your side is on your schedule. 8 at 7:00 begins now. >> good evening. with just one week left before the florida primary, republican presidential candidate marco rubio is back campaigning in the bay area tonight. mary mcguire joins us live from sarasota where rubio rallied supporters at dolphin aviation and it was a packed house. >> reporter: yeah it certainly was. good evening to you jenn. more than 150 delegates are up for grabs today in states like mississippi, michigan, idaho, and hawaii. but marco rubio decided to focus his efforts here in his home state of florida and the 99 delegates up for grabs next tuesday. speaking with supporters here in sarasota, he said he was the only candidate that had a chance of beating donald trump in florida. if rubio does take the 99 delegates here, it could completely turn the tide and give rubio some serious momentum in this race. if not, it could effectively

he knows it's an uphill battle and how important the florida primary is to his campaign. >> florida awards the delegates all at once to the state. we think this is the best use of our resources. the winner of the florida nominee. >> reporter: now coming into today, trump was leading the pack with 384 delegates followed by ted cruz with 300 and marco rubio with 159. i'm mary mcguire, newschannel8. democratic presidential candidates hillary clinton and bernie sanders are both planning campaign stops in tampa this week. the sanders campaign announced today he will hold a rally thursday at the florida state fairgrounds. clinton will also be in tampa on thursday. she will be talking to supporters at the ritz. florida's primary coming up on march 15. early voting is going on right now.

need to know on wfla.com. a sex tape is the focus in a saint petersburg courtroom this week. terry bollea is suing gawker for publishing a portion of the tape. gawker attorneys claim home buyers was not exactly shy talking about it. >> how are you feeling today terry? >> i need a cup of coffee. >> reporter: for the second day, terry bollea went back to the witness stand to talk about the impact a sex tape had on his life. they repeatedly asked him why he didn't stop howard stern from asking about the sex tape. >> i was on an entertainment show and i had to be an entertainer. >> reporter: as hulk hogan, he

he says as the character, heaven gives up his privacy, but for his privacy, he draws the line at home. >> for privacy at home, i'm not hulk hogan. when i'm home, i'm terry bollea and nobody invades my privacy in my own home. >> reporter: gawker maintains they have a right to publish it because hogan is such a public figure. jeff patterson, newschannel8. the $55 million verdict in the erin andrews peephole trial is sparking a lot of conversation. in particular, about hotel room safety. newschannel8's jamel lanee spoke to bay area hotel guests about the type of security measures they hope to see in the wake of the case. >> reporter: linda is in tampa on business from new york. her constant traveling keeps her in a hotel. >> as a preferred member, a lot of the hotels, i kind of leverage that to make sure i'm in a secure part of the hotel

>> reporter: for her, the erin andrews trial was an eye opener it. >> it makes you think of the possibility of what can happen. >> reporter: not only does she consider her safety, but the safety of her lieutenants who she is responsible for booking rooms for. guest satisfaction is a top priority. >> we have to now retrain our employees employees to know this is the one time it is okay to say no to a guest. >> reporter: jamel lanee, newschannel8. florida lawmakers are working to protect people from thieves using skimmers. a bill headed to governor rick scott's desk increases penalty for stealing credit card informations and putting security devices on gas pumps. >> this bill cracks down on criminals by increasing the penalties in trafficking and

as well as putting a little bit of it on the operators and the owners of fuel stations. >> the bill also gives police more power to make arrests for skimming and increases the penalties associated with that crime. tampa marijuana entrepreneurs got into the shark tank to pitch their wears and services. the marijuana show filmed auditions for people competing with cannabis related products and services. to make it on the show, contestants have to show their idea is worth the investment. he seems committed to the cause. >> yep. is that an outfit? >> i think he looks like that in real life. >> yeah, well, that will turn a few heads. >> it definitely will. now what else will? >> the weather. >> the awesome weather. >> i knew you were going to bring up the weather. it's brilliant. >> look at that.

it is so nice. >> i'm a little dizzy myself. 80 degrees. the spring breakers are going to love this weather. the water is 65 degrees. a little cool. but on an 80-degree day, if you come down if canada or vermont it is probably feeling pretty good. mostly sunny skies. no rain. this is fantastic spring break weather. 73 degrees. partly cloudy sky. and temperatures are staying warm. low 70s this evening. it will be a very, very comfortable evening. the humidity is not too high. temperatures are pleasant. 62 degrees to start the day. a lot of sunshine in the afternoon. 82 degrees with some clouds building and above normal temperatures for us. we talked about this warming trend. it is very much in place now. brian was out today, our own bryan bennett getting a shot at honeymoon bay. up ahead, we will take a look

still ahead on 8 at 7:00. >> this woman's for profit company manages four charter schools that have become financial disasters. see what happens when we hold her accountable. >> the new home for the atlanta braves spring baseball training facility is what could happen on this piece of land. coming up, what locals are saying about the excitement of baseball possibly coming here. >> we'll have that and more coming up. you're watching newschannel8. the station that is all on your

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: love your pizza, or get another one, absolutely free. pget any large pizza up to 5-toppings pfor just $9.99. online only. at papajohns.com >> in sarasota county, the buzz is all about baseball. the atlanta brays are considering moving their spring training facility from the disney complex in orlando to north port. peter bernard shows us where

>> reporter: the atlanta braves have called the wide world of sports facility in disney world their training grounds for 20 years but with other teams leaving central florida, the braves are in preliminary talks to build a stadium on this plot of land near the west villages community. >> is baseball a good fit? >> baseball is is a great fit. it is perfect for the community because it involves people of all ages. baseball, especially the braves, are known for giving back to the community. it really enhances the lifestyle. >> reporter: the area for the proposed braves training facility is booming with houses sprouting up on both sides of the tamiami trail. >> we are excited about the opportunity and the possibilities. there is some work that remain to be done. so we will see how far it takes us. >> reporter: it is still very early in the process and other cities are vying for the chance to have the braves move in.

up and running by spring of 2018. peter bernard, newschannel8. >> preliminary information about financing the new stadium includes selling bonds, leasing it back to braves and applying for a state grant. coming up, 8 on your sidetracked down the woman in charge of mismanaging thousands of dollars in charter schools in pinellas county to demand answers. >> also, a father daughter

>> on wall street today, the dow ended the day down 109 points. the s&p lost 22. the nasdaq dropped 59. an 8 on your side consumer alert. the makers of go go squeeze are recalling certain pouches of their nonorganic apple sauce due to contamination. they are looking at december 4, 2015 and march 4, 2017 expiration dates. no illnesses have been reported. you can go to their website to fill out a replacement videotaper. banks are hoping your mobile phone can help with credit card fraud.

make sure the charges to your card are legit. it will track when the card is not in your possession. it would be offered on an opt in basis and they would use it for security, and not marketing. facebook users, are you ready for football? the social media giant is in the mix to live stream nfl games games later this year. they are bidding to live stream thursday night football games. other leaders are said to be interested. it is not clear how much a company will have to pay the nfl to live stream those football games. to celebrate its 100th birthday this week, bmw has rolled out a self-driving concept car it believes represents the future of mobility. check this thing out. the bmw vision next 100 offers a choice of driver controlled or vehicle controlled operations. in driver mode, it indicates ideal speed and driver line. in autonomous mode, the

driver and front seat passenger can turn and face each other or even face those in the rear seats. jet blue wants to help fulfill your dreams of becoming a pilot. they are taking applications for 22 spots in anaviation program. it costs $125,000 and takes four years. stories to share with you. can you see this little pooch in peru. watch as a man tries to wade to a raging river to get the dog. he gets swept past the pooch. a man on an inner tube has better luck. but the dog seems a little apprehensive. frightened. finally the dog is tied to a rope and pulled to safety. in utah, days of dogged

watch as crews pluck a stranded pup from icy waters near salt lake city. it was one of many rescue attempts as crews try today reach the dog. it repeatedly ran away from rescuers over several days. now that dog is safe and sound and especially dry. the company that manages financially disstressed charter schools in pinellas county is giving up and handing over windsor prep and other school to alliance education services. investigative reporter mark douglas caught up with new point's president hours before the announcement. >> ms. quinnlin, mark douglas, newschannel8. >> reporter: school parents, the pinellas school district and the department of education are all demanding answers. everyone wants to know how quinnlan's for profit company,

manages millions of taxpayer dollars at four charter schools in pinellas county. one of those schools has a million dollars deficit and $300,000 in unexplained consulting fees. >> how did you ring up a million dollars deficit at windsor prep? to now. >> reporter: two dozen parents sent e-mails to the volunteer school board and aileen demanding the removal of new point as the school's management company. quinnlan spent several hours meeting in a clearwater restaurant with members of her team but had little to share with us when the meeting ended. >> reporter: a lot of parents say your company has to go. >> you will be getting a press release later today. >> reporter: they have a history of troubled charter schools but she didn't want to talk about that either. >> your website says transparency matters. wouldn't this be a great time

>> don't you think parents deserve answers? >> yes. and parents will be getting a letter later today. >> reporter: mark douglas, newschannel8. >> we are still waiting on that press release. but parents did receive this letter today announcing that new point is handing over management of the schools to a nonprofit organization called alliance education services. well, jupiter is quite bright in the eastern sky after 9:00 p.m. if you want to check it out. visible after sunset tonight. so looking good. 71 degrees at 8:00 p.m. 68 degrees at 10:00 p.m. temperatures all the way through the overnight period are mild because we bringing back moisture. some humidity. overnight low temperatures are a little warmer overall. a lot of sunshine. a few clouds in the afternoon. 81 degrees. perhaps a little bit warmer than that tomorrow.

same number in venice. 74 bradenton. lakeland, 73. high pressure is our big feature. look at the difference in texas and florida right now. high pressure is our dominant feature. but back to the west, we see the thunderstorms very active across texas and the rain continue to lift all the way into louisiana into arkansas. all the way up to missouri. and when you see areas of low pressure develop like this and the strong ridge holding everything back to the west, they will continue do see it probably for the rest of the week. but in the meantime, we are seeing a nice southeasterly wind. these are the two features here. you can see low pressure to the west. high pressure here. we are following the lines of equal pressure that indicate a flow coming from the direction of the south or southeast. that's a very warm flow for us. that is why it feels a little warmer. but these evenings are fantastic. we are talking low 70s this evening. hope you can get outside and enjoy this. take a walk. warm start to the day thursday. 64 degrees, mostly sunny skies.

eventually this low will pass to the northeast giving us is a rain chance. a little more heavily weighted into sunday. possibly later saturday. the pollen forecast is very high. wednesdays, thursday, friday, oak, juniper, nettle the primary offenders here. clouds will linger. comfortable temperatures with the southeast wind at 5 to 10 miles an hour. 62 degrees our forecast low temperature. that is above norral this time of year. no surprise because we brought the milder air in from the southeast and lifted our humidity a little bit. 82 degrees in the afternoon. breezy winds will develop. very warm for march with a southeast wind at 10 to 15 miles an hour. next three days, testifies in the 80s . 82, 84, 82. you can see into the weekend, that is when we will add a slight rain chance as we get into saturday. the second half of saturday into sunday. high temperature of 80 degrees for that day. probably a few more clouds around. a chance of on and off showers. temps don't change much behind

70s in the early part of next week. yes, it will stay warm which is great news as we talked about. this is about the time of year we get into mid march where it is kind of the peak of the rush of everything coming forward to warm up. >> low 80s , 5070s , that is like, really good stuff. it gets plenty hot later so this is actually nice. >> this is a really nice play to be. april warms up. may, we really get there. >> don't ruin it. it is nice. >> very high humidity. >> should have quit while you were ahead. we'll be right back. >> really bad hair. >> aisle be back. >> plus, here is what you will see tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. >> a new study says more and more young people are moving into the downtown area of cities all over the country. i'll show you what is causing this big boom. >> plus, weather and traffic on

>> we have breaking news to tell you about now. eagle 8hd is over a fire in a restaurant in pinellas park. businesses around the cozy corner have been evacuated. >> reporter: let's push in real close. this is the cozy corner restaurant and earlier, a fire broke out. a lot of smoke. you can see it is still an active scene. plenty of firefighters on scene. they did like you said evacuate the buildings. the good news is a lot of the smoke has dispated and most of the fire is out. however, crews are still on scene as i pull back wide. it's still an active scene. the businesses are still evacuated so avoid the area

>> we will update that story on wfla.com and here on newschannel8. >> we will be back at 11:00. have a great night. me tv pilot she hosted after her own hotel nightmare. plus, the breakdown on erin's courtroom win. >> how much of the $55 million she'll actually see. >> and reaction to the verdict from the new "dancing" cast just revealed today. >> i'm glad that justice is coming her way. padma lakshmi's recipe for scandal. >> i'm human. i have made some mistakes. >> inside her saucy new tell-all from her sex-starved marriage, to her who's the daddy mystery. did kanye hijack kim's instagram? >> her outrageous new tweet today slamming her critics and boasting about cashing an $80 million check.

sarah paulsen's new confession about getting hammered with the real o.j. prosecutor. >> it was really fun. it was like the mole kept moving all over her face. >> now, on "extra" from universal studios hollywood, the entertainment capital of l.a. hey, everyone. welcome to "extra." i'm mario lopez. coming up, we've got the new "dancing with the stars" cast. and who says they can't wait to totally strip down? also coming up, mario, ellen's hilarious new spoof about donald trump's hands. but first, erin andrews, big victory in court. what most people don't know is after the hotel incident made headlines, erin actually hosted a pilot for a crime show and only we have it. >> this is the lost video of her crusade to help others. >> i'll help bring a voice to the nameless victims of crime and champion their journey to get justice. >> a tv pilot taped after the

made headlines. >> we'll have every major crime covered. >> after she vowed to us -- >> i'm not finished yet raising awareness. >> now, "extra" breaks news, the stunning $55 million verdict. >> 12-0. >> victory and a tearful vindication for andrews from the jury. >> 55 million, correct? >> but today, the report she may not see all of that jaw-dropping front page making judgment, maybe as little as $6 million. her confessed stalker most likely not able to pay his share and marriott may appeal. >> when she does finally get money, she has to pay taxes and her attorneys. whatever is left, she'll get. >> i know the criminal justice system is only an insider camp. >> how long before this ends up getting quietly settled? >> that's the other option. they say let's come to an agreement on an amount ourselves and be done with it.