>> it's 7:00 and the station always on your side is on your schedule. 8 at 7:00 begins now. >> i'm jenn holloway. well new renderings released today showing what the saint pete will look like. there are concerns some of the features originally presented to the city council are not in the new plans. newswschannel8's peter bernard shows us why some items have been moved or defeated. >> reporter: heavy equipment is takeing the old pier down to its bones. here is what it may look like after construction is finished two-and-a-half years from now. >> have there been any downgrades in costs? >> i don't think so. >> reporter: but there are changes like the boat docks originally set to go near the main building. they're gone. the reason? they can't hold the entire

>> that has been the thing they have needed forever. >> reporter: amy may get her boat parking but it may be closer to shore. >> there are subtleties and differences but all of the pieces are there. >> reporter: ground breaking is going to happen next spring. the e project is supposed to be completed by the end of 2018. peter bernard, newschannel8. the tampa bay rays are set to play the cuban national teaeam in a few days. president obama is scheduled to throw out the first pitch, but tickets will not be easy to get. >> reporter: in a few days, mario nunez and his father will be on the trip of a lifetime. they will be in the stadium to watch president obama throw out the first pitch in a baseball game between the rays and the cuban national team. but getting tickets for the

difficult for some. >> yeah. i have had this scheduled. >> reporter: steve rupert has been taking tour groups to cuba more than 20 years. we spoke about the fact the rays an president would soon be coming. >> how difficult has it been to get ticket tickets? >> so far, it has been impossible. >> reporter: rupert has contacts in cuba who are scrambling to get tickets for this game, but they have been impossible to come by. jeff patterson, newschannel8. the jury may begin deciding the hulk hogan sex tape trial as soon as tomorrow. hogan whose legal name is terry bollea is suing the wewebsite for posting a sex tape with him with the ex-wife of bubba the love sponge. closing arguments are expected tomorrow. it is a move in were in

the city of tampa voted to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. chip osowski is live at police headquarters. tpb is behind this? >> reporter: yeah, it basically gives officers here a little bit more latitude if they catch someone with 20 grams of marijuana or less. they can issue a civil citation. but make no mistake. some offenders will still be going to jail. >> marijuana is not a harmless drug. >> reporter: the intent of the ordinance is to help young people who make what they are calling a mistake. >> we have an opportunity to do what is right and what is good. >> reporter: in the past, you were charged with a misdemeanor less. potentially faced jajail timeme or lost your license and certainly a date with the judge. today's city council meeting,

pot is a disservice to users. ellen snellingng is a mother of three and feels there should be a cap on the number of times someone is caught. she used her daughter's struggle with the drug as an example. >> arrest is not the end of the woworld. my daughter was arrested. she went to court, shower activity is doing great today. >> reporter: while a civil citation is similar to a traffic ticket, spokesperson andrea davis says it is not the same. >> marijuana is still illegal. this is just changing the pupunishment for small amounts. you are still subject to the same search. you are still subject to possibly being handcuffed and put in a police car while they determine exactly what has occurred. >> reporter: i spoke with a representative with the state attorney's office. they are waiting to see how this plays out. it could lessen the load in misdemeanor court. >> many times those arrested are facing additional charges.

>> yeah. absolutely. that is not going to change. those people are still going to go to jail. this move does not affect that at all. >> chip osowski, thank you. all right, bacteria warning in effect now for three of our local beaches.s. it was found in the water. this bacteria that is found in sewage runoff can make swimmers sick. the department of health will test the water again monday. a stunning announcement today from sea world. the killer whale shows will be coming to an end and so will the whale breeding programs. they made the announcement that ththis generation of orcas will be the last. they are partnering with the humane society to work against commercial whaling and sea hunts. police officers are warned to serve and protect our communities but they never know what they are going to encounter.

were called in to remove a boa constrictor. animal control was closed overnight so two officers had to come in and save the day and they did. you have to remember here, officers are not trained to do this, but they do impro vise when ever needed. >> i prefer that animal call than some other calls. i would rather have that than a bank robbery. so the snake isn't a big deal. >> yeah right. the snake is likely a former pet and is in the care of animal services. it g goes to prove the officers are committed to doing anything they can to serve others. steve, are you a snake guy? >> not really. i'm not scared by them, but not happy to find them in my yard. i i would rather them be there an not here. >> absolutely.

a very pleasant weather day. no doubt t of out of town guests are enjoying it. we had upper 80s . 75 thisis evening. a few clououds around. same tomorrow momorning. 68 degrees. probably just some patchyhy fog largely because we are e moving in a few clouds here. and tomorrow afternoon, 81 degrees. maybe a few showers possible. we do fall off sunday, monday, and tuesday. with some sunshine. ahead there. and of course, the rain chances weekend. 50% rain chance for saturday. fallining off monday or tuesday. next weweek looks fantastic. we will lolook at the forecast coming up. still ahead.d. >> the oj simpson trial continues to captivate many. but we look at his former manager here in tatampa bay. his thoughts about recent

>> you won't be needing these armchairs anymore at the irs building. why long lines are a thing of the past thanks to an 8 on your side investigation that got results. >> we'll have that and more coming up.

>> it is the story that just won't go away. oj simpson has been in the news a lot lately. now his former manager who lives right here in tampa bay is sharing his thoughts on the recent developments. candace mccowan sat down with norman pardo who has known oj almost two decades. >> reporter: it seems like people can't get enough. >> i can't go to jail. >> it is not going to go away.

story makes the headlines, norman pardo gets a cacall. >> being with him 20 years, they know i know a lot more than anyone else. >> reporter: his perspective is unlike many. . he met oj after the trial in 1999. >> when i first met him i wanted to know what happened.d. >> reporter: he worked to rehab oj's image, but the relationship between the two developed into more. >> people misunderstand what he is. oj is like a child. he really is. he needs somebody to take his hand and guide him. he has always been that way. father figure. >> reporter: he tells me oj's family doesn't enjoy all of this renewed attention. >> they want it to go away. away. they honestly think ifif goes away. >> reporter: candace mccowan, newschannel8. all right, you may want to check your kitchen cabinets.

recalling thousands of cans of tuna.

>> on wall street, the dow w jones was up 155. the s&p gaineded 13. the nasdaq was up 11. within just a few years,

longer be a luxury option on new cars. 20 car manufacturers have agreed to make it standard equipment in nearly all vehicles by year 2022. that is just six years from right now. automatic breaking systems use cameras and radar to predict a crash. apply the brakes when the driver doesn't quickly enough. they call it the most important safety technology that is not already mandatory. nearly half of all rear end crashes could be eliminated or made less severe. check your pantry for bubble bee tuna. 21,000 cases of it are being recalled. it involves five ounce canned chunk tuna in water or vegetable oil produced in february. they believe it could be spoiled or contaminated. well, chipotle want to win you back with millions of free

drop in business following the outbreak of food borne disease. so they will send out 21 million free food coupons. it is also going to offer several buy one get one deals on some of its menu items. it could cost the chain as much as $61 million. if you would like to sell something on ebay, but don't want the hassle of packing or shipping it, here is a solutionon. they are partnering with a service called ship. incertain cities it will send someone to your door in 20 minutes to professionally pack your item and ship it for you. the servicice is free right now, but it will cost $5 a pickup starting at the end of june. maybe you heheard last night. nike is finally giving us something we have wanted ever since baback to the future part 2. self-tieing shoes. we are getting a better look at how they would work. they are the hyper adapapt 1.0

laces. a sensor detects your heels and weight and tightens automatically. then you can use buttons on the size to tighten or loosen them for the perfect fit. they are expected to be available by the holidays this year, but only to nike plus subscribers. no word on the price of the fancy new shoes. we have been staying on top of issues at the irs office in tampa. people who needed help were spspending hours in long lines. 8 on your side pushed the irs to do something about it as newschannel8's melissa moreno explains we are seeing results. >> reporter: what a difference a couple of weeks can make. at the beginning of the month, the irs office in tampa looked like this. >> this is the last time i came. the line was all the way backck to that time. >> reporter: 8 on your side has been terming you about identity

ononly to get stuck in long lines. after repeated calls from newswschannel8, the irs promised calls were on the way. more staff, and the organizatition began taking people by appointment. we checked back in to see if anything changed. >> i expected the line to be all the way around the cornrner. usually. usually it is. >> reporter: that's right. no lines in sight, but there are still headaches. >> i might have to come back and make an appointment just to get my w-2 form. >> reporter: many people didn't know they had to set up appointments. andrea mallard arrives two hours before the office even opened prepared to wait. >> brought everything i need today sit here all day. >> reporter: she lucked out and got an appointment by call. >> i was able to come right in and go into the appointment. >> reporter: those who did schedule an appointment were pleased with the change. >> reporter: i think it is much easier. rather than standing outside in lines, i have kid withs me.

an appointment to see just how long the wait would be after being on hold for about 10 minutes, i was told the first available appointment would be next wedndnesday. in tampa, melissa moreno, newschannel8. >> if you need the number to schedule an appointment, we have it listed on our website, wfla.com. >> reporter: chicago is celebrating saint patrick's day. this is what it takes to turn the chicago river green. we will see this in tampa during the mayor's river of green celebration. fantastic to check out. it has become a tradition in the downtown tampa area. 73 degrees at frenchy's. what a gorgeous view. look at the people here.

on clearwatater beach at the moment. 83% humidity. high for this time of year. 76 degrees. winds are calm. location. got to love spring baseball training. clearwater, tampa, all games. temperatures in the 70s . a few extra clouds tomorrow. mostly 70s this evening. rain chances creep in a little bit as we get into the early part of the day. fairly low numbers there at 10%. 77 degrees macdill. 75 new port richchey. still 80s , mid 80s out in sebring at the moment. bartow was warm also. 82. generally cooler at crystal river. the dew points have been higher, too. 70 degrees is pretty high for this time of year.

the boundary. the cold front to the north of us, stationary front. that is where most of the shower activity is located at the moment moving west to east across the area. most of this is drdried up. you can see for citrus county. maybe folk ins the northern part of citrus saw a few brief showers but they are basicalllly gone now. forecast tomorrow morning includes a slight possibility of fog with quite a few clouds around. a couple of late day showowers. extra clouds but increasing rain chances. sunday, high temperature of ... 73 degrees with the rain chance 30%. a little cooler monday and tuesday. you can see beautiful days here next week, monday, tuesday, wednesday, with lower humidity. we will start out actually kind of cool this time of year. it will warm nicely in the afternoon and by midweek, we are e back in the 80s again. >> nice looking forecast. >> beautiful. got to remindnd everybody that chemicalals they are puting in the water are environmentally friendly. >> goes without saying.

we'll be right back. >> plus, here is what you will see tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. >> i'm gene ramirez. this year, the home of the tigers jesuit high school is playing host to the special olympics of hillsborough county. ly show you why this has a special meaning for the students and a tradition they have with their dads. >> plus, weather and traffic on

>> one lucky bride's outfit is really going to pop on her wedding day. a boutique in oregon has desisigned a dress made out of bubble wrap. the boutique itself is famous for unusual wedding dress displays in the front window. previously, it made dresses out of playing cards, candy, maps,

univerersity of ohio. a pet fox who giggles on command is laughing all the way to the social media bank. this is a vine video that has been shared 35 million time ins three days. in the world of grumumpy cat, screaming goats s and horses wearing suits, the numbers are nothing g to laugh at. finally, it was an unforgettable experience for customers or a charter boat expetition. they weighed in an 823-pound marlin off the coast of honolulu. two families were on board the playing hooky charter boat. . it took six hours to reel it in. they are going home with a big fish tale. >> nice this evening though. jenn, tempmperatures will be in the 70s but some 80s still out there. look at the e sunset.

we might as well enjoy it live on tv. >> we will have to look out the wiwindow. thanks a lot for enjoying us. you can get news any time from our newschannel8 app. marcia clark on her rumored romance witith chris darden. >> did the o.j. simpson prosecutors really sneak away from the trial for a lovers weekend? now on "extra." >> the undercrcover affair in the trial of the century? >> it seemed like y'all had a relationship. >> ellen grills marcia clark. what she's confessing about her prosecution partner chris darden, who once told "extra" -- >> we went through a lot together. then -- >> i'm at the st. patrick's day parade as bill o'reilly takes heat from megyn kelly. >> how megyn says o'reilly left her hanging during her very

new video, erin andrews leaving kimmel. her first interview since her courtroom victory. >> may i have a million dollars? plus, we're inside the hulk hogan sex tape trial. did his best friend's wife know their x rated romp was being recorded? then kaley cuoco and her wish for bachelor ben and lauren b. >> i thought i was going to make it, so i don't know. what can i say? plusus, she's martha stewart on acid. >> all your accounts have been frozen. >> melissa mccarthy on her crazy new comedy and why she's worried carissa is moving in on her man. >> not in that dress. >> now on "extra," from universal studios hollywood, the entertainment capital of l.a. welcome to "extra." i'm mario lopez. the cast of "the west wing" back together and sounding off on the real race for the white house. that's coming up. also coming up, break out the sequins and fire up the

we're inside dancing rehearsal. but first, the latest episode of "the people versus o.j. simpson" suggests that prosecutors marcia clark and christopher darden were more than just colleagues. today, the real marcia is finally taking on one of the most salacious rumors to come out of the trial. here's jerry. >> they had o.j. simpson in their cross hairs. now as the trial of the century is reinvented as the most buzzed about tv show of the year, their relationship is under a microscocope. >> did y'all make out? >> marcia clark on ellen's witness stand, crososs-examinationed about rumors of a an undercover under the ever co-s relationship with chris darden, resurfacing on "the people versus o.j. simpson." >> this is me. >> in the series that we saw, you almost made out. but in real life, you made outut? area. >> in marcia's book, she said they were closer than lovers. darden telling "extra" only this