right now on news channel 8 at 5:30. >> good evening, i'm jennifer leigh. >> and i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us. we have breaking news, the jury has reached a decision in

we understand the jury has awarded erin $55 million. that verdict just coming down right now, moments ago. the suit was against the company that owned and operated the nashville marriott at vanderbilt, also against michael barrett, the convicted stalker. andrews asked originally for $75 million. there was tearful testimony on the stand. we watched it all last week. earn is the daughter of steve andrews, of course, again, just recapping, a jury in nashville, tennessee, coming back with a $55 million verdict against that nashville marriott, and michael barrett, her accused stalker who took those naked videos of her inside the hotel. we'll bring a full wrap up of the trial later on news channel 8. in other news, rusting steel columns with significant corrosion are being blamed for an incident at a clear water beach shopping plaza that sent people running. part of the balcony where they were standing actually shifting under their feet. peter bernard joins us live

peter, is the building safe to enter now? >> reporter: good evening, josh. it is. with some restrictions. this happened saturday as hulk hogan was out here in the plaza signing autographs, but there were so many people around here that a lot of them gathered up there on the upstairs balcony. construction crews spent monday installing large wooden beams to shore up the pelican walk plaza, careful to dodge the big hulk hogan statute near his ground floor beach shop. on saturday, as the famous wrestler signed autographs, people clamoring for a view experienced a moment of terror. >> at first it was nerve racking because everyone was upstairs and you saw them start to run. >> they heard a snap and felt a shift in the building. they evacuated for safety reasons. >> reporter: a structural engineer found two ground floor columns failed, due to significant corrosion. while not the primary cause of the failure, the engineer noted many were jumping. >> at first they said they felt

that we heard, and once the fire marshal started coming out, that's when we got word that we had to evacuate. >> reporter: sitting right above the damaged columns is beach time rentals. >> i am afraid that the whole building might collapse, and it is frightening, especially when you work on the top floor. >> reporter: employees here tell me they were never notified about the balcony shift. repair work is underway. was it safe to go inside. >> we're not allowing a large number of people on the second floor. we don't want people right over the columns, where they're under construction right now. >> reporter: orr columns will -- other columns will likely be inspected for damage. >> you don't want to work in an environment that's going to fall apart on you. >> reporter: the engineer report says there's no damage to the interior of the plaza. because of that, businesses are open. we did notice empty shops on the top floor, but not because of this. they have been empty for a while. >> is the engineer making other recommendations on this?

there's other columns here, specifically the ones on the balcony up there, he's recommending that that be taken apart and looked at. the ones down here are covered with foam. it's easy to cut it out and take a look at the steel inside, and he's recommending some on the lower floor with looked at and i believe that's going to be happening. >> peter bernard live for us. thanks so much, peter. senator marco rubio is stopping in tampa tonight. the republican presidential hopeful is expected to speak to supporters any moment now. with just over a week until the florida primary, rubio is hoping to shore up his florida support. actually, you can see he has just taken the stage at the tampa convention center. let's listen in for a moment. >> instead, here's what i want to offer, a movement that is realistic. we face real challenges. this is not about pretending that everything is great. it isn't. but it's also a movement built on optimism on what i know we can do as a nation if we do what needs to be done now.

that allow us to be great. if we remember the american dream and the greatness of america was not an accident. it didn't happen on its own. america is a special country because the people who were here before us, in each generation, they did what needed to be done. and now the time has come for this generation to do its part. and if you make me president, we will do our part. >> you have been listening to senator marco rubio at a rally in tampa, talking about his optimism for the future, sort of rising above the fray of the current political climate which has been, in his words earlier this afternoon, ugly and full of hatred among republican candidates. he says he wants to return to the principles of the american dream. we're going to check with our reporter, candace mccowan for analysis coming up tonight at six.

guidelines when it comes to body cameras. there is a bill on the way to the governor's desk that would make sure everyone is on the same page. capitol bureau reporter, matt galka has more. >> reporter: when the family of corey jones, a man killed by a plain clothes police officer while waiting for a tow truck came in the capitol last month, they wanted the governor to hear them clearly. police departments need body camera rules. >> help me pass this law. you know for my son but other sons and daughters. >> reporter: a month later, the governor will decide if police around the state will adhere to new uniform policies. the senate passed a bill monday that sets up guidelines for departments currently using the cameras. jones case was one of the many that supporters used to emphasize the need for the bill. >> senators we have seen around this country, an unfortunate trend of young minority men, both hispanic, african-american

and scenarios where we didn't know what happened. and it could have been that our law enforcement officers were in the right or there could have been civil rights violated. >> reporter: bill supporters say it can work for potential victims and police police departments. >> something that will help exonerate both parties. it's not about whether one side is right or the other. it's about the truth and that's what this bill is about. >> reporter: the bill does not mandate police departments use the technology. palm beach gardens police weren't using them at the time of jones shooting, so the bill wouldn't have been able to help had it already been a law at the time. in tallahassee, matt galka, news channel 8. >> nearly 30 departments around the state have some type of body camera program in place. now, let's check in on an 8 on your side investigation. shannon behnken joining us now with a story she's working on for eleven, and i understand there's a big development in a story you have been covering for a little while.

tampa couple save their home. you may remember rebecca and chris craft. they turned to 8 on your side, they were terrified when they found their house listed for sale on the internet. they had never missed a payment or done business with the bank trying to take their home, and we discovered all of this resulted from something very big that their title company missed. the good news is this couple can stay in their home. title agents tell me this kind of thing happens all the time. coming up at eleven, i have advice for anyone looking to buy a home, and what you can do to make sure it doesn't happen to you. >> it can happen to anyone. it's been a big discussion in thank you shannon. watch tonight at eleven for shannon's full story. the salvation army gave her help when she needed it. >> and thousand she is on the front lines as part of an army of women, hoping and helping others in need. she tells us her story and that's coming up. also ahead, it's national school breakfast week, and the tampa bay lightning are doing their part to promote healthy

we'll tell you about it. temperatures reaching the upper 70s, very close to 80 degrees. we'll easily get past that tomorrow with our southeasterly flow. it's going to be a warm week. that's the bottom line. we'll have those numbers and look ahead to the next rain chance coming up. we'll have that and more coming up, you're watching news channel 8, the station that's

welcome back, multitasking is part of our daily lives. texting while walking. but juggling so many things at once can actually do more harm than good. mary mueller explains -- mary maloney explains.

save time. in most cases it will probably take you longer to finish two or more projects than it would to finish each one separately. experts say that when switching between tasks you're more likely to make mistakes, especially if what you're working on involves a lot of critical thinking. researchers from the university of california say it's not only the physical act of multitasking that can stress you out but also the consequences. bombing an exam or failing to perform at work can lead to depression. multitasking can even asks how much you eat -- affect how much you eat. eating while distracting means you may eat too much quickly. because of that, you might be soon. experts say each task requires a specific mind set, and once you get started, you should commit to the end. i'm mary maloney. a fun event at a brandon

sure children understand just how important breakfast is. education officials joined members of the tampa bay lightning at horace man to promote healthy eating. there's a direct connection between eating breakfast and performing well academically. >> we know they're going to score better with higher levels of concentration, better energy and less disciplinary issues, if they start the day off right, just like our mom says. >> it's national school breakfast week. every morning, hillsborough and pinellas county serve a hundred thousand students school breakfast every day. there is an army of women on the front lines when it community. the list of what the salvation endless. >> our gayle sierens shares the story -- gayle guyardo shares the story of one woman giving back to help our community. >> reporter: it only takes one single change in circumstances to leave someone homeless.

these doors where there's a safe haven, helping people get back on track. >> i think you should get inside this. you did. do you remember crawling in there. >> reporter: memories of a safe place, susan rain and her 6- year-old daughter elizabeth called the salvation army home after a break up left rains and her daughter with no place to live. rains had a job and a small amount of savings until a turn of events left them homeless. >> i kind of resolved myself, time to stay in the car, and i went to a couple places. i ended up driving down florida just praying going i don't know. is this where i'm supposed to be lord, and i remember driving down florida and seeing a salvation army sign on the top of the building. i had not been there, which was this building actually. >> reporter: for nine months, rains and her daughter lived here, rebuilding their lives. a year later, they look back at this place as their rock. >> over the last two to three

flourish more than i ever did in twenty years, the last twenty years of my life. >> reporter: i found an old scrapbook showing the generations of women who have helped our community, including building up this safe house, and now rains is part of that army. >> i'm happy to give back. i mean, to the organization that really helped my younger daughter and i in a tough season of our life regroup. and when we were able to have food and a place to stay, i could work, but i could still save money and look and find a place, find an apartment, and i transitioned out in not only just living but starting to move forward. >> reporter: gayle guyardo, news channel 8. >> and susan rains now has an associates degree, a great job, and plans to continue her education at usf. the women's auxiliary is having a fashion show to raise money and awareness about the work they do. it's at the double tree on cypress.

gayle will be there as the mc, and has put all the information on wfla.com for you. got a few clouds here, of course yesterday i had a lot of sunshine. i did move a few in told. no big deal. dry air aloft remains. partly cloudy skies this evening. 68 degrees. temps are definitely getting warmer through the period. you can see the view from lakewood ranch. 75 degrees. a southeasterly wind. that's the key here. the flow around a big area of high pressure that's helping to hold back anything from moving through here like a cold front is keeping it mice and warm, and as a result it's bringing in a bit of moisture, too. temps in the 80s for the rest of the week. we are definitely heating up through this period. high pressure will block rain from moving through here, and still some uncertainty in the timing but we are expecting the possibility of some showers, the way it looks right now it would be on saturday. jupiter in the night sky here, looking great. visible after 7:00 p.m. overhead around midnight, so we'll check that out in opposition to the sun at this point.

the eastern sky tonight, and then really midnight, should be right over us. spring training, fantastic weather. can you imagine being out at a spring training game this weekend. many of you possibly were. we apparently have some breaking news. let's go back to the news anchors. thanks steve. we want to send it out to nashville where attorneys in the erin andrews video lawsuit are reacting right now to a jury's verdict of $55 million. let's listen in. >> with respect to any issues that may exist and make a decision at that point in time after consultation with our client, whether there will be an appeal. i'm sure that question will be asked. i'll go ahead and answer that. we don't know yet. we have not had a chance to speak with our client, and at this time, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. >> what kind of message do you think this verdict sends to the hotel industry? >> the hotel industry changed as a result of this.

this, and keep in mind, this had never happened before and hasn't happened since. there are all kinds of measures that were undertaken after this was discovered what mr. barrett had done that have been implemented and as a result of that, again, it has not been repeated. >> is this verdict going to scare other hotel chains and operators, do you think, into doing more in regards to security? >> i don't know the answer to that question. hotels, in this case, marriott didn't own this. investors. individuals who take their money and invest in it. not only private investors that may do that, but also people who invest in 401(k)'s and pension plans and put their money there for retirement. the question is what is that going to do for people who want future. question. i would hope not. time.

are you surprised by the outcome, the decision from a jury. >> we're surprised by the outcome, but again, the jury made their decision based upon many factors. we have not had a chance to speak with the jury, and don't know what they considered. but i will say we're disappointed by the outcome. in tennessee, in a state court proceeding, the parties, the attorneys for the parties are able to speak to the jury. they're not obligated to speak back to us. but we would like to understand, you know, the factors they considered, what they did look at, what they evaluated. so we hope to have some information so we can understand that, and understand what we need to evaluate to speak further with our clients. >> what part do you think ms. andrew's testimony played in the decision. >> that's one of the reasons we would like to speak with the jury. >> you asked them not to weigh emotion but to weigh the facts.

again, we have always taken the position, our clients have, that this was a crime and ms. andrews was a victim of a crime. that has not been in dispute. the question here was who did that. we all agreed mr. barrett did that. the question was whether the hotel management company and or the owner of the hotel also involved in the terrible act that mr. barrett committed because of an issue. >> listening there to attorneys for the ownership group of the national marriott vanderbilt university, a jury just a short time ago reaching a verdict, awarding $55 million to erin andrews, who the attorneys admit was a victim back in 2008 when a stalker was allowed to be put in a room right next to her, and subsequently took naked videos of her through a peephole. $55million is the verdictment we're going to have much more on the -- verdict.

on this story coming up at six.

now to what's making headlines across the area. heavy snow wreaked havoc, a powerful storm blanketed the sierra nevada. drivers ran into blustery, white out conditions, forcing officials to close parts of the highway as a result. additional storms are expected to hit the area later this week. a georgia high school

was recorded insulting a teacher. shania hunter has an eye condition that forces her to miss school from time to time. she was trying to catch up ahead of a test when the teacher called her dumb. hunter recorded the exchange on her school issued ipad. >> and i have been around for 37 years, and clearly, you are the dumbest girl that i have ever met. you know what your purpose is going to be? to have sex and have children, because you ain't going to never be smart. >> wow. well, the school district wouldn't say if the teacher was disciplined or not. they responded in part, federal and state law places substantial elements on what a school district can publicly say. news channel 8 at six is up next. >> keith and jenn holloway are here with what we're working on. hulk hogan hoped a reality show would help his relationship with his wife. >> it was covered the first day of testimony, the sex trial, coming up new at six. we're going live to the court on that and the latest on the

and traffic nightmare. more than ten cars involved in a crash, caused an hours long back up on the howard frankland bridge. we'll see how traffic is flowing now. if you're going to say "better ingredients. better pizza." you better deliver. which is why i'm introducing our new papa's quality guarantee: one, absolutely free. pget any large pizza up to 5-toppings pfor just $9.99. online only.

right now on news channel 8 at six. fighting for florida, the message senator marco rubio has tonight for bay area voters. and scammers are getting more high-tech. our 8 on your side warning about new gas pump skimmers. >> and an incredible rescue caught on camera. we are hearing the terrifying moments just before this fishing boat sank on the waters in the gulf of mexico. good evening, i'm kate keith cate. for joining us tonight. >> we're going to begin with following.

in the erin andrews $75 million peephole civil trial. >> jennifer leigh is in the news center with new details. what happened. >> this is what we know at this point. the jury ruled that both michael barrett and the company that owned the nashville marriott where par et recorded a nude video d -- barrett recorded a nude video of andrews are both to blame. >> what amount of damages have you awarded the plaintiff erin andrew. >> 55 million. >> the jury decided that barrett was 51% responsible, and that the company that operated the marriott was 49% responsible. again, that total award was 55 million-dollars. that breaks down to roughly barrett owing andrews $28 million, and the company owing her $26 million. this case, of course, unfolding over the last couple of weeks. some very emotional testimony we heard last week from erin