on the way to the intercoastal where we're hearing that three jet skis collided. we're working to find out how serious the injuries are. you can count on us to go to action 1 live as soon as he arrives there. another top story, this former tampa police officer fired months ago, turning himself into authorities today. adam york charged with sexually battering a woman he pulled over while he was off duty. carson chambers is live for us tonight to show us caught. carson. >> reporter: right. it was actually a surveillance video camera over at west shore mall plaza that caught this on tape. it actually zooms into the officer and the lights on his car because of the motion. it happened in the early morning hours. so the video is dark. february 1st. the officer was found a month later after his dna was found on her underwear. >> shock and disappointment to all of us here.

grainy, hard to see details but you can clearly spot flashing police car lights. >> it was a shock to us. it's hard to believe. >> reporter: tonight, former tampa police officer adam york facing sexual battery charges after detectives say he pulled over a woman speeding while off duty in the parking lot at west shore plaza and then assaulted her. >> it was after one of our events so we had multiple agencies in town helping us. so it was hard for us to determine initially exactly what >> reporter: chief eric ward says the sex battery happened february 1st, gasparilla weekend. officer york was on his way into work at district 3. a police report reads york demanded the woman pull down her pants and underwear and battered her. a lab found his dna on her

former officer's home. >> officer york denied all allegations on february 8th. >> reporter: former officer york had been with tpd for 12 years. he had not been patrolling this area but district 3. that's east tampa, ebor and port of tampa. we also know that he was with the pinellas park police department for years before that. live in tampa, i'm carson chambers, abc action news. >> carson, thank you. if you're not watching in front of your come over and see this. deputies want you to take a good look at this guy right here. pasco county deputies are looking for dakota kidder. they're telling us that he beat a woman so badly she may have broken several bones in her face. kidder also took away the victim's cell phone, making impossible for her to call police. please call 911 if you see him anywhere. jamison. >> at this hour, the race is on to find as many as 7 people missing from this massive and

apartment complex. an explosion igniting the fire ball overnight. it was so powerful that residents a mile away could feel their homes shake. two people are confirmed dead and a hundred renters are homeless. parents were forced to drop their kids from windows. >> i got so scared. there were people jumping out the window, screaming for help. >> investigators have not said what caused that explosion and fire. crews are now working to stabilize the building to make it safe for the investigation to go forward. fighting crime with a click of a button. a manatee county man helped generate dozens of tips about a suspect car burglar he caught on camera. it's a crime real three can affect anyone. we're arming you with the best ways to keep your family safe. our jacqueline ingles taking action for you, explaining how you can get started using an app that could help protect your family. >> reporter: within seconds of this man scanning his

that there were two men in his driveway in his car, that video made it into the hand of hundreds of neighbors with just one click on his smart phone. >> almost 1,000 views on youtube for the video. a couple leads have come back. some people recognize him. >> reporter: thomas is community policing using an iphone app, uploading this surveillance video of two men breaking into his car, alerting hundreds of his neighbors within seconds. >> it talk to your neighbors. people you never have met before. >> reporter: it's called next door. and the company behind it says almost 2,000 communities across the bay area are using it, allowing neighbors to communicate online. in march, the company partnered with st. pete pd. they support neighbors using the apps if investigators working the case tell you it's okay. >> we have over 1,000 partnerships with these kind of agencies across the country.

not only can tap into your neighbors but all of the great public utilities around you as well. >> reporter: the men who broke into his car have not been found yet. but he says without a doubt he is improving his chances of finding them by getting hundreds of views on the video. >> also let me neighbors know that morning, check your cars. >> reporter: getting started is easy. go to nextdoor.com. and make an account and give them their address. then you can with your neighbors. jacqueline ingles, abc action news. >> and here at abc action news we want to make sure that you know about crime trends in your neighborhood so you can stay safe. ahead at 5:30, we're looking into a rash of break-ins at a local retirement community. the one thing they all have in common. at 6:00, simple cost effective ways to protect your property from thieves. we want to remind you that we want to take action for the things that matter to you. tell us what you're wondering

abcactionnews.com and ending us a good question. just click on jacqueline ingles' story to get started. now the most accurate weather team in florida, abc action weather. >> how are you doing, everybody? things are definitely back to normal for the middle of august. a lot of sunshine today. temperatures back in the # 0s and storms starting on the east side of the state and moving west. it will be well into the evening before we actually see these clear out notice they still continue around polk and highlands county. this could definitely be an issue for star gazers or meteor gazers as the perseid meteor shower is tonight, peaking when there will be storms around. notice by tomorrow morning, things will be clearing out. and that may very well be the best time for you to catch a glimpse of these. we will talk about that in a couple minutes. >> we will see you shortly, denis. in two hours, donald trump will be making another plea to

the republican nominee will finish out his day in kissimmee. michael paluska is live inside the rally at silver spurs arena. i'm sure the turnout will be a good one tonight. >> reporter: jamison, you know the music is blaring so i could barely hear you. the turnout is good. people in the front get seats. before a lot of people were standing. they will be sitting here for two years. the line outside is big too. we expect packed. donald trump as everybody knows has come under fire for comments he made in florida saying that some of the gun lobbyists should stop hillary clinton from getting elected into office. some people taking that to mean that he was asking the 2nd amendment people to go after clinton. he has shifted the attacks to include the islamic state, saying she helped cofound the terror group because of her foreign policies under president obama. he said that the president was

trump taking his message in florida directly to the voters. >> the speeches are so short though. they don't last long. they're like ten minutes, let's get out of here. go back home and go to sleep. three days later, she gets up and she does another one and goes back home and goes to sleep. oh, boy. is isis hoping for her. >> reporter: so donald clearly trying to get the message out that hillary clinton has not been good for our national security, for terrorism. one of the hot topics here in all of his debates. the question tonight, is he going to spend more time defending himself because of people going after him for the vagueness in his comments or will he stick to the issues, will he talk about the economy and growing jobs, protecting americans? we're very close to orlando where the pulse nightclub shooting was. that is on a lot of people's

what he says at 7:00. we will be here. we're live in kissimmee, michael paluska, abc action news. >> thank you, michael. on the democratic side, hillary clinton could release her 2015 tax returns as early as tomorrow. >> and her running mate tim kaine expected to do the same. hillary clinton has hammered donald trump over his refusal to release his taxes. it could increase the pressure on trump to do so himself. just last year, clinton released 7 years' worth of tax returns. the man who scaled of trump towers facing charges tonight for trespassing and reckless endangerment. he made it to the 21st floor before officers pulled him inside. he posted a video to youtube saying he wanted to meet with the presidential candidate privately. a child left in the hot sun for half an hour. the unbelievable thing her parents are accused of doing after leaving her alone. and the evidence that officers

mistake. a home renovation boom has hit tampa bay. coming up, i'll explain how a an extreme shortage of workers could hit your pocket book and how to protect yourself against phony contracts. >> it makes me sick to know that all of this is happening and nothing is being done. the changes an 11-year-old and her family are calling for after a brush with death at an

>> we're told that the 6-year- the carolina yes, sir and slammed her to the ground, fracturing her her skull multiple time. steal returned to the car and noticed the baby's injuries and did not call 911 but went to another business. we have more on the brain eating amoeba case in florida. >> we have learned that the swimmer that came down with the latest case contracted it in unsanitary water.

deadly brain infection. this new case comes days after an 11-year-old girl died after contracting the amoeba in the south carolina river. the latest patient is receiving treatment. an update about a hit and run accident at a traffic stop that left a police officer in serious condition. the driver did not care about the officer who nearly died. in fact when the 17-year-old was asked if he wanted anything to the officer, the teen replied, next time don't step in front of a car. dash cam video captured the moment that the officer was hit. the teen goes to trial next month. what is old is new again. millions of americans are fixing up their homes. now the innovation market is passing it's prerecession peak. >> it began a couple years ago. now the home renovation market

causing a severe labor shortage. abc action news reporter ryan smith is taking action for you and how it could impact your well neat homeowners are spending a record amount of money fixing what they have instead of buying new. we came to a local job site in south tampa and found out this boom is forcing contractors into a desperate search for more workers. it's a good problem to have. >> keep our fingers crossed. it >> reporter: too many jobs but not enough workers. >> you don't have the people that can handle it with the workmanship. >> reporter: vince and his crew are starting this six-month home renovation. >> if anybody is out there and needs work, give me a call. >> reporter: an estimated 2 million construction workers left the industry eight years ago after the housing bust. with consumer confidence at an

workers shortage will cost you about 10% more than in years past, according to king. >> the price has definitely gone up. >> reporter: buyer beware, king warns that it attracts phony and unlicensed contractors. do your research and make sure whoever hire is registered with the state. >> you have no legal recourse whatsoever because you can't find the guy. >> reporter: in south tampa, ryan smith, abc action news. we're constantly monitoring jobs that are bay area so you can make better career choices. there are programs so you can take advantage of construction jobs. the associated builders and contractors incorporated has apprenticeship programs weekly. head to our website and click on this story to find out more about this career path. now the most accurate weather team in florida, abc action weather. >> well, it was a pretty nice day outcome paired to how it has been.

pictures later tonight. >> they always look at what is behind them to see what we're going to talk about. >> she looked at me like -- >> my clue was. >> is that a meteor shower. >> the international symbol for a meteor shower. >> i like the sound effect. >> you have to throw it in. it's not just a visual medium. there's a look outside. that's a pretty picture. the beach looks great. a lot of sunshine today. the beach mid to late evening. now, this is the perseid meteor shower that i talked about. mostly visible in the constellation. but if you don't know where that is, like me, just look up. after midnight, you will see plenty of meteors. here is the issue, there will be clouds out there. there will be clouds until much of the overnight hours. the moon sets at 1:00 in the morning. any time from 2:00 a.m.

you may want to wait until 4:00, 4:30 in the morning. if you're an early riser, you can still see it because the sun doesn't rise for a couple hours after this. this is one of the more spectacle showers of the year. speaking of showers, thunder showers on the eastern side of the state. they will move into our area. we will be dodging them from mid evening to about midnight. temperatures right now, the heat has returned. upper 80s to low s. be this time of the year. 91 at the airport. st. pete actually that sea breeze cooling it off at the airport. 85 degrees. we have the east to southeast winds. they're not going anywhere any time soon. with this kind of a pattern, you can make the plans through the weekend. at least until 3:00, 4:00 in the afternoon. after 4:00, 5:00, then you're on your own. then the storms develop. if you have anything that you need to get done outdoors or want to go to the beach or soak

good shape until late afternoon and the beach doesn't see rain until the middle evening hours. same thing for tonight. even late night until around midnight, there's a chance of a few showers. here is the 4:00 a.m. i talked about for the meteor shower. i stopped it at that time. because there will be clouds but there will be breaks. you know how the bay area is. some folks will be clear, other folks cloudy. the later that you wait, the better chances you will see some meteors until things begin to wind down at sunrise. of tomorrow, st the heaviest rains after 4:00. 8:00, still some evening storms and they linger until about midnight. by the way, you can continue that on saturday and sunday and the early part of next week. no changes to speak of. first half of your day you're golden. any time after 5:00 to 6:00 in polk county, that's when the storms pop. i think the anterior counties will get the heaviest rainfall as well. you can see futurecast, heavy rains from lakeland down to bartow. the closer you live to the coast, the less rain that you will see.

this week. no changes here. upper 80s to low 90s. that's where we should be for the middle of august. this will be in the same ballpark. water temperature up at 83 degrees. is the east winds at 5 to 10 knots. light chop out on the bay. there is your sup rise and sunset. hour by hour forecast. partly cloudy skies. you notice as we go through the overnight hours, there will be a good bit of clearing. i think in the morning, probably 4:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. is wh clearest for the meteor showers. looking at florida's most accurate 7-day forecast. rain chances where they should be for the middle of august. 50%. they work towards the coast for the next few days and the middle of next week. the weekend looks great. it will be hot. we will be about 91, 92. most of the storms will be after 6:00. >> thanks, denis. one neighborhood becoming more popular could mean big changes in your child's classroom.

overcrowding without sacrificing your child's education. the life-changing terror this girl went through and the steps she is going through to make sure that no child is put in harm's way again. burglars target your windows to get in. the one change that you can make for less than $5 to keep

z236cz zy6z

y236cy yy6y

>> a bizarre twist in the case this of ohio mom right here. accused of killing her 4-year- old daughter. we learned that brittany mays is 7 months pregnant. authorities found her daughter dead in a bathtub in her home. officials revealed the little girl died of head trauma. the grabbed parents had tried to get custody after mays

child endangerment years ago. this 11-year-old girl's hair got caught in a carnival. she most lost of her scalp in the accident three months ago and underwent half a dozen surgeries. now she is gathering signatures for lulu's law. >> i don't want any other kids to get hurt, scalped, have to go through what i' through. >> her family has already met with a state lawmaker about moving the proposal forward. they filed a lawsuit against the company that operated the ride. more homes going up in an already crowded area, putting a strain on schools. >> just the congestion was just too overwhelming at times. >> the new elementary easing overcrowding and their plan to

>> live from the station taking action for you, this is abc action news. >> top stories right now at 5:30, a former tampa police officer charged with sexually battering a woman that he pulled over in south tampa. tonight we're learning this happened while he was off duty during gpa authorities today. tonight detectives tell us the dna evidence that was found on the victim. also right now pinellas county deputies investigating the murder of a two week old baby. the child's mother, kathleen steel is now in jail for aggravated child abuse. she left her three kids in the car to go into a store. one of the older children started tossing the baby around, police say. they also tell us that the baby

now, coming up at 6:00, the disturbing remark that steel made just days before the baby's death. also happening tonight in less than two hours, donald trump is going to be making another plea to florida voters. he will be talking at 7:00 in kissimmee. it's already a packed house there inside of the rally at silver spurs arena. brand-new at 5:30, a polk county father and a grandmother have some explaining to do. good evening. i'm paul lagrone. laura harris. these two accused of leaving a 3-year-old in a hot car while they went shopping at wal-mart and it gets worse. >> that's right. ryan raiche on the story tonight. he's going to show you why investigators believe this pair left the toddler in the car on purpose. >> reporter: for nearly 30 minutes while wal-mart shoppers came and left, a 3-year-old child sat in the back seat of a hot locked car with just a tiny