right now on news channel 8 at 5:30 pm: >> a major win for uber and lyft drivers. the temporary agreement reached today allowing the companies to operate legally. >> i'm josh benson. thanks for being with us tonight. you can now legally take a ride from an uber or lyft driver. the county commission voted on a temporary agreement to allow the companies to operate. jeff patterson joins us to tell us what they did to get this done.>> reporter: good evening. this agreement calls for stricter background checks, vehicle inspections, and insurance for drivers but clearly the cab companies are

for two years, uber and lyft have been operating in hillsborough county but drivers have been ticketed for doing so. wednesday, the public transportation committee voted on a temporary operating agreement that would allow the ridesharing services to finally operate legally. >> i wanted you to vote against it. >> reporter: the vote came over the strong objection over local cab companies work >> we should not be rewording those that are already breaking the law. >> reporter: chairman victor crist hindered -- hammered out right now. >> reporter: saying for too long the ptc has been controlled by the cab companies.>> it has been used to keep the door closed for innovation, new businesses, and opportunities. >> reporter: commissioner ken hagan cast the deciding vote. >> the public is overwhelming -- overwhelmingly supportive as a my. >> reporter: uber believes a

>> i'm hoping that our legislature will provide the adult leadership that has been so sorely lacking here and will do what 30 other states have done and create a permanent home for ridesharing in florida. >> reporter: after the meeting, we wanted to know if cab companies intend to sue to prevent the agreement from going forward. they didn't want to talk. >> we have already said everything we needed to say. >> reporter: we really had a couple of questions for the managers of yellow cab and united cab, but they did the vehicle inspections, there will be a grace period for that, but finally uber and lyft will be legal in harris -- in hillsborough county. >> and hillsborough county was the last in the bay area to make it illegal. is it now legal in all of the state of florida? no, you can't get an uber driver in key west. has a matter of fact, they arrest drivers down there. they really have thought that.

like to see a statewide law. >> thank you. florida voters overwhelmingly showing support for medical marijuana. amendment 2 past with 72% of the vote. this expanse medical access to marijuana the on the limited therapeutic uses allowed under florida law. someone we didn't hear from last night was attorney john morgan. he has led the charge for medical marijuana and today he spoke about the win for the first time. >> reporter: local attorney john morgan spoke here in his mock courtroom about what he considers a major victory. the question now, is what's next? >> [ applause ] >> 70% is unheard of. >> reporter: florida voters making it clear. >> there is a world out there in florida. we have to make 400,000 to 500,000 really really sick

day one. >> reporter: john morgan spent $8 million of his own money to lead the charge, saying his dad and brother could have benefited. >> when it's personal to you and when you get to see it, and you want to do something to honor him -- >> i want my son to have options. >> reporter: roz mccarthy celebrated wanted passed. her son has sickle cell, a chronic blood disorder. >> it's too much. at max amount for periods of time. >> reporter: she hopes medical marijuana quality-of-life. >> reporter: now it's up to the legislature. >> when 70% of the state of florida says we want something, i believe if they don't hear it, if they do play games again, i think they can suffer at the ballot box. >> reporter: this isn't going to happen overnight. the state still has to draft rules and then it will take a year for implementation. we could see this in 2018. in orlando, melissa marino news

president obama called president-elect trump to congratulate him on the win and invite him for a meeting tomorrow to talk about plans for a smooth transition of power. meanwhile, governor rick scott and pam bondi both played key roles in helping president- elect trump when florida. now, both could be poised to play key roles in washington. we sent mike russell and in for a closer look at this situation. >> reporter: pam bondi endorsed donald trump the day before florida's primary rick scott followed through the day after. scott also ran the rebuild america now pack. he spent $20 million in key battleground states to help trump. >> hillary's priorities are not your priorities. >> reporter: he could likely have any job he wants in dc but says he is counting the days he has left as governor. >> there is a rumor you would be offered health and human

and human services secretary. would you take it? >> no. i ran hard to get this job twice. both hard-fought races. i believe in this state. we have the opportunity to get our people jobs, improve education. >> reporter: scott is widely accepted -- expected to seek a senate seat. >> we asked scott if monty could have a place in a trump administration. >> if i was president-elect trump, that's somebody would look at. >> reporter: melissa stone is one of scott's could win a third term without term limits. >> they want the economy to grow. they want jobs to be added. that has been governor scott's singular mission and also a focus for donald trump. >> reporter: but in washington or not, trump is not likely to forget what scott and bondi did. >> reporter: mike russell and the news channel 8. mike scott reached out to pam bondi.

night. austin harrouff has received drug test results at the state attorney's office. those results have not been made public yet after he was found eating at a good couple. the pulse gh the city wants to use $2 million from the land acquisition fund to purchase the site. the deal must be approved by city commissioners. if approved, the state will stay -- of the club will stay as is until they decide what to do. two drivers are back on dry land after a terrifying ordeal on the water just south of the jupiter inlet this morning when rough surf caused their boat to

luckily someone so what happened and called for help. rescue crews found the boaters and brought them back to shore. the family of a boy killed by an alligator at walt disney world is making sure his legacy lives on. lane's family says they hope a foundation will aid hundreds of families in the future. fighting the go with genetics. one part of the florida keys could be taking a scientific method to bettering the virus. monroe county approved a nonbinding referendum that would put genetically modified fsu says it can be effective because it is so precise. >> if you think this will make a frankenstein monster by accident, i don't think people need to worry about that. >> the company breeding the bugs believes they could start testing with the altered mosquitoes in early 2017. misery and medication. two things people who suffer from severe sinus problems are

an 8 on your side look at how it works. plus is helping people breathe easier. an 8 on your side look at how it works. +2 or not to look. game of thrones fans are facing a difficult decision. we will explain coming up. not a lot of sunshine around the sunshine state today. a cold front is pushing through the area and has provided a few light sprinkles. the cold front pushing south though. 2 news for sunshine lovers. we will have that forecast shortly. >> that and more coming up. you are watching news channel 8, the station that is always

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could produce long-lasting results people with recurring issues 14. gene ramirez has a closer look at the procedure. >> reporter: -- >> lots of headaches, difficultly rising. >> reporter: this woman has been suffering sinus infections for as long as she can remember. >> it seems to be a big problem in florida because of the hot, humid climate. things like fungus grow better here.>> reporter: the results, inflamed and clogged medications sometimes only temporarily relieve. doctor mike taber recommends his go to tool, propel. it's a stint that keeps the sinus open after surgery well releasing an anti-inflammatory steroid to the sinus. >> you first bring it and then put in the stint. >> correct. during surgery, we enlarge the

the problem is that those tend to scar shot during the healing process so what the propel stint does is keep them open while somebody is recovering from surgery. >> reporter: the stint eventually dissolves. she had the procedure in august. >> i felt an immediate difference and i feel great still. >> reporter: while not guaranteed to be permanent, the effects can be long-lasting. >> the potential for scar formation has been reduced tremendously so that the opening within stay open. >> i feel great. i can breathe. >> what does that feel like? >> amazing. it's amazing. >> reporter: gene ramirez, news channel 8. sugary drinks could be linked to type ii diabetes according to a new study. researchers at tufts university analyzed more than 1000 middle- aged people and found those that regularly drank sugar sweetened beverages had a 46% higher chance of developing type ii diabetes later in life.

2016 heart walk is just three days away, we are holding a special heart walk funding tomorrow from 4 pm to 6:30 pm. it is our final push to raise even more money for this very important cause. we want to thank some folks like dora for her $20 donation, pat from tampa who mailed in a check for $100 and laura sutton for her $500 donation. thank you for that. and it's not too late to join stacie schaible's team. for more information, head to tran03?/heart walk -- www.wfla.com/heart walk. angelina jolie and brad pitt have come up with a temporary divorce solution. they have signed a legal agreement continuing the previous arrangement for their six children. angelina jolie has custody and the kids continue therapeutic

desperate to find out what happens next are in luck. a reddit post contains a plot summary for the entire upcoming season 7 of the hit abc -- hbo show but bummer news, someone close to one of the actors claims the leaked information is incorrect. you can be the judge. you will have to wait a little longer to see halle berry get her son back in kidnapped. the show has been scheduled next march instead of december leaving just one movie set for wide release the first weekend in december. incarnate, about a boy possessed by a demon. a cold front is pushing through the area so that front will continue to push through the bay area this evening. that's what we are seeing clearing skies -- cloudy skies

pleasant temperatures in the upper 70s throughout the week and lower humidity. that is the view from famous tate. 74 degrees, northeast wind. at innisbrook, overcast but still a great day on the golf course. certainly not too hot. 70 degrees the current chapter with the north wind at 72% relative humidity. at veterans ford, the traffic is streaming out of the downtown tampa area with low 70s at the moment. there is a look at stars & stripes. new port richey with that northwesterlnd shift from the north and northeast and then draw some slightly drier air. a shot from tony of a sunrise in the lakeland area, wishing us a great day. a day temperatures will continue to stay near average throughout this period. a couple of cold fronts and went this one here this weekend but they are not big rain producers, certainly not in thunderstorm or shower at the ready. is the cloudy skies throughout the evening. temperatures in the upper 60s. we are near 70 degrees get a

maybe some early clouds and then as the afternoon goes along, lots of sunshine and 81 degrees. currently 76 degrees at tampa international. we have that west and northwesterly wind. in downtown st. petersburg, 70 degrees with the dew point of 63 degrees and a northwesterly flow. in the atmosphere, the green spots here, basically the higher moisture levels. the thicker clouds are generating a few light showers across northern spots. most of this is just drying up before before it even arrives on the west coast of florida. clearly the clouds are invading our area and they continue to move here from west to east. on the radar, showers continue off the gulf of mexico. very light stuff so don't be surprised if you do see a few raindrops your there. it's not that big of a thing. cold front pushing through the area will help change things a little bit. we haven't been to unreasonable for temperatures but it is a little bit warmer.

the winds out of the north northeast. you can see a few clouds may linger but by the afternoon, lots and lots of sunshine, clear skies and pleasant temperatures in the afternoon. friday, we could see friday morning, clear skies and light winds. cooler temperatures in the 50s. this is getting pretty close to average really looking at the calendar or remembering this time in november. in the afternoon, sunshine, upper 70s. the forecast overnight, 69 degrees with lots of clou rain shower chance. 66 degrees, forecast low at 7:30 pm in the downtown st. pete area. by the afternoon, lots of sunshine, a few leftover clouds but a very nice stretch of weather and then we had this into the weekend. there is a, 81 degrees. rain chances low. friday, saturday, sunday. veterans day by the way, if you are up around national and florida national cemetery, i

friday but at that beautiful place. we've got the heart walk coming up on saturday. pretty good saturday for that. a cool start to the day. the noise starts cool and chilly but waiting in a burning home until more help arrived as what to deputies did when they couldn't lift a disabled man. >> we will hear from deputies who describes the moment they had to make the life or death situation -- decision. >> remember to join us for news channel 8 on great 38 from 8 pm

now to headlines across america. it took firefighters several hours to get massive flames under control. this is a fire at a historic mill in delaware this morning. you can see the flames and smoke shooting into the sky as firefighters worked to put out the fire. thankfully, no one was hurt and

flames. two tennessee deputies put their lives on the line to save a paralyzed man inside a burning home. it all started with a small greece fire but smoke quickly filled the home and shelby county. for people were inside at the time. three were disabled. without thinking, the deputies ran into the building, and stayed in the back bedroom with the paralyzed man in tell firefighters arrived to help. >> we want going to let him stay inside that house follicles burning. >> the caretaker and to others escaped. nobody else was seriously hurt. a sinkhole in pennsylvania keeps growing. it was discovered afternoon. it grew overnight and now a cavern thought to be 60 feet deep has appeared. the new part of the sinkhole threatens a nearby apartment building. residents have been evacuated and there is no result -- word on when they will be able to return. for the first time in six years, general motors is laying off workers. the automaker is cutting 2000 employees in ohio and 800 more in michigan.

positions. the reason, most small car models haven't been doing well because of low gas prices. news channel 8 at 6:00 is coming up next. >> keith and stacie schaible have what we are working on. >> his job was to protect children crossing the street. >> but now i crossing guard is dead. the driver is facing charges. what is being done to help prevent this from happening again. plus, coverage of after the election. how republicans who criticized donald trump know -- must now come together. > -- predicted the winner. how could those polls be wrong, or were they? coming up. a mother at king high school paid for football insurance and nearly 2 years after his injury, she is finally getting paid back. >> those stories plus your news channel 8 forecast and sports with dan lucas coming up on news channel 8, the station

right now on news channel 8 at 6:00: >> donald trump will be our next president . his message, unity. the challenge the republican party faces to come together after a divisive campaign. killed while doing the job he loved. how the community is remembering a beloved crossing guard. after she ug paid for for her son, mark gets results for this single mother. >> thank you for joining us tonight. >> one of the most bitter political battles and u.s. history is over. donald trump will be the 45th president of the united states, defeating hillary clinton by a 1% margin. key states like florida helped lead the republican nominee to the three. in a speech overnight, trump urged the nation to come

bind the wounds of division. >> and with 99% of the vote send tonight, it appears clinton narrowly won the popular vote but lost the electoral college. the former secretary of state delivered her concession speech late this morning. she said we owe trump an open mind and the chance to lead.>> we have seen that our nation is more deeply divided than we thought. but and i always well. and if you do, then we must accept this result and then what to the future. >> this afternoon, president barack obama acknowledged that he and donald trump have significant differences but says his administration is working to make a smooth transition for the president- elect. we have team coverage beginning with candace mccowan live in our tampa new center.