soggy drive home through tampa. we go now to chief meteorologist denis phillips is see how the rest of the evening is looking and when the rain will be ending. >> it's going to be improving. heavy rain across sections of hernando and citrus. but look what is out to the west. there is clearing. it will take a few hours for it to get on through. the heaviest rain for the metro is over. and all we have left now will be a few widely scattered through this evening. by 10:30, 11:00, we begin to clear out. by tomorrow morning, we go from cloudy to clearing skies. so the showers continue until about 9:00. by tomorrow morning, we cool off as we see far more sunshine on saturday. and into the weekend as well. we will take a closer look at that and talk about a big-time warmup on the way coming up in a couple minutes. we will see you shortly, denis. severe winds causing damage in

damage in palm peach county today is consistent with an ef- 0 tornado. a church worker saying she and a colleague were almost sucked out of a door by the wind in delray beach. >> i opened the door for ryan and we were almost sucked out. >> the storm uprooted trees and tore shingles off of a roof there. no word of any injuries. now to a case of road rage caught on camera. a pasco veteran getting called a racial slur before he says the verbal assault took a violent turn. new at 6:00, jacqueline is live to explain why he doesn't believe that enough is being done to address the crime. >> reporter: the road rage incident started about a mile down this road with tailgating.

it ended up all the way down here inside of an on-campus parking garage. >> thank you. thank you for admitting. yep. assault. assault. thank you. >> reporter: this cell phone video shows how an apparent road rage incident ended with a racial slur and as hog claims. >> she hit me. she took it to the next level. >> reporter: he told abc action news he was driving to class tuesday morning when a female driver behind him started tailgating him on state road 52. that's when he started recording. i tapped his brakes but the female driver did not back off and followed him on to campus. >> she was very mean. >> reporter: we are not identifying the student in the video because she is not facing charges. but university officials issued a no contact order between her and hog.

>> reporter: pasco deputies have video taken by school surveillance camera showing hog and the female in the parking deck. you can see the woman making a swiping motion at hog's car, not once but twice but you never see hog getting hit. and hog's camera didn't capture that either because he claims he put up his hands to block the hit. >> if i hit anybody on a campus, would i be walking around? >> reporter: while the state attorney is deciding whether or not to charge the woman with simple battery, hog wants an apology and something else. >> i think she shoulbe excused from the campus until this is taken care of. >> reporter: university officials released a statement saying they take all incidents involving students seriously. while they're independently investigating, they're also cooperating with pasco county sheriffs as they investigate. i tried reaching out to the

heard back for comment. abc action news. >> thank you, jacqueline. pay attention here because police are warning women about this guy. he tried to rape a woman on her own porch. the attack happening near the intersection of east hillsborough avenue around 2:30 in the morn. police believe he was scared off by motion lights and barking dogs. convicted sex offenders who you can open our mobile app right now to share this story and composite sketch with your friends. tonight new numbers are showing the darkishu of human trafficking may be on the rise. the antitrafficking organization saying that 1600 just last year. 24% jumped from 2014. trafficking resource center

it's on the ballot in just a few short months. floridians will vote whether the state can dispense medical marijuana to gravely sick patients. an attorney who has poured millions into this push is telling voters why he is confident it will pass. abc action news reporter carson chambers explains why the presidential election may help. >> people are fighting for their very lives and they're wasting away. >> reporter: the sickest and most injured that's who attorney john morgan says the constitutional amendment on medical marijuana would help. >> this is not let's go have fun. when you have cancer, you're not having fun. >> reporter: morgan who has poured $7 million of his own money into united for care is confident that the amendment will pass in november. in 2014 it barely fell short of approval, needing 60% but only getting 57.6%. >> last time there was language

>> reporter: morgan says closing loopholes has subdued opponents like the attorney general bondy that their campaign is to reach out to seniors not just young voters and a higher turnout during a presidential election can help too. >> what it could do for the amendment itself, it might make it easier to pass because you do have a greater younger person turnout and a little bit more democratic turnout sometimes than usual. that may be what really happens. >> reporter: a vocal opponent in 2014, sheriff judd, at the time president of the sheriffs association. >> it would not surprise me at all if grady judd either sat still or actually came out in favor of this. >> reporter: today a spokesperson says that judd is

you will see ads for the campaign ramping up when absentee ballots start dropping. >> i want to win. >> reporter: carson chambers, abc action news. meanwhile 23 states plus the district of columbia have legalized the use of marijuana for medical use and 16 states like florida have legalized ingredients. >> speaking of marijuana, you're one step closer to avoiding jail time for marijuana possession in st. petersburg. city council moving forward for a possible civil citation program. they are asking the city attorney to draft an ordinance. that ordinance will be looked at again in march before possibly going in front of the full city councilment it would give police the option of giving a ticket instead of arresting them. a clearwater woman facing

tortoise from a pet store. it happened just before christmas on south highland avenue. officers say they just got a tip leading them to nicole perry. they found the tortoise at her home. the tortoise has since been returned to the pet store. sad news tonight in polk county. the youngest elephant at the circus has died. we're told that the 2-year-old asian elephant died from a virus. 26 african elephants have been at the center since 1995. this is the first time that one of them have died from the virus. waste, fraud and abuse. that's what a whistleblower says she saw firsthand at the bay pines v.a. hospital in st. petersburg. adam joins us now with what he has been able to uncover here. adam. when she went -- when she went to work at the v.a., things

when she reported it to her supervisor, she faced retaliation. >> i would go four to six hours a day sitting at my desk surfing the internet. >> reporter: linda says her typical workday at the v.a. hospital involved very little work. >> everybody seemed to be fine with me sitting there, doing nothing. >> reporter: the army veteran spent 15 years fighting for our country and worked at other v.a. hospitals. when she went to work as a lab technician her coworker refused to properly trained her and racked up overtime at taxpayers expense. >> my coworker was getting 200 to $900 every papered in overtime alone. >> while you're surfing the net. >> while i'm surfing the net. >> she was transferred and suspended after reporting the incidents. it led to an investigation that led to a 500-page report.

speaking out tonight at 11:00. >> thank you, adam. now to democracy 2016. donald trump is not backing down from his threat to skip the debate tonight. no word he has changed his mind. trump even continuing his attacks on fox news host megyn kelly today. he tweeted out a photo of her from the gq magazine shoot and referred to her as the became bow asking presidential questions. even if he doesn't show up, we will be holding the candidates responsible for what they say tonight. you can see our exclusive ratings right after the debate on abc action news at 11:00. a kangaroo turned into a bomb. the bizarre isis terror plot just coming to light and its intended target. plus, wrong side of the road. the different law separates businesses just feet apart and

needed to keep them from losing money. and there's a look at our live drive. we're still live and we're still driving. but the question is, will we be a dry drive tomorrow morning?

>> we are hearing that overdose deaths from heroin are down drastically in sarasota county since july. deputies started using devices filled with a drug that helps victims. of these recently. while that's promising news, unfortunately and those who run drug treatment programs say never be afraid to call 911 if overdosed. i don't, and maybe they're dead.

at me but they're alive to be mad at me. >> deputies say florida law helps protect people from low level drug arrests in the event of reporting an overdose. a kangaroo and a bomb, two things part of a shocking plan coming to light in australia. authorities arrested a 19-year- old for his alleged plot to pack a kangaroo with explosives, paint it with an isis symbol and set it loose on australian police officers. the teen ordered to stand trial after pleading not guilty to four terror charges. he and four accomplices were arrested during police raids last april. the controversial plan to allow you to open carry guns in florida cleared the final committee and is head today a vote in front of the full statehouse. the bill would let concealed gun permit owners to carry in a holster. three days ago tampa's mayor, police chief and hillsborough

different rules for different sides of the street. tonight, some polk county businesses say it is costing them money. abc action news reporter ryan raiche tells us about the proposed change that some say chance. >> it's hurt me. noon at sunday was always a sure bet at this bar. line out the door. >> they would be waiting for in toe open on sunday. now they can go elsewhere. >> reporter: that ritual changed ever since the rules changed two months ago. the city of lakeland allows bars and stores to sell beer and wine starting at 7:00 a.m. instead of noon. his bar is just outside of the city limits. >> i'm just a small business person trying to support my family. and this is really hurting me. >> reporter: here is a perfect example of the unequal playing field. we're at the food mart located in the county. it cannot sell alcohol on sunday mornings.

pat's discount beverages across the street in the city limits. luzon is leading the push to get it up to lakeland's level. he went in armed with a petition signed by bar and store owners. new today the county is responding to this plea. on starting a discussion on this issue tomorrow morning during an agenda study session studies. luzon says his sales on sunday are down more than 15% ever since lakeland changed its rules and he promises he's not the only one. >> that ought to tell the commissioners there is overwhelming support for the change. >> reporter: ryan raiche abc action news. breaking developments in a story we have been following all day long, proving it's important to look at the amber alerts on your phones. madison county deputies say it helped two out of state utility workers to spot the missing children from st. pete.

they were found with their mom. they are now safe. now, the most accurate weather team in florida. abc action weather. >> so much rain out there today. just really miserable out there. a couple more hours. >> imagine if you were here for vacation. >> florida, sunshine state. right? >> you look out to the west. >> there it is. >> a little bit. >> i don't believe it. >> there is a little sunshine with all of the clouds. there are still showers off shore. in fact heavy rain off shore. most of it is moving on through. we have had two days pretty unusual two days where you can borderline call it a washout. for us, usually you only use that term once every three or four months. off to the east the heaviest rain has pushed. sebring is picking up the heaviest rain right now. as i mentioned there are a few more showers off shore.

to clear us out. once it does, skies clear overnight and temperatures will drop. the winds are picking up out of the northwest. we're in the mid-60s. winds anywhere from 5 to 15 miles per hour. and that northwesterly wind is the sign that the front has made it through. earlier on today we hit the mid- 60s. we will be in the mid-60s tomorrow but it will feel a whole lot different than today. 63 and rain right now in tampa. 62 and low 60s across most of the area. the wind primarily out of the north and northwest. so we have two waves, right. we have to switch that. as you see, we continue to see one area of rain that comes on through. and then look all of a sudden up north. you get that second area that comes on through. and as we said, that was a significant issue for areas in south florida. in fact so much so that they have for the second day in a row a tornado warning. we have had -- ivan and i were

ef-0 tornadoes in the month of january. that my friends is extremely unusual for florida. unusual for pretty much anyplace except for the plains in the spring time. you take a look at the satellite picture and futurecast. we are clear. things clear out by midnight or so. waking up right through saturday morning to sunshine. gasparilla looks good. you say oh, boy, what is this? cloud cover rolling in? yeah. it's the type that vails the sunshine and gives you a milky look to the sky. you won't see any rain. in fact our next rain chance is not until sometime early next week. more than likely the middle of next week. there's a look at the temperatures across the area. primarily anywhere from the low to mid 60s. low 70s by sunday.

returns by tuesday. hello, folks. i almost fell off the couch when i heard the contract numbers for doug martin. he is due a raise but $7 million a year, you've got to be kidding me. martin is projected to make as much as 6.3 to 7 million a season on a four-year deal. somewhere around $5 million a year base is where i think it will end up with incentives. but doug martin has one thing going for him. that's cutter. he wants him back. as for wide receiver mike evans he has a new best friend at one buc. the emphasis on the latter. as john sabol reports tonight, we can say this much about him. he will bring personality to this staff. >> reporter: when dirk koetter took over as the new head coach, he made it clear, no

would be the one calling the plays. what exactly will the new coach do with the bucs. >> my number one responsibility is to maximize the measurable skill set of our wide receivers. >> reporter: you can bet his first task will be helping mike evans catch the ball. he dropped an nfl leading 11 balls last season. >> repetition. that's all it is. putting yourself in those positions. you look at the routine. that's all you do. and he's a talented young man that i think is ascending. >> reporter: he is no stranger of turning programs around. he turned a team to a 9-win bowl team this season. it starts with coaching and talent and simply having fun. >> i don't know why it has to feel like trudgery. i don't. i want a fight song. isn't a fight song cool? call me a college guy. why can't it be fu ? watch the carolina panthers. that looks fun to me. i want to have fun.

bucs, john sabol, abc action news sports. jake mcgee was traded to the rockies for corey dickerson. we reported that possibility a couple days ago. we're back in a minute and

>> all right. big weekend. gasparilla, the parade, the weather looks good.

>> it will be perfect. >> it's going to be nice. >> we have continuing coverage of today's top stories on abcactionnews.com. here at 11:00.