room. the moment that car crash happened and then just a little bit later put an entire extra security. backpacks at home. at a local school today. bay area. but who is hiring? and the new restaurants that you might want to try out. it's 4:00 and that means that the new tampa bay is on. >> right now we are taking a live look out at the streets because it looks like it's shaping up to be another rainy commute just like this morning. >> i tell you what, this morning's was worse. we had torrential downpours.

and we're going to continue to follow on sky way i believe he there. showers continue. but the severe weather threat is over. my goodness, over the last several hours. let's talk about this radar and we will show you where the heaviest rain is right now. impacting our extreme southernmost counties. the storm prediction center has lifted our risk for severe weather and you can see why. pockets of clearer weather across the area here. continue to monitor the rainfall. this is what i was alluding to earlier. significant rainfall tallies about an inch to an inch and a half. that fell in a short amount of time overnight and into the morning. at this time, look at the bulk of the moisture coming in. not as heavy. and the severe weather threat

it really wasn't that high this morning. we talked about that yesterday. certainly it was there as far as a marginal risk. where we did have severe weather, by the way, want to take you down south. this is where the thunderstorms were cranking this morning. on doppler radar, 9:35, you can see tornado warning in effect. and this was rolling through and passing through the turnpike. in fact i believe -- let me walk over to laura here. we have pictures of the damage. this is over by coconut creek. >> look at that. >> it flipped over as a result of twisting winds. winds up to 100 miles per hour. unbelievable damage there. this happening through the early morning hours. we had one injury and obviously cars flipped over. ef-1 tornado there in broward county. >> as you were just talking about, the roofs on different

here, they are trying to clean this up. we were getting pictures from miami. that's where we find one of our reporters right now. he is in the coconut creek area to tell us what it looks like right now. >> reporter: we continue to assess the damage on coconut creek parkway. you can see people trying, some crews trying to get that bus upright. it's on its side right now. it has been moved quite a bit. the top of it completely demolished. we're hearing only one person was injured in all of this. that's incredible considering looking at all of the damage. on the other side of the road, pedestrians are trying to come down the road. there's a utility line. we understand that is probably not a live wire because crews are not guarding it. it also took down major pieces of this chain link fence.

the street light is taken down. i want to show you the damage in the parking lot over here. take a look over there. you can see some of the cars that are on top of each other. you can see one on its side. so it's obvious something came through here. >> and we have both dennis and ivan watching our rain as well as any other developments that we have in this hour. look for those updates coming up. breaking news today. connected to the armed militia standoff in oregon that has been going on for a month now. state and federal authorities urging the people holed up inside the u.s. wildlife refuge building to abandon their protest and give up. it comes after police shot and killed one of the protesters last night and injured one of the leaders. the group was on its way to a community meeting when police pulled them off.

argument. but the bundy ranch claims that the man who died had his hands times. the group took over this wile live refuge 26 days ago in a protest over how much land the federal government owns. >> it is the actions of the group that have led us to where we are today. they had ample opportunity to leave the property. >> eight people have been arrested in all. all facing federal conspiracy charges. also right now an online threat closing some schools and bringing extra security to others all across the country, including right here in the tampa bay area. manatee. an online shooting threat started making the rounds late

would be brought in with a backpack to lincoln middle. district leaders immediately went to police to start investigating. it turns out the exact same threat was circulated to people connected with other schools by the name of lincoln across the country. but manatee county school officials said just to be safe, extra police were brought in and students were asked to leave backpacks and purses at home. >> these days, in light of all that has happened around the country, you know, we can't take any threat lightly. so every threat has to be taken very seriously. >> some parents kept their kids home from school today. police are still trying to figure out where that threat came from. tonight a look at how a man got a gun into a hospital and then killed himself. he was involved in a crash, made the ride in the ambulance all the way to the hospital, was wheeled into the er with that gun on his person.

rosario joins us from the hospital on how this all happened. sarah. >> reporter: well, laura, here is what happened. i'm told that no one checked bill adams for awe gun before bringing him in the ambulance in brooksville. emergency officials say he was high on hydrocodone pills. their first priority was his safety. take a look at exclusive surveillance video that we got of the crash that adams was in. you see adams in a black truck, turning in front of a car on us- 41 at the intersection of powell road. the driver of the jetta gets out and look, people are rushing to help. firefighters responding. got adams safely out of the truck. they tell me they had no reason to believe he had a gun and no one knew that he would later kill himself. but people we spoke to says it

>> there are a lot of people who for one reason or another have licenses to carry. and i don't think you can overlook that. >> reporter: and, again, there are still some serious safety concerns at this hospital tonight and other bay area hospitals. coming up at 5:00, we will tell what you officials are doing to make sure that people are safe and why emergency officials tell me it's not part of their job to check for weapons. we will have more on that tonight at 5:00 p.m. reporting live in brooksville, sarah rosario for the new tampa bay. do you need to get your kids somewhere and don't have time to do it? how about you call a ride sharing service like uber. well, abc action news anchor wendy ryan and our resident mom is here to explain a parent's perspective on this.

>> and we could see the so- called affluenza teen back in the states by the end of today.

been fighting extradition since he was caught in mexico with his mother. now his attorney says he dropped his appeal and ready to face the justice system. couch is accused of violating probation for a deadly drunk driving crash two years ago in texas that killed four people. he avoided scale time with the affluenza defense, that he was too rich and spoiled to understand the consequences of his actions. a story that has us scratching our heads today. we know that uber is a staple. there will be uber for boaters for gasparilla but now wendy ryan is here to explain an uber- like system for kids. >> it sounds risky but it's true. they are being tested right now. mainly out west. the two getting the most attention trying out the service in parts of california. if they are successful, they could to expand to other cities across the country. one of the california start-ups

more than $10 million in new funding. they also hired a former uber general manager. so they are on their way. >> wow. >> crazy, right? >> yeah. >> and the company's co-founder says they are using the service as an alternative to babysitting. >> they are. in fact, parents can schedule rides up to two weeks in advance or just eight hours before if something comes up at work. she's start-ups say every driver has to pass background checks and have experience >> okay. but you wouldn't let a stranger >> right. >> so do you think that people are going to feel comfortable? >> yeah. good point. i don't feel comfortable. it makes me nervous to think my daughter who is only five would be with a stranger getting in a car going to a dance lesson or school or what have you. i'm not comfortable with it. i get that these people have experience with children. there's a trust factor.

is taking care of your child, even if it's just bringing them from point a to point b. i know a lot of moms and dads have the situation where they have to come in early for work or stay late so you're in a situation where a friend or babysitter isn't around and you're in a situation where you have to call someone. i'm not crazy about the idea myself. if my child was older, like a preteen, a lot of people are using uber for the preteenage, but if you are, it is happening. we will continue to follow the story and let you know if the area. it's possible. >> wendy, that's one to watch. thank you. also today more money news. day. the fed announcing this afternoon it is not raising the interest rate again for now. it could come though in march. the news so well. points. especially after the feds said they were worried about global economic growth.

you know that person who is always talking about it or maybe you even have one yourself. newsy explain the tongue in cheek formula to figure out if they're really true. >> reporter: long running global conspiracies are really yes, even your favorite one. a university of oxford scientist has created a formula for just how unlikely they are. it predicts any massive group of conspirators will let the cat out of the bag within a few years. the findings are meant to be somewhat tongue in cheek. a physicist and cancer researcher has dabbled in the lighter side of science for why guitar solos sound so cool. but he is also a science writer and columnist that challenge conspiracy theories, especially

he compared to the nsa surveillance program. those conspiracies were blown open by whistleblowers but it relies on the fact that big groups are bad at keeping secrets. the weakest link in any security system is the human one. the u.s. government launched the don't be this guy campaign. so his formula and common sense don't bode too well for the famous conspiracy theories. he estimates that faking the moon landings would include 4,011 people to be in on the secret. for newsy, i'm lexie remember to watch newsy on your favorite streaming device. we will take a live look outside on i-75 southbound heading towards ellington.

coming down, just in time, ivan, for people getting off of work. >> not good timing. the roads never got dry from the torrential downpours this morning. we will talk about that and give you the forecast as we take you back outside and show you, well, a stormy day out there. no severe weather for us. but we have had our share of significant downpours here. in fact, radar estimating upwards to one to two and a half inches of rainfall with the round we had last night and early again this morning. pockets of heavier showers and storms well down to our south. in fact this includes desoto county. look at the yellow there. beginning to pull into polk county. that will be heavy rain to contend with for the remainder of the afternoon. and we have more where that came from. there is the gulf. we have this plume of moisture that continues to stream in from southwest to northeast. and that basically means for you and me that we're going to continue to get wet through tonight and through tomorrow as well as this boundary has set up here.

until that front moves through. that won't happen until late tomorrow, we are not going to dry out. just expect essentially rounds of heavier bands of rain that will continue to move through. the severe weather threat has been pushed well down to the south. that's where it will remain. for us it will mainly be a rain event. futurecast still depicting the showers as the front pushes in by thursday afternoon. then we are done. look at this, that's nice. clearing out for friday in time for the weekend. shape. temperatures holding steady. we stay in the 60s and upper 60s through tomorrow afternoon. of course we have the extended forecast coming up. but in the next half hour, we're going to go back to south florida. the national weather service is out there surveying that tornado and dennis will give us the latest on that. laura. >> thank you, ivan. we're talking about bernie

president obama today. could he be getting a presidential endorsement. today is the last day to vote for the people's choice burger. bacon bomb, french toast burger, one with ice cream, and then the red neck burger. the link to vote right now is on abcactionnews.com. we're back in just three

>> right now, donald trump campaigning in south carolina. and so far he is still sticking to his guns when it comes to the top debate tomorrow night. he says he won't be there. this because of the ongoing dispute with fox news channel

fox says trump is still welcome to come. but for now the 7 other top polling republicans will square off in des moines without him. in the meantime hillary clinton hosted her get out of the caucus event at adele, iowa. yeah. it's really called that. she continued to align herself with president obama and his policies, including what people call obamacare. >> make no mistake, if they get a republican president, it will be gone in the first weeks. they never tell you what they will put in its place because you know what, they will just go back to the way it was. you have a preexisting condition, you're out of luck.

you're under 26, you don't get to be on your parents' policy. >> and senator bernie sanders met with president obama today. he says the president has been very fair with the democratic candidates by not throwing his full support behind any one of them. >> what the president has tried to do, what vice president biden has tried to do is to be as even-handed as they can be. and i know there was discussion about a political interview where he was tipping the scale toward secretary clinton. i don't believe that at all. >> he had a productive meeting with the president and they discussed everything from politics to domestic policies. it comes as polls show clinton and sanders neck to neck days before the caucuses. do you really love one candidate over the other?

reason why. political science researchers are suggesting the internet are polarizing more voters. it's only a difference of about one or two percent but researchers are saying it's a viewpoints. as you might expect, researchers say we tend to candidates we agree with instead of looking for multiple opinions. those same researchers are now researching the influence social media can have. it exposes us to information that is pushed our way. well, still ahead, exactly how much trash gasparilla generates. what the top two collected items are after the beads. before we go, why did the gator cross the road? i don't know. to freak everybody out.

crazy video out of trinity this morning. drivers had to stop to let the big guy cross the street. thank you to ryan bailey for sending us this awesome video.

>> right now, updating you on that breaking news we were following throughout the hour yesterday here on the new tampa bay. that bus crash scene was unfolding in indianapolis. police saying there was nothing mechanical wrong before the crash. the principal of the school now hailing or being hailed as a hero for pushing two kids out of the way, sacrificing her own life. mike pelton has more on the investigation. >> it's gut wrenching and more of the horrific scenes you will

narrowing in on what caused the school bus to lurch forward on tuesday, striking and killing the principal susan jordan. >> preliminarily it appears it was operator error. >> reporter: impd is leading the investigation and the bus underwent an annual inspection last week and state police found no mechanical problems. they only found body damage as a result of the crash. >> there was no mechanical violations that attributed to the crash. >> we believe this was a tragic operator error that resulted in the death of a beloved community member. it's very unfortunate and it's really too early to determine exactly what happened. >> reporter: impd does not believe any medical issue took place. they don't suspect drugs or alcohol played a role but those tests will take several weeks. >> these buses are lined up to go. they're lined up at a diagonal.

jumped the curb and almost went straight. >> reporter: state police inspected the bus and are looking into the driver, making sure that paper check works out and looking at video from inside the bus to pinpoint specifically what took place. >> it does have a gps system and an engine monitoring device that shows engine rpms and specific engine information. >> by the way, there is also surveillance video from the bus as well as from the school. police are using them in the investigation but say they won't release it to the public because of the graphic nature. well, right now another live look outside. wet roads this afternoon. we had a break this afternoon but it looks like the rain is just in time for the evening commute. >> it certainly is. yes. steady rain. we will have batches of heavier showers as they roll in off of the gulf. you know what else is rolling in off of the gulf, this is something that shea shows you in the morning. this is visibility. but we're showing it to you now

as the numbers here. we're getting reports of one to one and a half miles visibility. the reason for that we will talk about in a second. let's show you one of the fdot cameras. dangerous. you start dropping under a mile and you need to slow down. we have essentially a warm air mass that is rolling through the gulf. remember the water temperatures with all of the cold air are very chilly. as that warm air passes through the water, it condenses and we start getting into a fog situation here. we will watch for that. that's one of our stories. the other is the rainfall because we're not done as we've been talking about here. the rain has continued. again, we have more where it came from here. showers moderate to heavy at times. we will continue in the overnight hours and into tomorrow before our front begins to clear things out. earlier this morning, take a look at some of the thunderstorms that really got going. this is where the severe weather threat was highest. this is in broward county with significant rotation. in fact we now understand that

for that and the latest on what we can expect throughout the season and why this has been so strong across the peninsula, here is denis phillips. >> we saw the el nino coming. now we're getting the miami. they actually physically have to go out to the site and check the damage and determine. what they found on early on is you had an ef-1 tornado, weaker than the tornadoes locally that earlier. they have yet to determine the right now at least one injury. we have video of pretty area. and you can see it right there. i mean, some tree limbs down. kind of thunderstorms. but when you get entire tree that's go down and you look for, again, a circular type of damage, not just what you would

but when you start seeing roofs come off, that can happen with straight line winds, it did a couple weeks ago, but bottom line we will continue to see pictures from down south of the damage. at least at this point in time no fatalities. we just had the report of one injury. and this pattern, southern jetstream really enhances the tornado threat from our area all the way down to south florida. this pattern is not going anywhere. it will be here for the next couple of months in. >> thanks, dennis. most people use them when they get groceries or maybe you get plastic bags when you get take-out. they might be a thing of the past soon. a ban on the bags hand been suggested to protect florida's reeves. the pro measles include not abouting the plastic bags and increase penalties on rephrase violations and hiring more

used to be off shore here. it's decimated over the time. i see lots of plastic wrapped around the coral rephrase. i have seen lots of dead corals due to people kicking it. >> listen, you don't have to be at the meetings in palm beach county for your voice to be heard. we tweeted out a link to the website where you can give your own feedback. all right. speaking of trash making it into our water ways, gasparilla adds to that problem every year. organizers need volunteers to clean up the mess that will be left behind after the invasion. we asked for specific numbers on the amount of garbage left behind, starting with some of the most littered things. what do you think it? the first one we're talking about more than 1600 plastic beads. just everywhere. more than 1100 plastic bottles. we can imagine what was in those. look at this, 942 cigarette butts and cigar tips all just left on the ground.

recycling cans around the parade route this year. they collected 8.8 tons of resigningibles last year. that's cool. there is plenty of work to be done by the volunteers. 1.5 tons of trash was picked up last year. it's the size of an adult rhino. coming up on the new tampa bay, driving high. big problem on the roads. detect. and we're still watching the florida eagle's nest for the last egg to hatch. there's mama sitting on the egg right now. the live stream that 43 million

>> a trooper has been shot after a short police chase. it's on i-75 just outside of atlanta. you see some of that traffic backup at the top of your screen. again, a georgia state patrol trooper has been shot. we are trying to find out what led up to this. we know there was a short chase and then that officer was shot. more details coming up later on.

something that we were showing you yesterday. more than 50 million people have watched this online. it's a live look at the southwest florida eagle cam in fort myers. as we're watching and waiting for the second eaglette to hatch. the mom is still sitting on the egg. the nest has been there since 2006. we watched the bald eagles back in 2014 during nesting season. unfortunately ozzy died back in september after a fight with harriet's current mate. well, as officials in parts of our state worked to decriminalize marijuana, officials in colorado work on a project to stop people from driving while they're high. the colorado state patrol now in the middle of a three-year- long project, testing new devices they hope will accurately tell them whether a driver is high. when troopers arrest a suspect on suspicion of driving high, they give them a blood test and

volunteer in the dui marijuana pilot program. >> every device is different. it can tell you not only about marijuana but the 7 other types impairment. >> so far they have given fewer than 100 tests at this point. they want to collect at least two years' worth of data before all. hackers getting their hands on your money at the atm. coming up, i'll show you the new technology making it possible. plus, what is behind a local restaurant boom and which places will be paying more than $13 an hour for their workers? that's when the new tampa bay

>> right now on the new tampa bay, keeping you updated on the weather and all of that rain we have been getting. our afternoon live camera right now is at i-75 northbound an the ruskin exit. chief meteorologist denis phillips is also standing by in the weather center and he should let us know in the event that he sees any severe weather. but we've got ivan outside right now. ivan, look, the good news is that you didn't have to wear the rain coat because it's dry right now. >> for now. we have the fog to contend with especially on the area bridges. tack a look at the temperatures holding in the 60s. dew points are matching. that's why we have the fog coming in off of the gulf. we will watch that closely on radar. folks, we're not done with the rain. we will continue to rain tonight and hang into tomorrow before the front clears us out.

computer model forecast here. futurecast we call it. there go the rain band that's continue with us as we head through tonight. could pick up another half inch easily, especially across the southernmost county as the rain continues tonight. forecast for overnight temperatures holding steady in the 60s. mainly the same we're going to continue with on and off showers tomorrow. the difference is the severe weather threat will be gone. we had that concern earlier today. it did not materialize for us. thankfully. that was not the case down in southwest florida. the showers will continue. then we clear out as the front moves in. let's take a look at the extended forecast. in time for gasparilla heading into the weekend. friday, we're good. temperatures recovering for the weekend. a cool start. if you're going to get your festivities started early on saturday for gasparilla itself, we are going to be rather cool. we will wake up in the 40s.

afternoon, mid to upper 60s. we will crack 70 by sunday. both weekend days, by the way, looking fantastic. we will have more on early next week and when the next storm system rolls through. dennis will have that in the next hour. >> new developments right now on the zeka virus. president obama wants to develop a vaccine and treatment. right now there are none. we have been telling you about this virus since last week. it is spread by mosquitoes. this is the video you're seeing from the cdc. one local case has been reported. a hillsborough man that traveled to venezuela. while most people won't show symptoms, it can cause berth defects such as babies with abnormally small heads. the cdc extended the travel warning for pregnant women. american and united airlines are offering refunds to people who bought tickets to areas

st. pete is in the process of launching a major effort to city. they pinpointed ten programs that will receive parts of a half million dollar fund. abc action news reporter rodney more. long-term plan. they hope to create job community. all of this in a part of the city that city administrators admit has been long underserved. with every minute spent here, steven greg is building a brighter future for himself. >> when you walk on the josh, you have the knowledge to do the work. >> reporter: greg is a number of trainees learning the basics. the st. pete based led company has created a workforce program aimed to get people in the community back to work. >> it's wonderful and changes

>> reporter: the initiative at l. ma stream is one of those highlighted in the south st. pete community redevelopment plan. millions will eventually be pumped into the poorest neighborhoods. funds will be used to pay for infrastructure improvements and also to develop job training programs. >> the good thing is as you increase the value of a property, it also increases the value of the surrounding properties, which increases tax revenue, that feeds back into it. it becomes a virtuous cycle to speed up the redevelopment of the area. >> reporter: greg believes the initiative will be a major step in changing this community. he looks at himself as a perfect example. >> oh, i lelearned a lot. i learned a lot. and it has helped me stabilize myself. >> reporter: administrators admit it will be a long

but eventually if will pump $70 million back -- it will pump $70 million back into the community. >> has the initial rollout been approved yet. >> reporter: at this point it hasn't. city administrators and city council have a meeting next thursday to vote on this. from what i'm hearing, every city administrator is behind the plan. they believe it will pass. the official vote is next thursday and we will continue to follow this story. >> thank you, rodney. i don't think anyone is surprised by this next research. but the earlier you start using a tanning bed, the more likely you are to get melanoma. researcher at the university of minnesota are seeing more and more women under the age of 50 with melamine a they wanted to figure out why. women who developed the cancer in their 20s, 30s and 40s are more likely to have used tanning beds when they were younger. the same study suggests that risk is actually two or six times greater. the cdc says skin cancer is the

and melanoma rates have doubled from the '80s to 2011, 35% of adults and 60% of college students say they have used a tanning bed at least once in their life. right now more than 40 new restaurants are set to open by spring of this year right here in the tampa bay area, bringing hundreds of jobs with them. post tells us the reason behind the boom and who is hiring. >> reporter: every day, 900 people are moving to florida. a chunk of them to tampa bay. the improving economy, river walk, pier has restaurant owners cashing in. because we all know people need to eat. >> interest rates are low. there's money to spend. people are taking chances again. small businesses are rising. >> reporter: tom golden set his eyes on st. petersburg, opening the lure two weeks ago. he's one of 40 new restaurants

it's a really fun atmosphere. >> reporter: right now he is looking for sushi chefs, a position that pays about 15 bucks an hour. >> pay rate is pretty high. and let's face it, it's more of an art and skill at the same time. >> reporter: also in the area, fresh kitchen and daily eats are expanding, looking to hire 60 servers and cooks. the average pay, $13 an hour. on kennedy in south tampa, opens today. right now they're finalizing the positions they're hiring for. >> we have 40 front of house employees. and that's not counting our kitchen, which we employ close to 30. >> reporter: down the street, drama burger, a gourmet burger joint is popping up. they need a dozen people now. and the list goes on. the recipe for success. >> if you have a good concept and good location and good food and good people. >> reporter: simple enough. and the rise of the foodie

>> christie, thank you. we're going to go back out to the breaking news in atlanta or just outside of atlanta, i should say, in the murrieta area. a trooper has been shot after a short police chase. we are finding out from our affiliate that the suspect was shot as well. we are trying to figure out the trooper's condition. we know he was conscious at the scene. you can see that backup there on the highway. this all happening at rush hour on i-75. one of the main highways in and out of atlanta. well, civil rights and environmental groups want lead pipes out of flip, michigan as they continue to deal with the water crisis there. they filed a lawsuit today trying to get the state to replace all of the pipes. michigan's governor says this might be a long-term option but not an immediate one. >> short term issue is about recoating the pipes. again, that will be based on third party experts saying the

can't drink the water and tests have shown high levels of lead in some children's blood. the state says it could cost up to $55 million to repair the pipes. the lawsuit says people in flint shouldn't have to pay to have them replaced. now, in the meantime the epa is getting ready to collect samples to confirm water filters being used right now are removing that lead. and the website go fund me you hear a lot about is also pitching in, pledging $10,000 right now to the organization that raises the most money. all you have to do is go to our facebook page right now and we have put up a link that you see right there. once you click on that link, pick whatever one you want to pick. there are dozens of these. click on which ever one you want and donate money. which ever raises the most money, go fund me will add $10,000 to that as well. we're talking 100,000 people without clean drinking water right now. so many people have already

people. again, if you want to try that go fund me page, we posted it to our facebook. search the new tampa bay. also right now, having your card compromised at the atm is a real concern with hackers using hidden devices to get their hands on personal information. in fact the better business bureau says we lose $1 billion every year from card skimming. the now's ann mcnamara shows us how it could change. >> reporter: the new technology means instead of using a card at the atm, you can use your smart phone. chase is replacing atms and going card free. they posted video on the website how it will work. instead of using a card, you get your money by typing in a code from a mobile app. atms will also let you use apple pay and samsung pay. another change is how the money comes out.

$20 bills which is frustrating. the new atms will allow you to get new bills like fives and tens. bmo bank has also been trying it out since last year. let's be honest, it's only a matter of time that banks new this technology. as for chase, they expect to install the new atms later this year. >> ann, thank you. what does this mean to the end of bank tellers? well, the company says no. but their role is changing. they will now be there to help mostly with specialized issues and help you try to figure out the new machines. well, right now your chance to win tickets to the daytona international prize pack, and yes that includes to tickets to four different rates, including the daytona 500, this is how it works. listen carefully. you have to do it on a computer, not from your cell phone. go to our facebook page. once you go there, you will

click on that. it will show you the actual way to enter. you put all of your information into there. you have to do it on a computer. all right. here is the question of the day. how many laps does it take to finish the daytona 500? i'm going to give you the right answer because you're watching. it's 200 laps. go. fill it out right now. you can do it on my facebook page or ivan's facebook or the abc action news facebook page. go look. you may win. it may seem like it's a world away but valentine's day is just around the corner. this is the best time to buy a gift for your sweetie to save major cash. the tricks to keep more money in your wallet. >> it's a big deal. >> reporter: people pay big money for love. we're talking $3.3 billion. that's how much americans like and you me are expected to shell out this valentine's day. what if i could show you tricks

the catch, you have until sunday to make your move. >> on the high side, you can save 20%. on the low side, 10%. >> reporter: let's talk flowers. if you order in the month of january, you will pay less money, even if they are delivered in february. >> if you walk in before the 1st of february, you're at the normal rate. you're at the everyday rate. you're still going to get the same flowers but at a better deal. >> reporter: not all companies offer the deal but the majority of florists we called do. as i pedaled my way through downtown cleveland another sweet deal caught my eye. >> we're preparing to make sure that everybody is ready. buy one pound and get a fourth free. >> reporter: you're likely to find sales just for the month of january. we did. so let's summarize and i'll

failing to prepare is preparing to fail. so start planning now so you don't end up here in the dog house. for the now, i'm dominique ricks. >> and i'm laura harris thank you for joining us on the new tampa bay. abc action news at 5:00 starts right now. >> right now, a man taken to the hospital after this crash and then apparently taking his own life with a gun later. tonight why emergency officials say it's not their job to check for weapons. our live drive camera checking out the worst of the rain right now. this is a live look at northbound i-75 in brandon. the main concern for drivers heading out tonight, the fog. good evening and thanks for joining us. i'm wendy ryan. >> and i'm jamison mueller. more rain expected overnight after problems in the morning commute. >> let's go to denis phillips

>> you mentioned both issues. the issues are the fog and the