i've had to bury my feet in the sand to stop me from getting pushed. you can see how choppy this is. we do have daredevils out there on surfboards. for them, this is a fun time. but we saw earlier today how dangerous this can be. at your screen. this is what is left of one of into the gulf. you can see the boom on the boat is broken. when initial calls came in about people being in the water, it was thought there were only two but the number was actually up to four. as we mentioned the sailors were preparing for the regada. i was able to speak with one of the sailors who was nearing the finish line. she saw three boats get capsized but only four needed to be rescued. there were other boaters in the area that were able to pull the people out as the coast guard made their way out.

now, here is what that one sailor told us about what weather conditions were like at that time. >> the wind just picked up as the clouds went away. and so by the second leg of our first race, it was pretty full on and we still had the steep chop. >> reporter: now, again, rescuers are saying what helped in this situation is you had very highly skilled, highly trained athletes out on the water who knew how to handle this. obviously for the people out here now, very dangerous. again, you're going to want to stay off of the water. what is very good, no one was injured. all of them taken and looked at in a medical tent. everyone is fine tonight. back to you guys in the studio. >> now the most accurate weather team in florida, abc action weather. >> thanks, jacqueline. jacqueline hit on something that i wanted to mention. these were not inexperienced

theme are people competing in the olympics. they pretty much have as much experience out in the water as you can imagine. when you run into winds gusting up to 35 to 45 miles per hour, i mean, no matter how experienced you are, that is a very ugly situation. and the winds, while there was a gayle warning earlier, there is still a small craft advisory. translated people who live on the water and do this for a living don't and should not be out on the water. neither you should tonight or tomorrow morning. there are improvements tomorrow afternoon as the winds come down. you throw in the wind and the cold, it is an unusually winter stretch for the bay area. now, we will let you know how long that is going to last and if this means a freeze is on the way for us. well, for part of the area. we'll talk about that coming up. >> thanks, denis. in the meantime covering polk county right now. childish and embarrassment.

board members are using to explain a scandal involving the superintendent. she is apologizing and fighting for her career. ryan raiche has been following the case that sparked this whole thing. ryan. >> reporter: guys, i'm actually back in the parking lot. this is where the board members park. you have 7 spaces for the 7 board members. i'm trying to still strait where they stand on the issue. the first three board members all said they do not have confidence in the superintendent. the fourth, the chair, kay fields, said a 30-day suspension is necessary. the last three haven't said publicly where they stand. but for superintendent catherine leroy, the odds are not looking good. in her first statements addressing the board since the allegations game public, catherine leroy apologized this and offer this had. >> i am ready to put this behind me and move forward. >> reporter: the question, is the board ready? even with unsubstantiated

superintendent, the board members say they found enough evidence to shake their confidence in their leader. positive trend. and i blame the unprofessionalism on the two key players here. >> i think it's a crying shame that we sit here today, having to even have this discussion. >> reporter: the board calling the drama between leroy and rivers childish, a distraction agenciment. rivers who still has to work with leroy made nine allegations against her, including harassment and threatening to fire him when he he inquired about colleagues about his sex life. allegations? >> i stand by everything that i said in my complaint. >> reporter: rivers came forward with the claims late last year when she became impossible to work with all because she refused to get extra cozy outside of work. >> it's my experience that given her leadership style, this is not an isolated

>> reporter: he is one of the three ready to fire leroy. others saying it is impossible to regain the community's trust. >> i spoke this morning with my statement. i believe you should have received it. >> reporter: the board holding a special meeting friday to decide her fate. >> i would have preferred that we resolved it immediately. but we are obligated to follow the law. we are doing that. >> reporter: now, leroy was scheduled to present the teacher of the year award tonight. but i've been told that the deputy superintendent will do that instead. here. critics will say how can she go out and give speeches about honorable work and ethics when she has this hanging over her head. ryan raiche, abc action news.

forward saying that the coo rate eteacher sexually molested her. together investigators say an 8- year-old girl has come forward. she said she was molested in the van used to transport facility. he was fired from the organization last august. the man accused of attacking a little girl in a clearwater bathroom is out of jail tonight. ricky thompson turned himself in claiming the whole thing was a big misunderstanding. thompson told police that he accidentally went into the woman's bathroom and that girl saw him through the partially opened stall. he panicked and tried to put his hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming and that is when she fell to the floor. the second teenager who escaped last month is back in custody. he was rearrested this morning. an anonymous caller tipped him off where he was. the other escapee anthony bayes was rearrested last thursday.

both were being held on charges of grand theft auto. covering citrus county tonight. an elderly man and his mom were found dead in the home last night. it happened on daly lane. take a look right here. east daly lane. deputies found the two dead. he left a note saying that he was having trouble caring for his mother who had advanced stage alzheimer's. this is a struggle many of you in the bay area deal with every day. abc action news reporter kera mashek is taking action tonight, giving you the tools that you need to care for a family member. >> reporter: brooks vividly remembers how he felt when his mom was diagnosed with alzheimer's eight years ago. >> it was terrible. i didn't know how to deal with it. >> reporter: he quit law school and moved in with his mom to become the full-time caregiver. getting his legal, medical and financial needs met was overwhelming.

difficult choice to put her into a care facility. >> all of the emotions and all of the physical labor that it takes to prepare all of the meals, keep them safe and secure by keeping your eyes on them 24/7, all of that adds up to something that is more than just what one person can handle. >> reporter: the alzheimer's association says too often families wait too long to get educated about the disease and to know how much is involved in becoming a full-time caregiver. >> a lot of times we get the calls when the person is in the mid stages of the disease and they may be in a crisis mode. >> reporter: the association says it is just one of dozens of resources available to help families go through every step of care giving and taking the time to get help early is key. >> learn about things that you can do to prepare yourself for this disease so that you're not overwhelmed in the future. >> reporter: she says getting connected to the alzheimer's

>> all of this information is here. it really, really helps. >> reporter: in fact rightner in the tampa bay region, there are 120 support groups to help. the alzheimer's association will even send someone to your home if you can't get to them. if you find you cannot handle being a caregiver yourself, there are home health options, assisted living and adult day care facilities to help. >> don't let yourself get to a point where you feel this disease is hopeless. >> reporter: to get connected to the resources out there, we have the story posted on our website. if you scroll all the way down to the bottom, there are several helpful links to get you connected with resources in your area. one of them being the alzheimer's association. their website is here. the 24/7 help line is at the top where you can call any time. click in my area and that will show you the support groups and

>> thank you. starting today crime stoppers is paying anyone $1,000 for a certain kind of anonymous tip. carson chambers explains how you can cash in. >> reporter: the formula they hope for one less homicide in tampa. >> we are targeting the violent criminals that illegally have firearms. >> reporter: crime stoppers will now pay you $1,000 if you turn in someone with an illegal gun and they're arrested. all anonymous. >> i think it's going to really save a lot of lives, allow people to report criminal activity without the fear of retaliation, without the fear of possibly being killed. >> reporter: the gun bounty program called see it, say it, stop is not a gun buy back. those bring in older unusable firearms. it comes on the string of youth homicides. including harris gunned down walking near his home in may.

centers to late night hours in response over the summer. >> anything that we can do to incentivize good people to give us the information necessary to get the guns off the street is a worthwhile endeavor. >> reporter: they will use $10,000 from the hero grant awarded to tampa by the team owner and also criminals arrested when pay $40 to go through a court pretrial interception program -- intervention program. it only works if people call. >> we need people to help us. we are at a stand still without them. >> reporter: in tampa, i'm carson chambers, abc action news. >> right now this dramatic video shows the aftermath of a deadly train collision in germany. coming up, we will tell what you happened in the moments leading up to the crash. >> fantastic. i love it. manatee mania. what is bringing so many to

officials are protecting them from the big crowds. download the new abc action news app in your favorite app

>> it's nearly midnight in germany. hundreds of rescuers are

after after a deadly train action in southern germany killed ten people. it injured 100 others. the damage is so bad that it looks like the trains fused together. the two commuter trains collided earlier this morning. officials say the train hit at high speed, close to 75 miles per hour. the accident happened on a curve. and investigators now believe the drivers did not see each other and didn't even brake. one person remains missing at this hour. right now at 5:00, this video of the manatees at three sister springs has been seen by more than 200,000 people on our abc action news facebook page. take a look here tonight at all of these comments on the facebook page. over 500 comments. 5300 shares. the manatees right now are huddled around the warm springs there. eric waxler traveled to crystal river to find out how officials are keeping them safe despite the big crowds. >> the water here is for them.

it's a way to remain warm while the cold fronts move through. >> reporter: officials say this is the largest consistent backerring of man -- gathering of manatees they have seen here. >> i think it's really pretty. >> fantastic. i love it. we don't have these in maine. >> reporter: so many manatees create a crowd. people are able to get a view from the deck around the springs. there are also tour boats and kayakers taking a look. >> to look next to you and the water is filled with manatees and his face is literally a foot away from you is an amazing experience. >> reporter: there are strict rules in the area. you can't touch the manatees or swim after them. when it's this crowded in the interior of the springs, officials cannot allow anyone in the water. >> trying to find the balance is difficult. sometimes how many is too many?

it's the request he that we address day-to-day here. >> reporter: everywhere you look there are manatees here. video doesn't do it justice. you need to come and see it for yourself. >> when we decided to do this, it worked out perfectly. look what we came upon. it's beautiful. >> reporter: there have been ongoing talks on putting a limit how many people can swim in the springs during the open season. saturday is a good chance to see the manatees. in crystal river, eric waxler, abc action news. >> incredible video out there. 23,000 facebook viewers. as far away as canada watched that live. thank you for watching with eric. what a great story. it's cool to see so many. >> it is. and the temperatures out there, you can see behind us in the upper 50s to low 60s. it's funny because the water in the summer is cold, 73 degrees.

and as you see, temperatures right now primarily in the upper 50s to the lower 60s. but as you look outside, we continue to see a good deal of sunshine off to the north. but then you look out off shore, how about that. there's still plenty of clouds out there. that cloud cover continues to bring in blustery weather. you get that cold air, that very windy weather that we talked about. and that brings in clouds and even a few showers. although right now titan doppler radar is rain free. we have seen clouds racing by with the strong wind coming in off of the gulf. low 60s right now. look at the winds west. that's the sustained winds. anywhere from 15 to 25 miles per hour. and those gusts have been up to, well, what we would consider tropical storm force, which is 40 miles per hour. so it has been a very blustery deiah cross the neighborhood

we did see some rain last night. a couple showers first thing in the morning. the rains are pretty much gone. if you look at futurecast from now through the next several days, mostly sunny skies. especially east of i-75. if you live closer to the coast at least through tomorrow morning, you're still going to get cloud cover out there just because of our version of lake effect snows. up north you get cold air over the warmer waters of the lake and they get snow. for us the relatively warmer water of the gulf bring clouds into the area. as they veer more north, then the clouds don't come there and we see this. clear skies and lots of them. thursday morning with the winds coming down, there's a chance of a freeze across the northern counties. sunshine will be abundant right through valentine's day. afternoon tomorrow morning's clouds along the coast, it gets better.

highs in the low to mid 50s across part of the area. maybe even upper 40s as the cold air continues to come in. warmer downtown. you get what i'm talking about. even low 60s for highs down south. it's still 15 degrees below normal. thursday morning, that's when i think there will be a freeze for part of the area. probably citrus, maybe hernando and eastern pasco. at the very least, there will be frost out there. you will be doing a little bit of scraping on thursday morning. then there's a gradual warm-up. this is crazy. we won't see 70 degrees for at least the next week and probably the next eight days before things change. we talked about this last night. there was a gayle warning in effect. we led the newscast with it. it caused the issues with the sailboats overturning. the winds are going to begin to come down but not until late tomorrow afternoon. we hit 57 with mostly sunny skies.

the weekend. highs near 70 degrees. then another front cools us off by valentine's day and we stay that way until next tuesday. >> the three things that lead to a shorter life expectancy here in america than other

>> drugs, guns and cars lead to more deaths in the u.s. than any other developed nation. researchers compared u.s. death rates with japan and 11 european country. the life expectancy is 78 years. here in the u.s. it's 76 years. women listen up, you're doing well. you live longer than men. overseas the average woman lives 83 years. here in the u.s., just 81 years. a desperate search is on

her boyfriend. police saying veronica brown, her boyfriend and her 1-year- brown's ex-boyfriend this weekend. richard garcia shot her boyfriend and took off with brown and the baby. the baby was returned on sunday but still no trace of brown or garcia. police believe garcia's life may be in danger. if it was your child, how would you feel? still to come at 5:30, bay area kids missing critical class time because they got in trouble. the community leaders say the ones at most risk and sweeping changes that one district might make to curb the issue. it's all a scam. the clues that police are now warning you about. plus two brutal attacks in two florida stores. the bizarre reasoning that the suspect gave for his actions

>> live from the station taking action for you. this is abc action news. >> the area's most vulnerable students of dropping out or going to dale. >> pinellas county suspends kids for ten days where they may fall behind. now they're making big changes. >> the plan that could keep troubled kids in school. >> reporter: leaders at this baptist church say it's mostly black and latino students who are getting suspended or expelled. that needs to change. he saw his kids get called out for odd things. >> blinking. i got a call saying my son was blinking too much. >> reporter: and for asking a question. >> he thought he was trying to be disrespectful.