calling a super pill, the warning tonight that you need to hear. >> a wrong-way driver narrowly misses a police cruiser, the tense moments caught on his dashcam. >> before you fork over money to get your car back from a towing company, listen up. we'll show you a loophole that could keep the cash in your pocket. good evening, everyone. i'm josh benson. >> and i'm jennifer leigh. thank you for joining us. now 8 on your side special coverage of president obama's historic visit to cuba. >> it's something many americans and cubans never thought they would e see, the president of the u -- would ever see, the president of the united states sitting down to dinner with the cuban president. that's exactly what happened tonight. tonight cuban president raul castro hosted president obama and the first lady at a havana ball. president obama's first stop this morning was at revolutionary square for a wreath laying ceremony.

memorial to cuba's independence hero jose marte. they be probably one of the most crucial moments of the trip, president obama's visit to the palace of the revolution where he met with the cuban president raul castro behind closed doors. the two discussed a wide range of topics including human rights, easing travel restrictions and the trade embargo that's been in place over 50 years. >> the embargo is going to end. the reason is logic. the reason is that what we did for 50 years did not serve our interests or the interests of the cuban people. >> it is such a compelling and historic time for the two nations, not only for the people who live there, but also for those traveling to the country for the first time. our own keith cate made the journey from tampa to cuba and joins us now from havana with reaction. >> reporter: good evening from a beautiful havana, cuba. it was another historic day for president barack obama, the

that face to face meeting with raul castro, the president of cuba. they were talking over human rights issues, the economic embargo, raul castro saying there's a profound difference between these two countries, no question, and it has to go without saying president obama's charm offensive doesn't work on everyone. some of the streets are wondering why it took so long for the president to make this historic visit. >> why not before, eight years before? why not? when everything have a choice to do? why not? now is too late. >> reporter: this woman sought me out of a cheering crowd to express her frustration. there's concern about what will happen once president obama leaves office. will there be the kind of change in human rights and freedom the people so desperate leister and have now been teased -- desperately desire and now have been teased to expect. erma and chaz mcmullin from brandenton are on their second

they want to take it all in before there's too much change. >> i want to see if the way it was seemed to be frozen in time and that's what i wished to see. >> reporter: a lot of people are saying it's time for change. we need to be americanized, modernized with diplomacy and all this. >> i agree. i don't know if cuba is quite ready for, that but i hope they will be. >> reporter: brian longstreet feels the same, a first time visitor. >> i wanted to get here before it got too americanized. i don't want to see starbucks here. i was doubly excited when i found out the rays would be here and president obama would be here. >> reporter: but like many he couldn't get a texas to the game. this is the beginning -- get a ticket to the game. this is the beginning chris afternooner believes is the beginning of something positive for cuba and baseball. >> i think this potentially could be the start of something great between our country and for the human rights for the people in cuba.

that's why we're excited and i'm not afraid to express that. >> reporter: the hype around something to behold. there's electricity in the streets. it happened time and time again during the president's whirlwind visit. wherever he goes people seem to gather even when there may or may not even be a chance that he'll be seen, but just the thought of it captivates the crowd. 1 woman told me she knows how this particular swell of exuberance began. you're telling me thousands of people lined up because swouned a joke. >> someone made a -- someone made a joke? >> someone made a joke. a couple school kids ran to the theater and started shouting obama, so everybody ran. it was like a mosh pit. >> reporter: of course, not everyone will see the president in person in cuba, but everybody will be able to see the president. tomorrow he will speak and that speech will be broadcast on cuban government run

also the big thing tomorrow, the game between the tampa bay team. it should be a spectacle based far. we look forward to bringing you the highlights in the game and everything else that goes with it. in the meantime reporting from a beautiful and yet windy havana, cuba, i'm keith cate. back to you. >> thank you, keith. as he mentioned, tomorrow the president will start his day by addressing the cuban people in havana. he will then meet with dissidents and civil society leaders, all of this leading up to the finale of his trip. he'll thrown out the first pitch of that historic baseball game between the rays and cuban national team at 2:00 in the afternoon. keith cate will be at the game tomorrow and he will bring us reports on all of the historic developments coming up tomorrow and wednesday as well in all of our newscasts. tonight an 8 on your side warning, a deadly super pill

a lethal mix of xanax and fentanyl and it's killed nine people in a matter of weeks. this super pill is 80 times stronger than more teen. the question is who is making it -- morphine. the question is who is making it and where is it coming from? news channel 8 melanie michael is live from the pinellas county morgue. this stuff is made to look like the real thing. >> reporter: this super pill looks real just like real xanax, but when people take it, they don't go to the hospital. morgue. deadly and deceiving, this secret. handful of them. and you're dead. >> reporter: its lethal contents are cleverly packaged. it looks just like a xanax, but this pill is mixed with a fentanyl. the combination is so potent that it's killing people within minutes. >> you better stop buying this xanax on the street because

there's no other way to put it. >> reporter: recently in pinellas county the biggest problem with people overdosing has been from spice. now undercover cops are searching for this super pill that contains the highly addictive medicine fentanyl. so how strong is this? >> it's 80 to 100 times as strong as morphine and about 40 to 50 times as strong as street heroin. >> reporter: dr. hata has worked at the e.r. at north side hospital in pinellas county 18 years and it's the first time he's ever seen something like this. >> it's easy to get overdosed on a very small dose. >> reporter: talk about a deadly combination, the sheriff is really worried about spring breakers who may be coming down here to visit and not knowing what they're getting if they decide to take something off the streets. >> very dangerous and deadly mistake if they do. mel, we heard a woman overdosed this weekend in dunedin.

hours a woman, yes, you mentioned that, josh, a 25-year- old from dunedin overdosed from this very pin. you can bet undercover cops will be all over this in the coming weeks along with st. pete pd and clearwater beach as well. >> such a beach. you hope people pay attention to this report. thanks. quick thinking by a tampa police officer saved his life and the life of a wrong-way driver on i- 275 over the weekend. dashcam video captured the close call. according to police, 34-year- old aja cancela was behind the wheel that narrowly missed the police officer. the set of headlights came straight for him. nobody was hurt. she faces charges for dui and driving the wrong way. there is still no word what caused a plane to crash at

we know it was lou caporicci, a former combat pilot with decades of flying experience who died and his friend kevin carreno was also on board when it crashed on take offand burst into flames. before the bell rang for the royal rumple the retired wrestler had -- rumble the retired wrestler had more millions to punish gawker for the sex tape. this has gotten awfully interesting, peter. >> reporter: good evening, josh. the good news keeps coming for hulk hogan. on friday a jury awarded him $115 million in this lawsuit against gawker. today they added 25 million more. with his team of attorneys by his side, hulk hogan, real name terry bollea, proclaimed the trial was one that will set a precedent. >> i think we made history and protected a lot of people from

through, so we're excited. >> reporter: hogan insists his wrestling family is supportive. his two week trial netted him $115 million plus $15 million punitive damages from gawker, another 10 million from nick denton and another 100,000 from a gawker editor. den ton believes juror -- denton believes jurors didn't see the whole story. >> we look forward to going to the appeals court where the law will be followed and all the facts known. >> reporter: most of the six jury members ignored requests for an interview, but not salina stevens who tells me the sex tape was the crux of the matter. >> when we actually viewed the video, that changed the game. i mean i went into that deliberation room thinking one way and watching that video sealed it for me. >> reporter: that same juror could not point to anything from gawker's side that helped bolster their argument. >> i believe his privacy was violated and that that's not okay.

this trial could guide future reporting. >> we also have privacy laws and i hope that those will be taken into more consideration when stories are being ran. >> reporter: and that jury is well a we that the verdict, these two verdicts -- is well aware that the verdict, the two verdicts from friday and today, could be thrown out completely by a future court on appeal, but she's hoping that future court does take into consideration what they decided here. >> peter bernard, thank you. having your car towed may feel like one of the worst >> that's right. coming up next our 8 on your side investigation exposes a loophole that gives you the upper hand, not the tow truck companies. >> plus frantic moments after a fire breaks out in a popular disney attraction. we'll show you where. >> it's cool tonight. we probably won't be using that word for a very long time. enjoy chillier air while we have it. frost advisories tonight. we'll talk about that and your forecast looking ahead for the

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can help your company grow at pnc.com/ideas now an 8 on your side investigation, towing trouble. >> several apartment complexes around the bay area are allowing their residents to be targeted of one driver turned to 8 on your side after his car was towed for just forgetting

sticker on his license plate. now local officials are working to beef up the law. in the meantime 8 on your side dug up a little known way to get your car back without forking money over to the tow company. investigator shannon behnken shows us how. >> for tow companies this is a goldmine. you can be towed for anything and there are no warnings, but 8 on your side pushing for change, plus i found a way to fight back. our 8 on your side investigation into shady towing practices hit a nerve. >> you just don't have to go in, pay the money at their mercy. >> we found apartment complexes partnering with towing companies. the newest moneymaker, towing cars with expired tags. russell brown's car was taken even though his registration is good. he just forgot to put his new sticker on. others tell of stolen stickers landing their cars held

fork over hundreds of dollars to get your car back from a tow lot. known florida statute that gives you the upper hand. >> these type of wreck are companies making these type of moneys certainly don't want you to know about it. >> reporter: it's called a mechanic's lien. here's how it works. tow company. take that to your county's clerk of circuit court and post bond for the tow fee. you'll be given a receipt. this will force the company to release your car. then it's up to the court to decide if the tow company is actually entitled to the money. >> sometimes they do get the money. sometimes the person that owns the car gets to keep the money. sometimes it's split somewhere in the middle. >> reporter: if the tow is shady, most companies won't bother showing up to court to plead their case. >> i'm glad you brought it up. >> reporter: city councilman charlie miranda is pushing for a new city ordinance. >> the proprietors would have to put a sign as you come into

have a current tag with a current sticker. >> reporter: in the meantime he urges drivers who feel they were wrongly towed to fight back. city council is expected to vote on the final ordinance next month. >> it's really interesting. so this so-called mechanics lien, is it used very often because i've never heard of it before and can be it used for other disputes? >> it's not used very often because a lot of people have never heard of it. it can be used any time you have a dispute with a mechanic. you take your car in, they charge you more than they say they will, you can use this to help get your car back and maybe not have to pay it. >> and certainly for the towing companies, too, this is a game changer. >> it is. >> thanks, shannon. new video in a chaotic scene at disney's animal kingdom park. parkgoers took this video as they were told to leave the festival of lion king show. you can see the stage area is filled with smoke. luckily everyone got out okay. no word yet what caused that fire.

them. today ceo tim cook unveiled several new products including a smaller iphone and smaller ipad pro. cook also announced they're slashing the price of the apple watch for its first birthday. it will now cost you $299 saving you $50. to see the new gadgets head to our website www.wfla.com. our web team put together a list of all the products you can expect. not that typical in late march to be talking about afro advisory, but that's what -- about a frost advisory, but that's what we have tonight. until 9 a.m. inland areas of citrus and hernando county could see patchy frost because an area of high pressure is moving west settling over the state and give us lighter wind and obviously radiational cooling. areas.

wednesday, by wednesday 80 degrees. all you have to do this time of year is change that wind direction back. the record was 40 degrees in 1906 and that is frigid weather especially this time of year. kathy sent us a beautiful shot of lake jackson in sebring tonight, beautiful sunset especially in highlands county, got quite a few shot from that area today. the rain chances increase thursday because of a southerly flow, but it looks like friday and saturday thanks to an approaching front that will move in and essentially stall and that's an area where showers typically can develop along those boundaries. mostly clear skies, maybe just a few high cloud in the sky today, 46 degrees at 7 a.m., which is kind of cool. 48 degrees at 8 a.m., temps into the 60s tomorrow, back into the 70s by 4 p.m. but overall sunshine and a very nice day. 61 degrees clearwater beach, current temperature 53 in palm harbor, 53 seminole, 54 at

terrace and brandon, 54 in bartow, 51 in inverness. big area of high pressure to our west now, but the flow around that high on the eastern side clockwise motion tends to bring in a northerly flow and a cooler flow for us. as a result, we have those advisories in place. some of these high clouds continue to streak across the sky, kind of a midlevel front as well moving into and south of us now, but generally the upper level flow is fairly fast and a lot of these cloud are made of ice crystals, some midlevel clouds in there, too. bundle up to start the day. probably from out of town they're saying is that guy nuts? no, in florida it's cool for us. high pressure in control and back to our west more of a southerly flow. that will kick in wednesday morning into thursday. thursday may kick off a few slight showers as a result of increased humidity. it will be amazing how quickly we make it feel warm in the state again. back to our west here comes a cold front that will stall out across the area friday and

forecast lows tonight are cool, reaching the 40s in some areas already, could be upper 30s. that's why the frost advisory is in place away from the coast, but could be other spots outside of citrus and hernando. temperatures mid- to low 70s, beautiful day, sunshine, cool start to the day, but when you have a cool start and warm march sunshine in florida, really adds up to gorgeous weather. 46 degrees to start, 72 in the afternoon, a few more clouds around wednesday, slowly returning humidity, much warmer feeling day. 82 degrees thursday and our temperatures into good friday and through the holiday easter weekend, temperatures will stay warm, but the rain chances increase mostly because of that front coming in and stalling along the boundary. areas of low pressure can travel near that. it keeps kind of unsettled through the weekend. not going to rain all weekend, but the chance of showers certainly exist each day. we'll try to zero in as we get closer to those days.

we get closer. coming up next in sports the rays are ready to make history in cuba. >> dan lucas has the emotional homecoming for one rays player three years after leaving the country. >> plus here's what you'll see tomorrow at 6 a.m. >> reporter: one of the top reasons people stop working out is because they get board. i'm going to show you how to

(vo) making the most out of every mile. that's why i got a subaru impreza. love. it's what makes a subaru,

nice meeting you, man. >> how you doing, man? you look very young. >> 21. >> they have a few 21-year-olds in cuba that can play ball as well, but rays pitcher chris archer and teammates enjoyed putting smiles on faces today in havana.

about for the rays. they are major league baseball's ambassadors who will play against the cuban national team tomorrow in a game where the result probably means more to the cuban players, many of them willing to risk their lives to play in america, players like daron verona. tomorrow he will have the biggest at bat of his life. he may have no shot at making the rays opening day roster, but for one day outfielder daron verona is a celebrity. that's because verona returned to his hometown havana, a cuban who left to chase his baseball dream three years ago and in that time verona had not seen his family until late sunday night. and right in the middle of the lobby at the rays team hotel a baseball game took on new meaning. rays manager kevin cash once spoke about the challenges of this trip.

reaction that we saw from the family with daron verona joining his family, i think it made everything worthwhile. 30 minutes after we get to the hotel this turns into a huge positive. everything else is kind of icing on the cake. >> reporter: verona is trying to land a spot in the rays minor league system. he has just three hits during spring training, but not only will he played in a packed stadium, he will be the rays leadoff hitter. cash was talked into bringing verona by a group of rays players including evan longoria who knows the big picture will take shape long after the final out on tuesday. >> i think the one common denominator between the two countries is baseball. the love of baseball is very evident from the time we set foot on the ground. >> josh, you commented during

wouldn't that be something? real quick usf basketball just lost to ucla. so they're out. florida state moving on to the sweet 16, big win for the noles tonight. >> thank you very much. we'll be back with your winning lottery numbers.

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we're checking the forecast tomorrow. >> you might want to bundle up. i'm just giving you a heads up because it's going to be a very cold morning. these are just some forecast lows, upper 30s in some of the northern areas, maybe some patchy frost, lows in the 40s. i had to pause because it's just that dramatic. but 80 degrees by wednesday, who cares? >> now that we've scared you. in our night cap tonight it's a little chilly, but that didn't stop some deer from taking a dip near panama beach. a kayaker flagged down an officer after watching the two deer run into the water and swim away. the officer spotted the deer about 1,000 feet off the beach fighting 2 to 4-foot waves. he gently guided them back to shore.

are just fine now running on the beach like they were before. >> deer surf, perfect. that does it for us. jimmy fallon is next. >> thanks for being with us. have yourself a wonderful

[ cheers and applause ] >> steve: from studio 6b in rockefeller center in the heart