east and south. at this point, folks, that has not happened. nothing has changed. even though you hear that term hurricane watch, which kind of gets you pretty nervous. but all you have to do is look at the track here. the projected track still is way to our north. i mean, we're not even in -- our area isn't even in the cone of uncertainty. yet, they have still extended that hurricane watch into pasco and hernando county. they have actually shifted the path more to the north, more to the west. and it will move into the bend area late. for us, impact will be by far the heaviest late tomorrow night and early thursday, with some wind although not a huge deal at this point. definitely an issue with coastal flooding and high tide on thursday. the tornado factor could definitely be an issue early on thursday morning. outside of that, i think the bulk of the heaviest weather stays to the north and rain is our biggest factor. we will take a closer look at that and tell us how much we expect for your neighborhood coming up. >> thank you, denis.

getting ready for this storm. this time though another threat exists, the zika virus. >> potential problems with flooding and more standing water has the mayor promising to help avoid areas that can have zika. >> people are starting to respond to the mayor's mission. >> reporter: they really are, paul. yesterday the mayor said that he bought 5,000 more of these. they're mosquito dunks. and they are a great defense against the zika virus. he actually asked our viewers if they wanted help with enforcement. well, they did. crews were out today, even coming to this home. >> i have lived here all my life. and this is one of the fastest things that i seen them do. >> reporter: joe never expected code enforcement at his door to treat hid pond. >> we're going to three in approximately six here. >> i saw it on tv and thought it was a great idea.

today. >> reporter: joe like many people are not only worried about the storm but zika too. more water could mean nor mosquitoes. it's why the mayor just yesterday pledged city money to buy more dunks. >> they are safe for animals, for humans and for the little frogs. >> reporter: barbara riley and vince have responded to dozens of calls. >> anything that you can do preventative before the storm helps us for after the storm. >> reporter: she has worked for code enforcement for and says typically they are busy after severe weather. not this time. 43 cases of nontravel related zika in florida, including news that a tampa firefighter is one of the patients. barbara says people don't want to take chances so they are out in full force today, not only responding to calls but treating area hot spots. >> we're anticipating a lot of rain. this will be flooded.

flyers warning about the dangers of zika. the mayor also stressed the importance of taking proactive steps. >> if you have fountains, if you have planters, if you have pots, if you have tires in your backyard, please make sure that you emy the water out of those. >> reporter: now, the mayor spent about $2,000 for this last batch of these dunks. and he says that he is prepared to buy as many as he needs to. 2,000 fo price to pay to keep people safe. reporting live in tampa, i'm sarina fazan, abc action news. >> officials in pasco county say it's all hands on deck this week considering flooding in the past. the county admits millions of dollars in improvements to storm drains is needed. people are to report street flooding right away and stock up on food and water. now is the time to pick up the

locations open. hillsborough county has locations open until 9:00 tonight and tomorrow. we posted a complete list for you at abcactionnews.com. and this is also the perfect time to remind you to download our storm shield app. it will send weather warnings to your phone and tablet. it is available for apple and android phones. it is primary day here in florida. polls open until 7:00 tonight. today's primaries will determine the big match-ups in the general election in could reshape the balance of power in both the u.s. house of representatives and the u.s. senate after the polls close by the way, you can get instant results on our free mobile app and at abcactionnews.com. right now, i want to bring in our political contributor here, dr. suzanne mcmanis. we will work through the big senate races in florida that could have nationwide impact on the country. >> right. >> first up, marco rubio, doctor, he said at first he wasn't going to run.

he cleared the field. it looks like he will cruise to an easy victory but he says he may not even serve a full term. >> he is taking heat for missing votes when he was running for president. his comments today make him think that he is going to run again. not a smart thing to say when he could be heading into a competitive election. it looks like the democrat might be patrick murphy. >> patrick m in the democratic party. he looks like he will cruise to a easy victory. murphy-rubio in november. >> that's what it looks like. obviously both parties really want to hold on to that senate seat. the republicans don't want to give it to the democrats. and the democrats want it badly which is why hillary clinton will be here a lot. she wants florida's senate race to go to the democrats because all they have to pick up is five and they control the u.s.

presidential candidates to spend time in florida. a lot of people thought that she would have trouble giving the e-mail leak scandal that happened at the dnc. what is your read on this. >> she has a safe district. a lot of jewish voters. she has been there a long time. a lot of older voters in the district. conovo represents the sanders votes. we will be looking how big that is tonight to see whether the democrats have a sanders people over. >> these are the big headline races that everyone talks about. but as we know, all politics is local. the value of your vote tonight could really rest in the hyper local races, the judges, county commissions, school board districts. they all have seats up for grabs. >> it's the policies that affect persons day-to-day. i mean every one of your local officials, people complain about the schools.

board members today. how many people have had to go to court for something not necessarily a fine or something bad but to get court records, the clerk of the court. you look at the county commission. people are complaining about the roads. the county commission. the problem with the florida system is particularly with the judges and school boards, so many people didn't realize that they could vote in those races. the nonpartisans, the no party affiliation which is one-fourth of florida voters. a lot that is sad. >> the stakes are high nationwide and the local level. thank you, dr. mcmanis for joining us. we will be talking to you live on facebook tonight and through the special election coverage on abc action news. i want to pass this along. depending where you live, you can get a free ride to and from the polls. buses are offering free trips to encourage you to go out and vote. just show your voter id card to the bus driver. ashley.

attack on u.s. compounds in benghazi, libya. about 30 e-mails involving the attack are among the thousand of the e-mails recovered during the fbi's investigation into the former secretary's use of a private server. law enforcement sources say the fbi could publicly release the report on the investigation as early as tomorrow. the fbi is trying to determine if clinton and her top aides mishandled information that flowed through a private e-mail serv hillary clinton's top aide for her decision to leave her husband. making a wise decision to leave former congressman anthony weiner after another sexting scandal. four years ago a scandal forced weiner from office. because of her marriage to weiner he was in close

information. >> she is married to a guy who is uncontrollable. he is a person. and she has access to classified information. >> a new poll shows that donald trump is gaining ground on clinton. the poll finds trump trailing by just 7 points, 46 to 39%. the republican nominee will lay out his plan tore immigration in a speech in arizona. breaking news. staying on top of the latest devepm tampa. one happened on b street near the university of tampa. police tell us that home surveillance cameras caught a burglar breaking into this home. the homeowner called police and then a family member who lived nearby came over and shot the intruder. right now the suspect is in the hospital tonight. another shooting involving the hillsborough county s.w.a.t. team as part of a narcotics investigation. cops are trying to serve a

the 22-year-old attacked or threatened deputies but a member of the s.w.a.t. unit shot riggins. he is expected to survive his injuries. the man polk county sheriffs deputies have been trying to take into custody for two years for getting an 11- year-old pregnant finally faced a judge this afternoon. with the help of federal agencies. he is accused of molesting a 9- year-old girl he had access was just 11 years old. the girl gave birth last year. mendez is being held without bond. breaking news we have been following for the past hour. a lightning strike left two people hurt at leadership technology academy on madison avenue in tampa. marisela burgos just arrived at the scene. you have new information. >> reporter: yeah. this happened around 3:20 in the afternoon. so this is when students were

but you did have four teachers or four staff members who were outside this charter school that were about to walk back inside as soon as they heard thunder. and then the lightning strike happened. it actually struck one of their buildings. so that lightning was felt by two of the teachers. one was holding an umbrella. the second one was walking underneath a metal awning. both of the teachers were sent to the hospital to be checked out. the principal tells me they are expected to be okay. they're going to loo dismissal plan. like i mentioned, they don't have any students outside. but now that two staff members were injured, they want to revisit that. because they have three holes in the roof of one of their buildings, they said they will not have school tomorrow. again, those two teachers are expected to be okay. reporting live, marisela burgos, abc action news.

you can call it the bark heard around citrus county. coming up, how the e relentless barking of this chihuahua may

>> new at 5:30, heroin overdoses continue to hit record numbers in manatee and sarasota county. a lot of users wind up in jail and don't get help so they get out and use again and end up back in jail. >> reporter: gino is writing a new story as a recovery coach at center stone in bradenton. >> what they don't realize is they help me as much as i help them. >> reporter: that's because he is a recovering addict. after three times through rehab, he finally got clean. he has been sober for 26 years now. and he loves seeing others defeat their addictions. >> it's painful. but when you get a success story, you hang on to it with both hands. >> reporter: sarasota county is

right now it's battling an epidemic of heroin abuse. >> we know that we can't arrest our way out of a social issue like this. >> reporter: with the armor correctional health and drug court will give some jail inmates an injection of an anti- craving medication. deputies see their best shot at helping people kick the habit is behind bars. >> you have to be clean for 7 to 10 days to get the initial jail offers, you know, obviously quite a bit more of a guarantee. >> reporter: right now drug court is working to identify people who might be a good fit for the voluntary program. inmates will get an initial injection in jail and then follow-up doses along with intensive behavior therapy once released. >> the treatment will definitely be the answer for some folks. it will be a part of the story of their journey to recovery.

the heroin problems but many are optimistic it will chip away at it and save lives. in sarasota, kera mashek, abc action news. now the most accurate weather team in florida, abc action weather. >> here we are at 5:47 on this night. we're getting more clarity about the storm. there is a hurricane watch in effect. >> there is. the main reason is the hurricane center at this point, we're still not looking at it's better safe than sorry. >> sure. they don't want the tampa bay area to think if this blew up unexpectedly that we didn't have any warning. nothing has changed in the forecast. take a deep breath. because the first thing that you see on your app, part of your bay area is under a hurricane watch. what happened to rule number 7. what happened to we're not freaking out. we're not. at this point in time, the

through. we have a southerly fetch. we will see bands of rain roll on through the next couple of days. no changes there. temperatures right now 70s to low 80s. we will have a lot of clouds and heat. this is what we're expecting in terms of our impacts over the next 48 hours. heavy rain. definitely a flood potential in the areas that usually flood. pasco county, parts of pinellas county. now, we will throw out the possibility of a minor surge citrus. we're talking a foot or two. not a big issue. it will coincide with high tide of the month. so there could be coastal flooding. rainfall up to 10 inches. there will be some spots that could see 6 to 10 inches of rain. that too was expected. now, tornado threat on thursday, this is something that we will keep our eyes on. no doubt we will have a tornado watch for much of the area starting maybe tomorrow night. and it would likely be west of

let's get into this. satellite picture shows exactly what we're thinking. southerly wind bringing in all of this moisture. so from now until thursday afternoon, you will have rain off and on. and as is usually the case with the tropical system, some of it will really come down. you're going to look out the window and it will be hard to see. five minutes later it will be sunny. with the tropical system, it happens even more so. throw in the gusty winds. not so much the case tonight early tomorrow. but the heavy rain will be coming in off and on. in terms of timing it out, it's impossible. you have to assume that you can run into downpours at any point in time through thursday. we know the rain is coming. let's go through wednesday morning and into the afternoon. more rain. we could get two to three inches of rain in an hour in our thunderstorms. so imagine with us dealing with this for the next 36 hours. so a 10-inch rainfall is not out of the question. luckily we haven't had a ton of rain the last few weeks.

saturated. for a period of time, there's someplace for the water to go. when you see this for that period of maybe 36 hours, there won't be anyplace. it will be an issue. then by tomorrow night, while there could be a break for a period of time, you're going to have a persistent on shore flow. this is the problem with flooding. water is going to push in. and when it come there's at high tide, especially on thursday as the storm gets stronger, even though it's well to our northwest, at least that's the forecast, it will push water in and that could create coastal flooding. this is the leading edge of the rough stuff. thursday morning, 8:00, it begins to roll in. this is when i think we see a tornado watch for our northern and central counties. if you live down south antero, you won't see nearly as much. but in terms of the track, and this is what is very interesting. yes, we are under a hurricane watch. it's the pasco-pinellas border along the coast north.

depression. we think it will strengthen. what is very interesting, look at the track. okay. it comes up. this is more to the west than it was earlier. so while the track has shifted northwest -- check this out when we go close. this area is not even in the cone of uncertainty. and yet it's part of that hurricane watch. and, again, in my opinion, it's just better safe than sorry. nothing wrong with that. if we have a storm still not forecast to be a hurricane, that's officially. but as we have been saying a while, the last ten days, you get this thing in the gulf of mexico with a lot of warm water, it can turn into something quickly. while the track is turning away from us and will continue to do so for the next 12 hours or so, we believe there's still the possibility of rather gusty winds across the northern counties. i will say it again, right now and we will worry about what will happen tomorrow, right now the forecast calls for heavy rain, the possibility of some flooding, especially late tomorrow night and into thursday. and then things begin to taper

the weekend when things get back to normal. action news at 5:00 continues after this.

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>> and much, much more coming up new and next on abc action news at 6:00. >> here is a look at the top stories up next. >> reporter: more than 4,000 bags of so these folks are prepared. what the city of st. pete plans to do to get ready for the storm coming not next. >> reporter: could be love, could be loyalty. up next, what this rescue dog

>> live from the station taking action for you, this is abc action news. >> it's a race against time. tropical weather bearing down on the bay area over few days. new at 6:00, the last-minute push to make sure our streets are prepared for potential flooding. thanks for joining us. i'm wendy ryan. >> and i'm jamison uhler. tropical depression 9 is moving through the gulf and prompting hurricane and tropical storm watches for pasco, hernando and citrus counties. >> denis phillips going over the newest models. he joins us now with what to expect. >> it has been a crazy hour. even though we have a tropical

maybe they will name this at 5:00, they didn't but they issued a hurricane watch. how is that possible? there's a couple of things going object. nothing has changed in terms of the track. in fact if anything the track is a little more away from us with this advisory. so why the change? here is why. a little blow-up over the last couple of hours. first of all, we're seeing some of this getting its act together and maybe even a little more center. this has not been a well defined tropical system. outside chance maybe a new center could develop more to the north and east. it's not expected but it's a slight possibility. in fact, if you take a closer look here, this is that track. this is the official track from the hurricane center. okay. earlier on at 11:00, it went about here. now it has moved away. never expected to be more than 65 miles per hour winds. here is the biggest thing.

it barely clips our northern part of citrus county. if you were looking at the cone of uncertainty, we're okay. yet that hurricane watch extends down to the pasco county line border. why is that? it's simple. what if we're wrong. what if this went more to the south and stronger. if that were the case, you have to have people in the tampa bay area at least facing the possibility that something worse could happen. are no. do we expect any changes in terms of what we're expecting tomorrow and thursday? no. this is a watch. it means it's something we're keeping our eyes on. at this point in time the track is still north. this is still a rain and flooding event for us. but tornadoes and some gusty winds up north will still be an issue. we will look at that coming up in a couple of minutes. >> we will see you shortly, denis. breaking news in hillsborough county. the leadership technology academy confirming in the last