evacuations in barrier islands in brevard county. you are looking at a live picture. people are heeding the warning and they are making their way out of the islands. we are seeing volunteer evacuations in port saint lucy. >> polk and highland county schools are closed. and more closing information is at the bottom of your screen. jerve is joining us now, though, with the latest on matthew. steve? >> keith, this has winds of 125 miles an hour, so a category 3 hurricane. but it is scheduled to become a category 4 hurricane. we have threats in some of our inland areas primarily wind gusts. hurricane warnings are in place, obviously, for the bahamas. they are now under the effects of hurricane matthew as of 5:00. northwesterly movement at 12

most of tomorrow generally okay around most of the state of florida except for the east coast. inland areas. we could feel effects with banding later in the day. throughout the day friday, starting in the early part of the day. whether or not this storm makes landfall, we are waiting to see. and that could potentially happen. but it would be very close along coastal areas. friday at 2:00 p.m., potentially 130 miles an hour winds. note to the right of the icon, that is where the stronger effects will be. stronger counterclock wise winds on the eastern side. on the western side, tends to be weaker, generally. because it is moving away. but know some of the end land spots, polk county, hardy county. highlands county could see very strong wind gusts. long term. you can see the movement of that, we have warnings in place. tropical storm warning for polk and highlands county. and hardy county. tropical storm watches in place everywhere else along the coastal areas. so know that we will feel effects from this system.

west or a little further to the east. we will continue to monitor that. these forecast tracks will change. >> thank you steve. it is a good time to remind folks you can track hurricane matthew on your smartphone with our storm team 8 weather max app. it is free to download in the app store. time is running out to prepare for the storm. right now, drivers are going to area gas stations to gas up before matthew hits. check out the long lines we found at this gas station in broward county. there are even reports of some stations run ian oliver joins us now live from palm beach shores out on the east coast. and, ian, i know it looks beautiful behind you, but that is not going to last forever. >> reporter: yeah, some big changes on the way. hey, that video you showed there, if you showed palm beach county, you likely would have seen a newschannel8 live truck waiting. it was eerie. it took us four tries to get gas. the first three were completely out of fuel. the fourth had a big line. we waited in it to get gas.

generators, and their vehicles. those preparations though, this is the last several hours to take care of those. we have signs of that going on right at the beach here. you notice the big life guard shack above me is chained to the ground. hurricane sandy tossed this life guard shack from the beach onto the dunes here. residents that are deciding to stay and stick it out do have concerns about their homes. >> the sand dunes behind us were much bigger until hurrican tremendous quantities of our sand dunes. that concerns me the most. the erosion of our shoreline and the sand dunes that protect the ocean from coming to our homes. >> reporter: folks enjoying one last quiet evening here on the beach before conditions go downhill over the course of the day tomorrow. we are hoping that storm will

does indeed start to drift a little closer. >> we have everybody keeping an eye on it including you. ian oliver, live in palm beach shores tonight. people in polk county are stocking up ahead of the storm. we saw plenty of empty shelves at the lake wales wal-mart. bottled water. we heard the governor talking about this. he will be talking shortly. people are taking seriously. >> reporter: absolutely. if you take a look. you will see the room is empty. that is because staff are in a briefing updateing the latest. one of the concerns is mobile homes. people are packing up and heading out. michael shelton is preparing for the worst. he is anchoring his rv. >> these anchors go here. >> reporter: hoping it will stay put if polk county gets

are light. they will turn over. >> reporter: but we won't be around to see if it happens. he is leaving town to stay with family. >> with that kind of wind, if it moves in 30, 40, 50 miles an hour, we are in trouble here in central florida. >> reporter: the area may not be getting a direct hit, but, the entire county is under a tropical storm warning. >> we expect tropicastorm force winds within the next 36 hours. >> reporter: at the polk county emergency operations center. >> i think with the range the winds are looking at. >> reporter: mcnally says a big concern is flying debris. >> it could propel louis objects. make them missile hazards. it can knock down trees. power outages. >> reporter: he also suggests anyone living in mobile homes who do not feel safe to consider coming to a shelter and everyone to be ready for whatever comes our way. >> prepare their homes. prepare their planning just like they would for a hurricane impacting us.

been here all day arranges riding for people who need to go to a special needs shelter. that will open tomorrow. as for as emergency numbers, shelter numbers, also, a list of sandbag locations, that is on our website, wfla.com. keith? >> all right, melissa marino. every preparing right now. thank you live in polk county. and the florida highway patrol is also preparing for hurricane matthew. every single trooper is going to be out working to quickly clear out accident scenes and watch for any erratic construction along i-75 is halted until the storm passes. they don't want anything to hinder traffic as people work to evacuate. >> we are suspending all of our vacation time. a lot of time off to have as many people on the road as possible to assist all of our travelers. >> fhp is sending troopers directly into matthew's path. in the busy aftermath of a storm, they can help when police departments are overwhelmed. and right now, newschannel8

the state. jeff patterson, candace mccowan, peter bernard, and ryan hughes all headed to the east coast to join our meteorologist ian oliver as we bring you in comprehensive live team coverage of hurricane matthew. >> and governor rick scott expected to speak. when hap te on hurricane mahe dollars housing development. >> coming up isn't even done yet. mark is on it. because you paid >> and here is a live look at our 8 on your side call center right now. we are hoping to get you ready for election day. call 1-800-528-0808 right now to get your lexemes answered by

when i was one year old, i was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer on my spinal chord. but i spent my whole life fighting back. so you can imagine what i thought when i saw donald trump say... "i don't know what i said, ah, i don't remember!" that impairs movement of his arms." i don't want a president who makes fun of me. i want a president who inspires me, and that's not donald trump. priorities usa action is responsible for the content of this advertising. after an obscene amount was spent building this controversial courthouse, the state learned the contractor had overspent on framed photos that were never used.

bob buesing profitted from government waste and abuse? now running for senate, buesing wants us to trust him with state spending. you've got to be kidding. >> more than 300 people are facing charges in a massive law enforcement sweep in polk county. arrests range from felons in possession of stolen firearms to drug chargesful all of the suspects combined have more than 2,000 prior arrests. sheriff grady judd believes this shows the criminal justice system needs to change. >> i would suggest to you that the reform we need is to make sure these people stay in prison the first time, or the

the 10th or the 15th time. >> the sheriff's office also arrested an additional 38 people during an undercover retail theft bust. we are helping to make sure your vote counts tonight. the general election will be here in just a matter of weeks now. but are you election ready? 8 on your side is here with help. here is a look at the 8 on your live call center. the i'm visiers of elections from hillsborough, pasco counties are here to take your questions an help you get ready for the big day. all you have to do is pick up the phone and call the toll free number on the screen. the phones will be open until 6:30 tonight. that is just about 20 minutes left to call in with your questions. well, you paid for a housing complex with some serious flaws. >> coming up, mark douglas uncovers more problems with the building that you paid for. >> and, again, a live look at palm beach shores. right now, chief meteorologist

latest on hurricane matthew's track when we come back. ary cli approve this message. i'd look her right in that fat ugly face of hers. she's a slob. she ate like a pig. a person who's flat chested is very hard to be a 10. does she have a good body? no. does she have a fat [expletive]? absolutely. do you treat women with respect?

y251cy yi0y >> taxpayer dollars wasted? not on his watch. mark douglas is making sure your hard-earned money isn't going down the drain because you paid for it. >> tonight, more trouble at the encore development. the crown jewel of the tampa housing authority. a consultant's report obtained by 8 on your side has shown here a number of defects in

rise and mark is on it tonight because you paid for it. this public housing high-rise mark, isn't even finished and we are already talking about problems. >> reporter: that's what the consultants hired from the tampa housing authority told me. this is turning into a very expensive court fight. the high raise has been mired in controversy since june. that was when the tampa housing authority fired the contractor for sub standard work and the design flaws on the problems. taxpayers have reason for concern. because, this high-rise costs $26 million and you paid for it. >> i'm in one of the most taxpayers. i'm concerned. >> reporter: attorney jeff liser specializes in construction law. we asked him to review a new report that details construction defects and leaks in the temple building which is 90% complete. and still open to the elements. >> any time you have water

disaster. because, it can lead to mold, it can lead to a toxics environment. >> reporter: backseat back in august before tropical storm hermine came through, housing authority president jerome ryans to me workers had to remove dry wall and insulation because they were already soaked with summer rains. that indicates there was already damage. >> i'm sure there has been damage. they left the place wide open. so, that is what is going on right now. >> reporter: consultants now cite construction defects starting at the grou intrusion and decay. they claim the roof leaks, waterproofing is missing. expansion joints are missing. no insulation behind exterior walls and one window is mounted upside down. what what went through your mind when you read that? >> to be honest, what went through my mind is that unfortunately, there's a lot of this in florida.

possibly be done and as cheaply as can possibly be done. and this is the result. >> reporter: attorney jeff tells me the cost of litigation alone to sort out who did what could cost hundreds of thousands of dollarsful right now, there are suits and countersuits filed between the housing authority and sil-tech. they have not responded to our calls keith. >> well, you build a new house or something, you expect a little punch. this is just over the top. >> reporter: the bonding authority is responsible and the bank of america community development corporation, the partner in all of this, is picking up the legal fees, but we'll see. >> mark is on it because you pay for it. >> thanks mark. >> you got it. now, max defender 8, the world's most powerful radar and your storm team 8 forecast with chief meteorologist steve jerve. >> and, checking the rain i the radar, our new million watt

few thunderstorms breeze from east to west across the area. that's a live sweep of the area at the moment. most of the heavy shower activity around hayne city. a few lightning fright as well. south of i-4 is where most of the activity is located. what we see is very low topped. a few lightning strikes as i mentioned off in the distance as well. but this is not anywhere near severe levels. a few showers continue to move across the southern part of manatee county. so th well. but that is our life sweep at the moment. you see at lakewood ranch, 88 degrees with a northwest wind at 8 miles an hour. beautiful view. southern part of manatee county. partly cloudy skies at freedom plaza. 88 degrees at sun city center and hillsborough county. a lot of sunshine helping to enhance the thunderstorms. but, a relative stable atmosphere because we have a lot of dry air aloft. that is hyundai new port richey. 86 degrees at the western part

9:00 p.m., 80 degrees, make a lingering shower. potentially a thunderstorm. 76 degrees at 7:00 a.m. we will probably start to see banding features crossing the state later tomorrow. associated with hurricane matthew. especially as we get into friday, that's really the day in dealing with this system. largo, pinellas park, clearwater beach, 84. temple terrace, 85, 86 in dade city and 90 in soar sarasota. winds coming in from the east. we will see more of that the next couple of days becoming more linear, around the western side of this hurricane. the gusts are colored in blue. you might get used to looking at this the next couple of days. as hurricane matthew makes its approach toward the southeast and eventually, the east coast of florida. some of the influence being felt further down to the southeast, perhaps, some showers starting to come off the northern side of it. basically, in the bahamas right

120 miles an hour winds, what will continue to move off to the northwest. you can see that movement, 12 miles an hour. there's the winds. 120 miles an hour making it a major hurricane. a category 3. but, as we have seen, it has been very resilient in land interaction. likely, according to the hurricane center, it will strengthen into a category 4. although, weak at 130 miles an hour. you can't call it weak, but the lower end of category 4. it will be the same throughout the day friday 2:00 a.m. to 2:00 this cone of air meaning that this track can fluctuate. there could be a potential landfall possibly north of here. we will have to watch for that. it is the eye wall. the winds inside the eye wall that are the most intense. we could be on the weaker de of it. but that still means we could see strong wind gusts. that is why the tropical storm warnings are in place. long term thinking today is more of a curvature of a loop taking place. but, take my word for it, these

computer models continue to evolve. very difficult to know long term what the system could do. that's a look at the computer models. we call them the spaghetti models. you can see the familiar northeasterly turn. long term, you can see a lot of loops out here. some caught in the trough moving it off to the northeast. we will see. polk county impacts, tropical storm warning in place. gusts to 40 to 50 miles an hour possible. rain, two to four inches of it. this would be thursday night highlands county. same story. two to four inches of rain. some strong wind gusts there. up to tropical storm force strength. in the evening maybe a few scattered showers. thunderstorms. throughout the day tomorrow, a few lightning strikes as well. probably increasing as we head into friday. we will keep a higher rain chance in the tampa bay area. lit be very different on the east coast. temperatures will stay quite warm. you can see how the air dries out a little bit with the

bit. once the system pasts to the northeast, that will help to draw in drier air and more stable air and we will see much more sunshine and fairly pleasant weather conditions, but we have to get through the next 48 hours. >> it shows you how much things can change. the models have kept going to the west. >> yeah. right. but now, they are kind looping around, but they will change. >> we have been listening to governor rick scott. he has been touring the state. he has been in jacksonville lately. we have a picture we can show you. this area. give us an update on hurricane matthew. he is probably looking at the same track you are. but his plan is to get the word out. evacuate, get out of the storm's path. if you are in the direct hit area of this. it could be a problem. a lot of wind. >> it is good to be proactive on this. a lot of people lived in florida have never dealt with the potential of major hurricanes.

parts of the state focusing on the east coast. >> what you don't want to do is not take the warning. oh, nothing really happens. >> and i have heard him say a lot of times, don't look at the track. we all get so focused on the spaghetti models. >> the next one will be at 11:00. we get an interimmediate advisory, but the big one will be at 11:00. >> so the governor is going to update people. he is sa track. get prepared. just be ready. just in case this is a massive storm. >> it is a 3 at the moment, but it should be a 4 when it makes landfall. >> all of these individuals coming in played a key role. you are looking at people from the national guard. local law enforcement agencies. local fire department emts . you have electrical issues you have to worry about. downed power lines. all things that could go wrong

don't want gouging including gasoline prices or anything else that could be happening. they seem to be setting the stage. >> the local emergency management guys, they train for this all yearlong. so they are prepared for this kind of event when the public is not. >> we will take a quick break while we wait for the governor to arrive. we will be right back with more. what if one of the biggest challenges we face down here... could be solved... simply by looking up there?

what if it was good for consumers, good the economy and good for florida? it's not a "what if." it's "what's next." solar power for the sunshine state. vote yes on amendment 1. for the sun. this is mike's office. if he doesn't show up, he doesn't get paid. too often marco rubio didn't show up and failed us when he did. u've got to show up. you've got to work together. whether it's protecting social security and women's health care or growing the economy, we've got to start solving problems instead of pointing fingers. i am patrick murphy and i approve this message because i'll never stop working for you. >> governor scott giving the

the weekend. that means more ... that means people have less than 24 hours left to prepare, evacuate, and shelter. there are hurricane warnings and watching along the entire east coast of our state. tropical storm watches are now in effect through florida's gulf coast, this is the first time with this hurricane. this is serious. having a plan in place can be the difference between life and death when it comes to of this magnitude. here are the impacts. heavy rain, forecast project 4 to 7 inches in the upper keys, north ward to central florida, could be ten inches in some areas. let's remember, when we have storms like this, we get bands, sometimes, those bands drop way more water than that.

eight feet from sebastian inlet to the florida georgia line. three to five feet from deerfield beach to sebastian inlet. one to two feet. this surge can be deadly. you go back to what we had with the category 1 in the panhandle, we had storm surges as much as ten feet. and when this water comes in, it comes in fast and it goes out fast. please, do not risk going out on the beach and trying to surf. again, this can kill you cannot save you. we are going to have rip currents. we are going to have beach erosion. we have the chance for tornadoes. and, we are going to have hurricane force winds. wind strength is our biggest concern. regardless of the storm directly hitting us or not, the probability of high wind speeds continues to increase as the forecast develops. the probability for hurricane strength winds continues to

quickly change. these are projections. and, it is just a few degree change, could have a dramatic impact on what happens in our state. we have to prepare and assume that we will have a direct hit by this catastrophic hurricane. we are preparing for the wolves, we are hoping for the best. and we cannot take any chances. based on the current forecast, i have now requested president obama to declare an er i have also requested direct federal assistance to meet free landfall critical emergency needs of our communities. nor this includes resources from the federal government including food, water, and tarps. i hope that the president quickly responds. based on the current forecast, the shift is more toward florida, i'm activating an additional 1,000 members of the national guard. that means 1500 members of the national guard are now activated. from my direction, they are

so, they can be deployed immediately. in addition to this, we have over 6,000 members of the national guard ready to deployed if needed. basted on the current forecast, i direct the department of transportation to suspend all tolls. the turn pack, alligator alley. the miami-dade express way authority. this expands my direction from this morning suspension of tolls in counties with evacuation orders. i directed state staff to the deployed to help assist with has water, food, and onse other life saving materials stationed in north and south florida. these resources will be able to be deployed in affected areas immediately. i have directed state office be closed on thursday and friday

east coast. i have directed 45 state parks to be closed. all parks located east of 95, and in the florida keys. this is a dangerous storm. it is never too early too evacuate. if you live in a low-lying area, if you live on a barrier island or the area is prone to flooding, get out. don't wait for an order. get out now. or you will see traffic pick up as more people take this seriously. and we go fr mandatory evacuations. so, if you know you are going to evacuate, don't wait to evacuate. get out now. it could be the decision between life and death. current evacuations palm beach county. voluntary evasion evacuations. broward county. >> you have been listening to governor rick scott. we will continue to monitor

information at 11:00 and 7:00 and 8:00. >> he said this is serious. heed the warnings. we'll have much more. so stay tuned. >> now tonightly news. goodnight. tonight, catastrophic course, as hurricane matthew takes aim at the u.s. new emergency evacuations from florida to the carolinas. millions bracing for a potentially devastating blow. spy secrets stolen. another alarming breach. employed edward snowden accused of taking off with a stash. fire danger, concerns about the replacement phones from samsung after another smoky scare on board a plane. tail of the tape. what donald trump's running made denied on the debate stage. versus what trump actually said. and the price you pay for prescription drugs, a big fight over some of the most popular medicines from everything from arthritis to cancer.