>> an investigator who is supposed to be protecting children lied. the reasons she gave that have repercussions statewide. >> how would you feel if i put out nails and it got in your tire. >> why someone might be putting tacks on a bike trail. and a local purple heart monument with the name of one of the first bay area soldiers to be killed in the iraq >> sadness. complete disbelief. >> the background on the man accused of doing it.

it's 4:00, time for the now tampa bay. here we go off and running on a thursday. first to the child protective investigator arrested for allegedly falsifying records. >> this as the department is facing tremendous workload and down an investigator. eric waxler joins us live from the pasco sheriff's office. eric, this case is where a baby was born addicted to drugs. wonder could it have been prevented if the investigator did her job. instead this woman, christie microby was fired and arrested. she was involved in the case of a father and pregnant wife suspected of using drugs. instead of testing them, she skipped the test and said they were clean and falsified the records.

baby addict to hydrocodone. >> she said the reason she did it is she wanted to close the case quickly. that's absolutely unacceptable. >> the sheriff did acknowledge the cpi unit is about 15 investigators short right now and overworked with cases. but that's no excuse to break the law. those children are still in their parents' custody. and the sheriff's office is looking into other cases that she handled to see if she has waxler for the now tampa bay. meanwhile u.s. surgeon generals taking action to stop the open at especially -- opeoi d addiction. a picture a high school student sent to friends is

jokes that are not appropriate. you see it here. if one more person makes fun of how i talk again and it has the picturbackpack. that's what you see. some other kids saw it too and got worried and told adults about it. the sheriff's office talked to the girl who made it and said she really meant it more as a joke. she is not being charged. she says she was not bullied. it had happened two months later, she could have charged under a new la we need to show you something. look at this in paul's hand. our nicole grigg picked up 30 tacks on a popular bike trail. paul, this is right alg the pinellas bay way ridge. >> nicole's story is resulting in action. the florida department of transportation went out and cleaned them off of the road and now they're looking into who put these there.

pete beach, there's a hazard so small. >> it's kind of stupid. >> reporter: that you have to have just the right light to see what it is. >> let's say someone isoiong d his bike everywhere. >> how would you feel if i threw giant nails and it gets in your tire. >> five, six. >> reporter: so many tacks i just didn't feel safe leaving them. but there were just to >> 28, 29, 30. >> okay. >> reporter: inside lenny's surf and cycle shop just down the way -- >> haven't seen any of these come in yet, any of our repairs. that's going to be a big problem. >> reporter: for the bikers out there. >> it's going to be a whole lot worse. >>reporter: the st. petersburg's police department says they have no reports of tacks in the bike lane. they say this could be hard to

look, they're so hard to s, i went ahead and circled them for you. now, the florida department of transportation is in charge of the bridge and they think the shiny tiny tacks were left there on purpose. reporting for the now, i'm nicole grigg. here is the crazy part. this has happened before in 2014 when somebody was putting tacks along the fdot also got the same report along the causeway this april. call your state or county officials in chargrtofular road this. outside from our clds in the sky. it doesn't look too bad out there, shay. just a little cloud cover. this could change if the tropical wave cos our way. >> yeah. that won't be until eane again, there's a lot of uncertainty about the path and the intensity of the storm.

name yet. take a look across tampa bay. we are nice and dry. clouds are building and showers trying to work their way inland. not a lot of that is holding together. so we are relatively dry. so let's talk tropics. all right. here is our storm system that we're keepg on. at th point, pretty disorganized as it is getting torn apart a bit as it is moving generally dominican republic and into haiti. the chance of it becoming an organized storm has come down to 70% from 80% earlier today. it won't be as strong if it does develop. but it will likely develop into a numbered or named system before this is said and done. by sunday night, it is approaching south florida. and that's what the spaghetti

agreement of. and then after that, you can see how the spaghetti models really spread out. anything from going into the western gulf in the direction of mexico, all the way up staying on the east coast of florida. at this point in time, there's a pretty large cone of uncertainty in the latter part of the storm system which means for early next week. i've got more on some of the more reliable models, where they are showing the storm is headed and what that could mean for rainfall totals in our area if this storm does impact us. i will have more also, you know, just over the next couple of days, we will have our typical summertime pattern. i will help you time out the bee to take a dip in the pool to beat the heat. that's coming up in my next forecast. >> thank you, shay. breaking today, two well known florida attorneys will never be able to practice in the state because of a court ruling. in fact, when yogoogle their law firm, it says permanently

have been permanently disbarred for their roles in a defamation trial involving bubba the love sponge. earlier this year the court granted the attorney's request to be permanently disbarred. the other two said they should not be permanently disbarred but the court ruled permanent disbarment. that's effective immediately. we have breaking news we want to update you on out of the persian gulf today. the u.s. navy has fired warning shots at an iranian boat. the vessel was harassing the navy ship. this is video of the just posted on youtube today. at one point iranian boat came within 200 yards of the navy vessel. this is the latest in an all too close for comfort

december. iran has been flexing its muscle ever since. hillary clinton is campaigning in nevada. she was speaking in reno. big news on clinton, we are expecting another e-mail dump by wiki leaks. the owner will relre damaging e-mails from inside the clinton camp. he wants to stop hillary clinton from becoming president. dona showing up on a ballot in one state. and we will tell you about the new problem they're running into ahead of the first presidential debate. also breaking right now, authorities in mississippi say two catholic nuns were found murdered north of jackson. a terrible story here. as we learn more, we pass along the updates to you. you're watching the now tampa

>> welcome back, everyone. we have an update on the sky

after public and political backlash, the maker of that life-saving allergy medication now says it will offer a discount. the cost for a two-pack of pens jumped from $100 in 2009 to now $600 today. they can mean the difference betweeli and death for anyone who suffers from severe allergic reactions. today nylan announced it will offer savings card worth $300 to people paying themselves. it will also expand who is eligible for financial assistance and also create a way for people to cut costs by buying directly from the company. okay. i want you to see something. what you're looking at here is just some of the largest collection yet of brain scans in fetuses and newborns with the zika virus. the research was just published in the journal it looks into brain norms in a

with microcephaly. really tough for nonmedical professionals like me and you hard to tell. but this shows an abnormally small ad. huffington post published an article about this today and says scans are important during pregnancy because a fetus that seems normal early in pregnancy may show zika later in scans. >> this is seriously. i understand why people are concerned. but there are things that you can do. you want to make sure that you're using mosquito repellent so you're not getting bit. you're trying to get rid of free-standing water around your property and make sure that your screens are in tact. >> the doctor says if you do all ofhose things, it will reduce the chance that's you will get zika. he points out there are big unanswered questions about zika right now.

women in pregnancy versus later on and how long does zika stay in the system. the people who choose a moderator for the presidential debates are having trouble to figure out who will do it. ey don't the moderator to become part of the story that happened between donald trump and megyn kelly. the commission is also worried that trump would ll out a moderator if he perceives hillary clinton has been a public figure for some 30 years. it's the whole journalistic integrity thing. >> in minnesota, some gop circles are worried about this. trump and pence's names weren't on the minnesota secretary of

their community indications director says they were waiting for a pledge from one of the alternate electors. one the filing is complete, the republican ticket should be listed shortly. we checked and wanted to see if their names were up at this point. we found trump and pence's names there today. circled in red. and as you see, we checked and circled in red, they are all on there. >>ey are there in alphabetical order. new polls suggest hillary clinton continues to lead donald trump among likely voters across america. take a look. a new reuters poll shows she has a 12 point lead over trump. on average, the average of the nation polls by real clear politics, that shows the gap between the candidates is smaller. clinton leads trump 47 to 42%.

pushing to get support from minority voters. his much quoted question yesterday, what have you got to lose. a poll suggesting that his message is not getting through. 8% of african-american voters support trump. 87% support clinton. and among asian vors, 23% for trump, 66% for clinton. av he b about the concerns of nfl players getting cet now a new study out today shows changing how kids practice football could be the answer to protecting they are heads at a young age. researchers found that concussions are more likely to happen in practice than games for young kids. the problem is tackling drills. teams should cut back on those drills or get rid of them altogether. >> everybody made it out okay. just scared.

firsthand look at the tornado damain indiana that hit yesterday. eight tornadoes hit down in the state. dozens were reported like this one here. the governor stopped by what was left of a starbucks flattened by storm. there it is. cell phone video shot from a video across the street captured this to the moment that the strong winds toppled the building. we want to give you a live look over some of the damaged area. this is a live aerial view. the national weather service says saw was an ef-3. 165 miles per hour winds that caused this mess. thankfully no one was killed. no one was badly hurt. it's not just indiana. that same system hitting right across the border in canada. look at this. video capturing one tornado. it caused trees to topple over. it blew a trampoline into a tree. it damaged homes and downed power lines. neighbors say they had to huddle in their garages just to wait and hope that that storm u

>> yeah. >> damage elsewhere in the country. we're watching this tropical wave headed for florida. and we have high temps locally. >> yeah. it is hot out there. we haven't had many storms to cool us down. the heat is definitely on. 93 in tampa right now. 49 in brandon -- 94 in brandon. the temperature is down to 88 degrees in many sebring down to as a result of a few showers. the main sail on anna marie island showing cloud that's have been building but not really seeing any rainfall out of there. you see people parked on the sand. looking pretty decent. as you can see here on a wider look, we still have the northeasterly to southwesterly flow. and the majority of the showers and storms that have developed from been from polk county to hardee and is desoto, trying to

their way to the manatee coastline. not doing a good job of it. for the rest of tonight, there's a slight chance that you could encounter a shower or storm. but the models are not showing much rain for tonight. a few of the typical storms. then we will be dry overnight. once again tomorrow morning, you're waking up to nice dry conditions. get the kids off to the bus stop or off to school without having to worry about getting st orms won't develop until about noon inland. you have until about 2:00 or 3:00 closer to the coastline before you have shower or storm. you have a pretty good day with a lot of good hours to take a dip in the pool to beat the heat tomorrow or get the yard work done if you need to. now is a great time to get the yard w. you know, this tropical wave is a good reminder that we are in the midst of hurricane season. with the chance for showers -- or for heavy rain and maybe even wind coming our way, it's trmed out in your backyard.

this rain affects the tampa bay area coming up in my next forecast. go look at your microwave and then try to remember where and when you bought it. we have a recall that you need to know about. and the problem something that you will definitely want

>> right now, whirlpool is recalling about 15,000 microwaves. a plastic component could catch fire. there have been five reported incidents. they were sold and used by home builders between january of 2014 to april of 2016. the serial tag number is on the

you will find it. i have tweeted out the link. find me@ashleyg tv. today on the now, we're taking a look at the real cost of bringing a dog into your family. tomorrow after all is national dog day, a day designed to help dogs get adopted. that's caden, our producer's adopted dog. ashley, this is a personal question for me. my son says i owe him a dog. how much is it going to cost me? >> let's see if i can help his dog and break down the numbers. the first year can cost about $1,300 to almost $1,800. that's in the first year. it all depends on the breed. at includes spaying, neutering, medical fees, crate, toys and more. annually let's talk about that. after that first year, you're looking to spend about $580 to $875 can depending on the size

to henry deuce some of the costs, if you get a shelter or rescue group, a lot of those that we talked about are covered in the adoption fee. aspca says get regular checkups because it's less expensive to prevent an illness or catch it early. , usthe teeth. dental disease leads to other problein the dog. protect your dog from fleas and ticks as well. and consider pet health insurance. paul, what does an adoption run? you're looking at the numbers. son a dog. >> i'm under the g. more cute dogs to look at. these are local dogs. take a look at this. this is a pet pal animal shelter in st. petersburg. fees range in prices. we have all kinds of dogs up for adoption. there is bonnie, bubbles. who could resist bubbles. look at that smile. fees are about $200, they include spaying, neutering and micro chipping. over to the humane society of

there, pets and families, the fees also rangpuppies under foud spaying, neutering, deworming and the all-important vaccines. forecasters can now monitor almost eryiver and stream in the country in almost real time. how could this mean fast warnings when the water near you starts rising. >>todd is plus the unusual explanation that a man for vandalizing a local purple heart monument.

havertys furniture helps your home look perfect even when life isn't. pretty! hey. umm... sign here? sure, you got a pen? i do! thanks sweetie. y sale is on now at havertys. life looks good.

purple heart recipients has been vandalized. thman who did it is behind bars saying what he did is art. >> we talked to veterans today who is calling this something else. >> reporter: walk by this purple heart memorial downtown and you will hear this -- silence. >> what that is is kind of a healing place. >> reportese ine area where vetera c connect with others who understand where they have been and what they might be going through. >> there are things that i don't want she never will. >> reporter: but this place of healing has its own healing to do. >> it was extreme disappointment for me. >> reporter: the monument spray painted. the old courthalso vaalized wednesday morning. >> we worked so hard and long to have this ment created. >> reporter: the man responsible, mcclean, who has served in the military was drunk. >> to take something that is truly about veterans and their families who have given

there is absolutely no reason whatsoever that would ever be justified. >> reporter: alan hunt headed up the local chapter of the purple heart named in honor of aaron weaver. his brother ryan, who is also a post about the vandalism saying, quote, i was initially furious to see spray paint next to my brother's name. but i ask that everyone keep a kind heart. >> when these things are damaged, it affects manyof >> reporter: there are roughly 21,000 veterans in citrus county. the county has designated parking spots all at government spots for method wounded in combat. they were designated a purple heart county in the past year. which is why it took less than 12 hours for someone to restore the monument. >> i'm grateful. >> reporter: jacqueline ingles, abc action news news. take a look at this.

with more aftershocks mber of p reaches at least according to the latest reports. an estimated 400 people are in the hospital. on a more positive note here, right now we're hearing of an inspiring rescue story of an 8- year-old girl. we first told you about this right here on the now. look at this. you can see emergency crews pulling her to safety. a bystander cheering beau girl in italian. she survived being trapped more and this is one of the more haunting imag that earthquake. the 13th century clock tower in the town literally frozen in town, 3:36, the very moment that the earthquake struck as people were eeping, unawar of wt was about to happen to them. police are trying to figure out who is behind an attack at the american university in kabul, afghanistan. 13 people confirmed dead.

gunmen started shooting and detonating explosives. police killed two of the suspects. a third blew himself up with a car bomb. no one has claimed responsility for the at. the state department says that no americans were killed. we want to go to shay now. i started asking her questions already at 10:00 this morning what this tropical wave means for us in florida. there is shay. >> yeah. >> what are we expecting next week, shay? >> the questions keep coming in. as we're asking a lot of questions as meteorologists as well. ed models have been a little more consistent. they're not really nailing it down. so here is a potential path. we're looking at it approaching south florida by sunday night. and the latest path has it coming right up the west coast of florida. and then curving back in and then going back across the panhandle and eventually into the carolinas. the main time frame it would be

it sys on this path or something similar to it would be formonday afternoon through wednesday morning. so it's a pretty long duration, which also gives us a decent chance of very heavy rainfall totals. some of the had it close to the coastline where the storm would be mpg the majority of the rain right around 5 to 10 inches. and inland, 4 to 7 inches. don't stick with those those are rough estimates. just telling you what the models are saying today. we know we have had a lot of change. i would expect some tropical rain and flooding is a concern, especially given our issues on a typical mmer the heaviest rai point looks like it would be near the coast. there's the chance too when you have a storm, a tropical storm of this type, moving up the

if it stays on that current path. again, when are we going to know what the path will be? i think when the storm gets over the bahamas, which is late this weekend, we will start to get a better picture. in the meant best estatiss great time, again just to get the hurricane kit together that you should have gotten together in june, which you probably didn't anyhow. have extra food items in the pantry over the weekend. i will forecast coming up. >> thank you, shay. as you're watching this and with the threat of possible rains, todd walker is looking into how scientists are predicting flash flooding to keep and you your family safe >> reporter: nature's wrath has been apparent in louisiana and now in ohio. but those who put out the flood warnings have a powerful new tool that let them monitor almost every river and stream in the country in almost real

northeast ohio town of spillville. rising water is not uncommon but people say the water was much quicker this time around. >> it rose so fast that we couldn't mobilize quick enough. it would have been a fruitless effort any way. >> i'm drowning. >> reporter: the same thing this month in louisiana. water rising so fast that people barely had time to get out. >> get my dog. >> reporter: a year-long study by scientists at the university of texas revolutioned monitoring using a computer computer and sensors. scientists can monitor aost every river, creek and stream to know instantly and get long might start risipeli ng to clos river, it's the price that you pay. >> reporter: and louisiana and everywhere else the most warning possible.

presented at the white house earlier this year and is more detailed than the previous models used. for the now, i'm todd nextn the now tampa bay, check your cell phone. you might see software updates available. we will tell you the one reason that apple wants you to update it right now.

>> some breaking news. we are learning a firefighter was hurt while fighting a fire in hernando county. you're looking at aerial images from action air one. you see them putting water on the damaged burned mess that is left behind. it still is actually burning. t this is a really rural area. several other buildings like a

no one was hurt in all of this. we're told that firefighter is now on the way to the hospital in critical condition. we will keep updating coming to you as they come into us. okay. let's talk computer security here. right now apple is wanting you to update your phone pronto. they discovered a powerful spy software coming from an iphone out of the middle east. the concern is that hackers can get into your phone and take control of your e-mail and facebook and otherhi apple has fixed the problem as soon as rn about it. but update your phone. some survivors of the pulse nightmare massacre have another thing to worry about. one of our crews is finishing up talking to one of the survivors. look for that story tonight at 5:30. it's all new on abc action news. >> reporter: if you think having an automatic braking

aaa says think again. the findings that could help prevent a accident. the changes in the work and how to prevent more people from getting addicted to painkillers. what florida did to see a drop in overdose deaths. the now will be back in three

>> okay. we've all been there. driving for one reason or another, you suddenly need to good. as more cars getic brake systems, the now is finding out not all systems are >> reporter: close calls, just some of the results aaa found when testing vehicles with automatic emergency braking technology. overall aaa says the technology works but not the way that many of us think. it won't necessarily stop your vehicle from hitting something. but aaa found two-thirds of americans familiar with the technology believe that automatic emergency braking systems are designed to avoid crashes without driver intervention. >> people are expect being the car to do all of the driving

designed to do. people still have to drive the car. >> reporter: we went to test one of the vehicles that aaa used in in the study. >> are you sure you don't want to drive. >> i'm sure. >> how do we set up the automatic braking system. >> before delivery, there are settings on the left side of the dash. >> reporter: we set the precollision warning. >> are we buckled up. >> yes. >> activated. >> see how it did it? it says i'm getting a little too close. you start feeling your brakes going like that. >> reporter: if you're unable to stop, the car slows to prevent a crash. aaa says you shouldn't stop. >> what do you want people to know about the system. >> i want them to know that there is still going to be driver interaction.

taking action to stop drug addiction. here is a look at what the letter will be as it gets to your doctor. surgeon generals are urging them to t check how they're prescribing pain ms to make sure it's safe and effective. if people are addicted, make sure they know how to get chronic illness. you have a look how this epidemic has grown. >> yeah. it used to be a big problem in florida. 2million are addicted to painkillers in the united states. more than 14,000 people die from overdoses in 2014. doctors wrote 259 million inesllers in 2012. that's enough for every americandiicult to have a bottle of pills.

compares to other states. the dark purple is higher than other states. the good news is that florida is on the lower side of the scale. we're in the orange there. and we're actually highlighted as one of the states that had a recent drop. here is what made the difference. back in 2010, you may remember this, florida started regulating pain clinics and they stopped hearelth providers from giving out painkillers well in two years' time, we had a 50% drop in overdose deaths from oxycodone. so it had an impact. let's go to shay ryan to see what the rain situation looks like right now. >> you are looking good. if you are headed outside and don't mind the heat, you don't have to worry about the rain. we are very dry across the

camera is showing you how much sunshine is out there. it is gorgeous. looking nice across the marina as well. across tpaay, things are we've had a few isolated showers. so i can't say it will be absolutely dry throughout the rest of the night in central florida. but you see some of the showers. they are very small. so localized showers have been in the mix in the afternoon. but you can see here on the futurecast that it is showing very little rain to develop between wake up tomorrow morning to very nice conditions. so a nice morning commute for us. and midday, if you're planning to take lunch outside, you don't have to worry about rain then. it's really after noon to about 2:00 when the storms start to bubble up. and this will be a generally east to west flow. so if you're watching the radar, just take a look to your east. if you see showers and storms developing, you know they're likely headed in your direction. the drive tomorrow morning,

plenty of sunshine. and then through the afternoon, we will have the hit or miss scattered storms. only about 30% coverage. so a high of 92 form tomorrow -- for tomoe ance of rain for t weekend co. mes up but it's monday that we're watching for the impacts of the yet to be named storm. we will have more on tniwill br tropics coming up on abc action news at 5:00. >> thank you, shay. back on the campaign trail. donald trump has he will deport all undocumented immigrants as president. he's not clear what he will do instead. the now's political correspondent looked into is, mike sax, with the trump card that trump could be holding. >> reporter: when donald trump first hit the campaign trail last year, he promised to deport all 11 million undocunts in the united state reconsidering, he could gon three directions. continue along hipas th as the

morning. >> he hasn't changed his stance. >> reporter: but the words sound like he is piing new ard. he is working th w abiding undoedamilies. >> no amnesty from him. no open borders. secure the border. build the wall, have mexico pay for it. >> reporter: if trump amnesty as a pathway to citizenship, he could be leaving a path to that was jeb bush's and marco rubio's position during the primaries and trump condemned them. that leads to no citizenship, no green card but you won't be deported if you pay your taxes and don't have a criminal record. that is exactly the path that i been on under obama and a dead locked supreme court blocked

nothing new for those most affected by his choice. for the now, i'm mike sax. we have been telling you about the national park services anniversary all summ. but today it officially turns 100 years old. >> happy birthday. the celebration included an event at washington monument. you see all kinds of people there. hundreds in fact. they're making out a 100 for the 100th birthday. wilson created this day in 1916. the first park s established in 18726789 you can get free into all national -- 1872. you can get in free to all national parks today. president obama made 80,000 acres of forest in maine's north woods into a national

million of us visited national parks. that's more people than went to every disney park, nfl, nba, mlb game, and nascar race combined. >> here is something that you will like, ashley. an update to pass along on the high surplus of cheese that we started talking about in may. that cheese will be going to families in need. the government stepped in and bought the cheese from dairy farmers to give to all of that cheese worth $20 million. the cheese surplus in the u.s., in fact the biggest it has been in 30 years. >> paul lagrone, how did you know that i lose cheese. >> i knew that you like good things. >> i love cheese. >> why do we have a surplus in cheese. >> reporter: people cutting it out. >> i don't know. we'll talk about that later. we need to know about the final moments that the el faro cargo ship sank last october. 33 people on board died. >> yeah. they recovered the data

today. the ship lost propulsion around 6:13 in the morning the day it sank. it had a problem with flooding. about an hour later according to the latest information, the captain ordered everyone to abandothe ship. the recording ends ten minutes after that. well, earlier this week, we told you about the highest paid actresses in the world. now it's the guys' turn. >> that's the king of the mountain. made 64 and a half million dollars this year. that puts him right of the forks list of the highest paid actors. jackie chan, $61 milli. coming in at $55 million. prince fans are getting a gend. y to remember the music icts to tour his home go on sale tomorrow afternoon. and the tours start in october. they're expected to cost $38. the tours last about an hour. the company that runs the tours at elvis presley's home ll be

at prince's home. >> they alys would make a good museum. pizza delivery never fast enough for you. >> never. how about getting one dropped off at your door by a drone. >> it is closer toker to reality. this is dominoes doing their first delivery by drone today. this is new zealand. they are hoping to start dropping pizzas at homes in new zealand later this year. the new drones in the united states go into effect on monday. but deliverieshere won't be a reality because the rules say you have to be able to see your drone at all times. it's one of those things where the law has yet to catch up with the technology. >> sometimes it takes a little more time. some of us dream about what we will do when we retire. >> sleep. play golf, play with your grandkids. a new york couple took on a project of taking back their child that is stopping people

wasn't surprised when herb planned to turn a 1993 ford ranger pickup truck with 160 miles on it into a wagon. >> all i thought when he said we're going to make one is here we go again. >> reporter: the project took a year to complete. and began with stripping the >> so that's what a naked . pickup truck looks like. >> that's exactly right. >> reporter: herb did a lot of the work and june helped. >> i got pretty good with wrenches before this was all done. >> reporter: they had the eest

gauge steal. features bucket seats, a backup camera and these antique lamps from a model t. led taillights for ni down the road. >> reporter: this one of a kind wagon gets lots of second looks d ball g in parades and sometimes just on the open highway. why wouldn't it be fun? after all, it is a convertible. the difference between men and boys is the size of their toys. i don't know created a fun toasut them in the smile business. >> if i can make people smile and laugh a little, that's my reward for building it. >> and we do have a breaking news update to bring you before we go. that breaking news about a hernando fefirhter hurt on thjob, we are learning that firefighter is not injured as badly as first thought. so jamison and wendy will have more on that at 5:00. that's it for the now tampa bay. abc action news at 5:00 starts

>> this is abc action news. >> we failed them. >> an investigator responsible for protecting children. the one thing that she did landing her in jail and out of a job. good evening. thanks for joining us. i'm wendy ryan. >> and i'm jamison uhler. first we're keeping an eye on the tropics. the models that you can see on the storm all over the place. really not in agreement on anything. >> yeah. but we're hoping to find more tonight. let's check in with chief meteorologist denis phillips for a look at that. >> yeah. i think things look better now than they did this time yesterday. you still have a system that is pretty ragged. the hurricane center has gone down to 70% likely of development. it is a 50/50 shot over the next five days. recon flies in steadily. we continue to get new information. and that will help the model data become more accurate. in terms of the low center itself, this is the key to everything. it's nowhere near the thunderstorms.

of circulation surrounded by storms, you don't have a tropical system. over the next day or two, it's a possibility. the closer we get to this, the less likely this will be an issue for southeast florida and only a limited issue for us. even with futurecast right through saturday afternoon at 5:00, you don't see much of a closed low. now, once and if it goes into the gulf of mexico, then that's another story entirely. and we will take a closer look at that in a couple minutes. >> thank you, denis. we will check back with you. breaking news right now at 5:00. a firefighter injured while battling a mobile home fire in hernando county. action air 1 live over the scene right now. the firefighter is being treated at dade city hospital. learnedmeago that the firefighter suffered a heat stro but he is sponsive and in stable condition. that's good news. we do know that area limited on fire hydrants so crews are using tankers for water supply. you can see the are several