be safe than sorry. let me give you a lay of the land on the mosaic property. if you look past the smokestack, beyond the smokestack, a mile or two miles from where we're standing right now is where the sink hole opened up. far away but for many too close to home. for this mother, those days of grabbing a glass of water from the kitchen sink are on hold. >> the first thing that comes to your nd when you hear radioactive >> reporter: even if the water is safe, she struggles to believe them, knowing that her well, some 300 feet deep, is just a few miles from the massive crater where 250 million gallons of toxic water is spewing into the ground. >> i'm concerned. are my kids going to get sick? >> reporter: today mosaic tried to temper nerves. >> if you had kids that lived three miles away, would you let them drink the water. >> yes, i d. the water is safe to drink and

up three weeks ago under one of the radioactive ponds. the water is used in the process of making fertilizer it drowned down a hole that stretches 300 feet deep all the way to the aquifer. mosaic activated a recovery well to catch the nasty water and has a network of monitoring stations. >> we're ensuring that we are capturing all of it. >> reporter: it hasn't flowed away from the immediate area. >> do you buy that. >> i do not. >> reporter: try telling that community. where suddenly bottled water feels like a safer bet. although mosaic did not go public with the sink hole until thursday, they notified the state back in august when it happened. they say there is no are i can to the public. neighbors feel that's up for debate. >> it's an ongoing joke in mulberry, never catch the fish that you catch because they

>> reporter: now, back here live, i want to show you a live look from action air 1 of the sink hole on mosaic's property. every neighbor that i talked to out here would like mosaic to come out to their property to test their well water and pay for a test to prove that it's safe. i'm still waiting to hear by from mosaic and if they would agree to something like that. what happens in ex? the sink hole that you're looking at is not safe for a person, a worker to actually walk to so next week sometime they're going to build a rig and draw a line from one end to the other and drop a piece of equipment down into that hole to measure this crater. and at that point, probably the following week, they will come up with a plan of correction to fill the sink hole. live in polk county tonight, ryan raiche, abc action news. >> thank you, ryan. and going in depth on mosaic, here is what the company does every day. essentially mosaic mines phphate and other nutrients

it is the largest supply of phosphate. it has three plants in florida. many of you out there are taking to our website to ask how the sink hole at the mulberry plant will affect your families and if you're concerned, leave us a good question on this special entry form right here. it's on this story. head to our website and click on the sink hole story to check it out. jamison. >> we're learning of more money to virus fight in florida. $10million in state funding will be used to keep it from spreading. it will train mosquito officers, improving lab equipment and buying zika detection kits. governor scott is frustrated more money is not coming from the federal government to pass a zika virus funding bill. researchers at the university of florida will be on their way

there. the school received a $2 million grant to help understand the risk to florida. now to the race for the white house. donald trump's big about face. >> that's right. he was one of the main voices of the so-called birther movement. just today trump reversing course on that issued that launched his political career. >> president barack obama was born in the united states. period. >> yeah. this is the first time trump has opponent hillary clinton tearing into him on twitter, saying he, quote, spent years pedaling a racist conspiracy and simply cannot take back what he said. now the most accurate weather team in florida, abc action weather. >> all right. hit or miss storms across the area right now. we've got quite a bit of heavy rain across palm harbor and into the clearwater beach area. right around honeymoon island

heavy downpours. also to the north and into timber pines. just to the east of hernando beach. this is headed southeast. so we are going to continue to see those hit or miss showers and storms throughout this evening. in fact, some of them will be lingering as late as midnight. it's not terribly widespread. we just have the isolated hit or miss storms. again, very typical for our type of weather. nothing surprising out there. we have the chance for showers and storms off and on through midnight tomorrow on the dry side. i'll show you the timing of the rain as we head through the weekend coming up the 7-day forecast. >> thank you, shay. new at 5:00, we're hearing from the woman who made a gruesome discovery all of the courtney campbell causeway. they have no clue who left the animal carcasses near the roadway. ryan smith tells us the most disturbing part about this

dead, some were left beheaded and left right here behind me along this north access road on the courtney campbell causeway. we learned today in light of all of this, a team of volunteers will be on-site tomorrow for a coastal clean-up to beautify this same area where the deadly discovery was made this week. the causeway is a hot spot for recreation. >> it's a good cycling run. there's no traffic to speak of. you have a couple of little mileage. >> reporter: a place known for beautiful scenery was the dumping ground for an ugly act. >> i was just beyond this red truck here. and that's where i came upon the three chickens. >> reporter: animal advocate lisa heyworth made a discovery this week. >> they're dismembering these animals. >> reporter: she found

courtney campbell causeway, also a duck, goat and bird. >> there was a big load of animals from goats to ducks to rooters and other chickens. there was probably at least 12 in that spot. >> reporter: leaving causeway regulars like brad sharp on edge. >> that really sickens me to be honest. disheartening to know that someone is hurting animals intentionally. >> reporter: investigators question whether this was a sacrifice religious inspired ceremony. >> even if it is of some sort, you can't dump a carcass in a public place like that. that is a health problem. >> reporter: and tampa police saying this suspect could face an animal cruelty charge. we want to mention the law allows in some cases animal sacrifices for religious ceremonies. of course dumping the carcasses here in a popular and public location is of course illegal. live in tampa, ryan smith, abc

temporary compromise to keep their drivers on the road in hillsborough county. mandatory fingerprinting and background checks is the sticking point. uber says they will do criminal background checks to make sure that they don't have acts of violence pasts. but the fingerprint would have to be voluntary. uber says the proposal is similar to laws in 3 states and florida communities. they're waiting to hear ba itt tech is officially no more. the group of for profit colleges shutting down all of its operations. just last month, federal education officials banned itt tech from enrolling new students financial aid, causing campuses in tampa and beyond to shut down. a lawsuit from former students who say the school did not give them enough warning about the closures is still pending. updating you now on this

mosque. authorities are investigating whether joseph schriever was part of a conspiracy. a deputy investigating the fire at the islamic center says that schriever was speaking to someone on a cell phone moments before the building went up in flames. he is a former convict. he told the associated press that he thinks he is intellectually capable of plotting the blaze and must have been put up to it. he says he didn't mean to anyone. 25 pounds of marijuana found inside of an elaborate grow operation in the middle of a brandon neighborhood. at last check the homeowner is still in jail. authorities searched the home yesterday and found dozens of marijuana plants and an illegal electric line, stealing more than $4,000 worth of electricity. he is facing grand theft, drug possession and drug trafficking charges.

pomp and circumstance for a new york police officer hurt while trying to ward off a man wielding a meat clever. new details on the efforts that it took to subdue the attacker. a jaw-dropping case of overcrowding. 60s students packed in a single classroom. the reason this school says it's not necessarily a bad thing. hundreds of jobs, paid training, and you can even learn how to save lives. how you can become one of the cadets with the

>> new developments in the case of an accused serial killer. a judge setting bail at $1 million for gray. he was arrested for kidnapping one of his victims lead police to the home. and they found two bodies buried in the backyard. gray confessed to killing a wambach in june but was somehow allowed to go free. a police officer shot and killed king en hpulled a bb gun from his waistband. the coach says he feels lucky that he got to know the teen and wishes the situation ended differently.

have happened. -- never would have happened. >> his sister is coming to grips that he is gone forever. police are responding to an armed robbery call when they encountered him in an alley. they are hoping that a brand-new hand washing campaign will combat the hand foot and mouth disease there. there are no new cases of this infection since the start dozen patients reported it to the health center. doctors are still on th lookout for more potential cases since hand foot and mouth disease actually has a three- day incubation period. hundreds of positions up for grabat county police department with paid training. how you can take advantage of those portunies. ashley yore explains how you can start earning a salary almost right away. where's >> sheriff's office. make yourself known.

corner. >> reporter: is getting used to making after nearly eight months training to be a deportation i and it's time that he is being -- to be a deputy. and it's time that he is being paid for. >> not having to have the second job to pay the bills is beneficial. >> single file rows. >> reporter: right now they have 120 deputy detention positions open. paid t first steps to landing one of those spots. >> if not, i would have to work full-time so i can at least pay all of my bills. this way i can concentrate on the academy. >> reporter: cadets say when they get here fear a two-week orientation program, instructors set strict rules. that's also the day that pay and benefits start. >> we feel we are part of the team already. >> reporter: the sheriff's office has had a lot of

still put a record seven classes through the academy this year and plan on another seven next year. >> they don't need any experience. just a desire to serve the community. >> reporter: something that these men and women, now three weeks away from graduation. >> i'm covering. you clear right. >> reporter: all share. >> you definitely have to prove yourself. but it's a career. it's a calling. and i think we're all excited to be here. >> reporter: the link you need to apply is on our website. in h now the most accurate weather team in florida, abc action weather. >> well, shay, it's finally the weekend. >> yeah. it is the last weekend for summer, right? >> yes. >> and it's going to feel like summer. >> and it's going to feel like summer. >> you know what, we actually have a cold front headed through next week. >> fantastic. >> not terribly strong. >> oh. >> but you might notice it for like 15 minutes in the morning next week. i'll show it to you. >> okay. >> we will take what we can get

coming up. typical summer weather. sunshine on one side, storms on the other. that is exactly what i'm seeing on the radar right now. dry across hillsborough county. but into pinellas county, we do still have heavy downpours trying to work their way off shore ou clearwater. now, we still have heavy rain as well in manatee county, across i-75. that is the one major road that has some heavy rain across it. also across north po across i-75 there. and inland, showers and storms. we're not looking at a ton of rain right now. but if you are going to be out between now and midnight, that's your best chance of seeing any rain throughout the rest of the day. after that, we will be drying out. as we take a look at the conditions across tampa and clearwater and st. pete right now, reporting mixed skies, a mixture of clouds and sunshine still out there. none of our reports stations at

it is hit and miss. typical florida style, right? let's take a look at futurecast. as we go hour by hour, you can see 5:00. and this is about what we have seen on the radar. the lighter green tones is where the rain isn't reaching the ground. it's just hit or ss. and this continues through 8:00. we may even have heavier downpours after the sun sets. and you can see it's working its way across the state right now. then we will see ili even through to. it's very isolated. don't be overly surprised if you are out and get caught by a heavier downpour all the way through to midnight. then as we wake up tomorrow morning, if you wake up at 8:00 inpefully you get a chance to sleep in later than that. if you get up early and head out for a bike ride or jog early in the morning, things are looking good as we start the day. by noon, we start to see the showers at least trying to bubble up.

bit more widespread. the beaches are looking dry around 5:00, if this verifies with the locations. remember, this is a guide. it's not the rule. but at least showing you that we have the best chance for rain after noon, especially away from the beaches, away from i-75. so backyard forecast, if you're planning on taking a dip in the pool, mainly afternoon showers and storms. i do think that some of the heaviest rain will set up south and east of tampa bay tomorrow. that's what the other models are show of good dry hours. let's talk about julia for a minute. not that we will see a tropical system headed our way any time soon. one thing to keep in mind is that the storm is back to a tropical storm. remember it was a depression and starting to peter out. no it has come back to life. over the next couple of days, it will circle around here in the atlantic off shore from the carolinas. after that, after it dissipates, we may end up getting moisture back in our

approaches. also we have karl out there. at this point it's no threat to to us. it will hook north. i'm watching it now. too much time between now and then to know for sure. rain chances reasonable over the weekend into early next week. we may see some of the moisture from the remnants of julia, combining with the cold front that isn't very strong. and then that will help to give us a better chance for rain monday th that 74 and 75 degrees there, that is where you will feel what is behind the front. slightly drier air. all right. so that's florida's most accurate 7-day forecast. back to you. she told me, she said, mommy, there's 60 kids in my class. i thought she was exaggerated. >> that was the reality. dozens of kids crammed into a single classroom. the one central thing that many of the kids don't have and the

says this is not necessarily a bad thing. plus a man suffering from a debilitating disease reunites with the van that he depends on. the place it was found and the

>> it's a math problem parents in detroit hope gets solved soon. >> schools so overcrowded that some kids don't sit in. after hearing her daughter's complaints, one mom saw the problems firsthand. these are the pictures she took. her daughter's class packed with 60 kids. some students are using garbage cans as desks and others t don' even have a proper place to sit. >> some were sitting on chairs and some were sitting on the table by the teacher. >> this is a disjustice to the kids and the teachers and it hurts me that they find it's

>> the school district is working to reorganize classes to fix the overcrowding but the overstuffed classes are a good sign that enrollment is up. two college students expelled over controversial posts unsocial immediate that many call ratist. they posted this picture on snapchat on tuesday. they're wearing a skin care mask with a racially charged message. >> we want people to know not black face. i mean, not that this is a good thing but the word happens in our friend group because we know that everyone is calling -- >> also we're -- we're a big family. so that word does not offend anyone in our group. >> lots of people were offended and the school expelled them. one of the girls in the video posted a public apology on facebook saying, quote, we never intended for the picture to offend anyone.

into the ground. but one thing people who live near the huge sink hole to put their minds at ease. >> my dad and the legal papers don't change anything. >> a surprise seen around the world today. the family at the center of the video talk about e obstacles they overcame to get to this

>> live from the station taking action for you. this is abc action news. >> i'm paul lagrone. i'm laura harris. we are still monitoring this huge enormous sink hole at the knawels mosaic facility in mulberry. we learned that the hole could be as deep as 300 feet. the big concern about all of this, as you can imagine, it's

slightly radioactive water to seep into the ground. families who live near the mosaic facility want mosaic to test their well water to make sure it's not impacting their water supply. and geologists say the sink holes are windows into the aquifer. tonight, this is an open wound in the water supply. a live look from action air 1. see how wide the walls of the sink hole are. that's an indication to a geologist that this happened very fast and deep sink hole. 300 feet we're learning in fact before we came on the air. also let me show you why our aquifer is so vulnerable. because florida sits on a giant bed of limestone. that limestone is really kind of like the swiss cheese of rock. coming up tonight at 6:00, i will show you exactly how the radioactive water is penetrating the limestone and leaking right into the aquifer. meanwhile, brand-new here at