition set up for us. more of a surface wind giving us more of a southeasterly flow. more of a milder weather pattern. we will see our temperatures jump above our average line. area of low pressure, cold front to the north. this front itself will sweep on through here for saturday. but now, well to the north. it is all about high pressure with clear skies and light wind conditions. a lot of sunshine. in the forecast for tomorrow morning might be a good idea to bring a jacket and sweater to

cold front peeks into the picture here across north florida, but tomorrow afternoon looking for mostly sunny skies. maybe a few high cloud. now for saturday, the timing on this according to the rpm forecast is saturday morning. the front will arrive with a few clouds pushing into the area. by the afternoon, the front is long gone. sunshine comes back. and the winds are fairly cool. should set up a very nice sunday for us. we are seeing a stronger easterly flow. overall, looks like a very nice comfortable weather. we were talking when is it going to warm up? you will see the temperatures jump above normal. so later this week, our temperatures will get near or above the average line. for the evening 57 degrees. fairly nice. clear skies. 49 degrees for the morning. looks like a cool start to the day.

67 degrees for tuesday. same number for saturday. same number for sunday. temperature by monday, 73 degrees. our next rain chance up the road later monday, but especially the early part of tuesday. possible shower, maybe a thunderstorm. and our temperatures behind that front not as significant in terms of the changes. should stay very close to our average as 70 or above. after that front passes through the area. so, enjoy the cool air while we have it. guys? >> looks like an awesome weekend ahead. we will take it. >> yep. >> thank you steve. well haircut horror at a san diego barbershop. >> a woman unhappy with her new do pulls a gun on her barber. how a stroke of luck prevented him from getting shot.

>> now to what is making headlines across america. students at the university of texas are working on a project that could attract the zika virus. they are doing a do it yourself kit that could detect the different viruses. they test the mosquito's dna once it is inside the box. then they are sent to the

diseases. the house of representative passed a bill in response to the drinking water crisis in flint, michigan. it directs regulators to notify officials within 24 hours when water contamination is detected. if they don't alert the public 24 hours after that, the epa must do it. a san diego woman tried to shoot her barber because she didn't like her haircut. the barber claims the woman left happy, even gave him a $20 tip on top of her $20 haircut. she came back an hour later, pulled out a handgun, and pulled the trigger three times but the gun malfunctioned. the barber tackled her to the ground and someone called the cops. now, the woman is facing attempted murder charges. >> whoa. well, morgan stanley is forks over big money for its role in the housing crisis. it will pay $3.2 billion and as part of the settlement, it admitted it sold mortgage loans

it will go to struggling families. and the state department may release more of hillary clinton's e-mails this weekend. the plan is to release 550 e- mails saturday out of the 3700 that remain. a federal judge criticized the department for the delay. they are from the private server she used as secretary of state. and newschannel8 at 6:00 is coming up next. >> keith and stacie schaible have more. >> breaking news. home builder kb homes must fork over millions of dollars. >> bad construction was leading to balconies falling from homes. finally, they are being held responsible. >> plus a terrifying scenario for any parent, a gun on a school bus. and ... bargains. ly tell you where you can go and save some money. >> those stories plus your storm team 8 forecast and

>> right now on newschannel8 at 6:00. >> kb homes bad construction led to falling balconies. now the builder must pay. >> and a student with a gun on a school bus. 8 on your side wants to know how this can be prevented in the future. >> and tampa international going solar. i'm stacie schaible. >> i'm keith cate. thank you very much for joining us tonight. we begin with breaking news. thanks to an 8 on your side investigation, kb home is supposed to pay up. entire balconies were falling off of buildings from shoddy construction. now, three years later, there

the attorney general's office reached a multimillion dollars settlement. >> and 8 on your side investigator shannon behnken uncovered all of this in 2012. she pushed the state for action and today, finally, resolution. shannon joins us now. it certainly took long enough, but your persistence paid off. >> reporter: it did. better late than never. we were the first to expose the crumbling walls, the falling balconies and the missing screws. could you imagine buying a new home and have it look like this a couple of years later? this was going on all over the state, but we kept on them until something was done. and today, finally, answers. first, 8 on your side uncovered moldly balconies falling off the condominiums in bradenton. dozens of homeowners turned to us when their builder, kb home, ignored their construction complaints or did band aid