eric waxler is live on scene right now with a look at how this is affecting that neighborhood out there. eric. >> reporter: yeah. hi, wendy. this has been going on most of the day here. the s.w.a.t. team is on the scene and trying to end this without any violence. let's show you what is happening right now. you will see many of the neighbors are residents trying will all play out. the crime tape set up here. and down further -- further down begonia street is where this is all happening. and, again, law enforcement not taking any chances, bringing the s.w.a.t. team out here. they know there is a man inside. they don't know at this point if he is armed. here is video from earlier today that we took. it's going to show you the s.w.a.t. team getting ready. neighbors say the man who lives in the home was actually arrested last year after a doe mess tuesday incident. but authorities are not identifying him because this is still an active scene. surrounding homes have been evacuated. i have talked to neighbor who's were just trying to get inside their homes after arriving home from work. they

eric waxler, abc action news. >> incredible video continuing panhandle. a drone capturing these images of the breath taking destruction caused by a tornado in pensacola. that plays out in the storms. we have seen it many times. fall on it. right next door, the other house is demolished. their own. they will jump over housing areas or they will jump over the house that you're in to destroy the house next door. that's what this tornado did. we believe it's about a two- mile wide. >> three people were injured by that tornado but their injuries are believed to be minor. >>> going in depth on severe weather here in florida. newly released data shows florida is ranked 7th in the u.s. for tornado and high wind claims in 2015. according to state farm, those claims nearly doubled last year, going from just over 2700 in 2014 to more than 4400 in 2015. and according to the national weather service, the number of tornadoes we have seen this year is three times higher than the average. you're probably getting the push alerts we sent out tornado warnings were issued fo

eric waxler, abc action news. >>> now the most accurate weather team in florida. abc action weather. >> nice day out there. but the rain is coming. hopefully it will get out of here by the weekend. >> it may. we're moving in the right direction. today, beautiful. mid-80s across the area. that's just a lovely picture. i know there are folks saying, denis, it's too early. you know, we should be about 71, 72. mid 80s. we're going to get that soon enough. you're right. the colder air will be returning. this is why. pretty decent cold front. this is the same front that southeastern georgia. the same area that spawned torn cores in mississippi -- tornadoes in mississippi last night. by tomorrow morning rain will roll in. right now upper 70s to low 80s across the viewing area. winds gusting up to 20 miles per hour in citrus county. 10 to 20 miles per hour elsewhere. a breezy night. and then tomorrow the rains roll in first thing in the morning. outside right now, tampa is checking in at 76. mostly cloudy. clearwater and st. pete clear in the upper 70s. the winds, especia

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

eric waxler tells us how you can get money without getting ripped off. student is a veteran of filling out these forms. >> the first time i did it it was confusing to me. >> reporter: there are millions of dollars in grants available but you have to know the steps to get the money. for many the biggest hurdle is filling out the application. the application involves a lot of information. it causes so many headaches they guide people through it. >> we want to make sure that every student and parent does not have to deal with the stress of completing the application. >> reporter: one problem that can lead to stress is the number of scams related. they say never pay for finding scholarships or filling out applications, watch out for claims that prompt you to by now or seemed too good to be there are several websites that offer free assistance and all kinds of help. >> don't let the process overwhelm you. just focus on it. if you need help just ask. petersburg, eric waxler, abc action news. >>> we want to take a look at the supreme court justice antonin scalia making one final visit to the

eric waxler for the new tampa bay. >> thank you, eric. >>> yesterday we had the tornadoes. right now snow adding to the big weather story. check out the cars brought to a stand still in indiana today. hard to believe they're dealing with that and we have sunny skies. flights canceled at airports look at the live misery map. the more red you see, the worse it is. dallas is a major hub. look at new york city. really seeing big delays and cancellations right now. >> holy crap, man. >> and it seems like we are seeing scenes like this every day now. tornadoes just to the south of us in port charlotte all the way to pennsylvania. about 52 tornadoes reported since tuesday. at least 7 people were dead. shay ryan was tracking it all day yesterday. what a difference 24 hours makes. >> this is actually a loop showing the last 24 hours of storm reports coming across the nation. there was so much of the nation affected by tornadoes. also wind damage and strong gusty winds. and then also as it is added in, it's the hail report and the winter weather. 431 wind reports and 45 hail reports.

life in clearwater, eric waxler, action news. >>> good evening. just a wet afternoon and evening for the area. by tomorrow morning we will see outside right now heavy rain covering most of the coastal communities. they are slowly moving inland right now. there is a a lots of green on this map. it is beginning to wind down, at least the intensity. the rain will continue for a few hours but what you will be waking up to won't be rain, it will be cold. we will give you the details coming up. >>> health officials confirming the zika virus continues to spread. the governor confirming three new cases. many of you watched the announcement live on the website. we are going to keep you informed. we are now up to 12 confirmed cases in florida. the public health emergency the gov. asking the cdc for 1000 anti- body test kits to see if people ever had zika. kits for active zika virus. with the cdc. we want to keep everyone informed. >> the governor asking the cdc to do a conference call with hospital workers to teach them about the virus. he wants that to hap

eric waxler is live for us tonight with the latest on that. eric. >> reporter: jamison, here at the citrus county school district offices, they interviewed 15 of the 40 or so student that's were at this teacher's home for an ugly sweater party on december 12th. you can see right here the written statements from those students. some of them say that she knew exactly what was going on. back in december, joes fee hosted a holiday party for her daughter and about 40 other citrus high school students. but according to a district investigation, the party was out of control. with the teacher well aware that the students were drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana. >> she talked about having a party in class? but i kind of knew because it's a high school party. i mean, it's hard to say that there's not going to be any alcohol or something there. >> reporter: a district report found she was drinking too and allegedly caught on a snap chat video wearing a student's jacket and slurring her words. the report also says that she talked with students about he

eric waxler followed him on his latest mission to make schools drug-free. >> reporter: it is not the reason you want to get pulled out of class but the newest canine along with her deputy is cleaning up schools of all kinds of drugs and paraphernalia. a marijuana, we are seeing stuff come from colorado and california. >> reporter: finding stuff like this could get a student suspended. the dog and the deputy go to one school a day. today the first stop is land o lakes, beginning with the parking lot. >> have you given a ride to anybody that does drugs? >> reporter: the dog also checks out locker rooms and classrooms, the school district says the school board supports the random searches. even if nothing is found parents are notified that the canine gets a hit. the sheriff says the goal is not to punish students but discourage them from bringing drugs to school. >> i can go to what ever school needs my dog. i will definitely bring my dog but i won't tell you where. >> reporter: when his work is tennis ball. >> it says job well done. >> reporter: now school is out and it is time -- now

eric waxler is live to explain what happened.

in spring hill, eric waxler, abc action news. >> thank you, eric. >>> right now the polk county school board is discussing the next steps they need to take to find a new leader. >> the superintendent resigned amid controversy. ryan raiche shows us why teachers are now speaking out. >> reporter: hey, guys. check it out. about two dozen teachers out here making standard requests. this sign asking for a 2% raise. others asking for fair working conditions. some teachers will tell you under catherine leroy's leadership there was a culture of fear and that's what we thant to address going forward. it's been a week and a half >> right now i'm counting four tornado warnings. and what is left of that is going to be arriving this way tomorrow morning. and the key words is what is left of that. in our opinion, there won't be really all that much. certainly nothing close to what is happening right now. now, we still have to keep our guard up. there's a slight risk according to the storm prediction center of severe weather. possibly a spin of tornadoes. a small one. maybe even gusty winds at 50, 60

. >> abc action news reporter eric waxler is live with what the fire chief is saying about it tonight. eric. >> reporter: that assistant chief's salary is $85,000 a year. we're told that he is on a planned vacation right now. but when he returns to this fire house, he could be out of a job all because of this tiny little bottle. ron jim shine was just honored with a public safety award from the rotary club. now he is facing charges for shoplifting from this 7-eleven down the street from the fire >> it's embarrassing forker department. >> reporter: the big ticket item, a bottle of 5-hour energy. the grand total, $3.29. >> it shows that he walked out of the store with the item. >> reporter: police say the manager spotted the theft monday morning and confronted jimshine outside of the store. some stores offer free mountain drinks to officers but that's where it stops. he says that he didn't mean to steal it. >> he indicated the same thing that he said in the notice to appear, that it was an accident. >> reporter: chief white says he is unaware of similar charges against jimshine but that

. >> eric waxler tells us what happened. >> go. go. go. >> this was one of the worst ambushes in the valley. >> are you hit? >> reporter: two tours in afghanistan took a total on ethan kennedy. >> when the rpb hits, i lost consciousness and i came to and everything was spinning. >> reporter: after serving 7 years in the army, he came home, suffering from post- >> jumpy, a lot of anxiety and a sense of paranoia at times. >> reporter: that's when zena came in, the therapy dog became her companion and his savior. >> always having her by my side helped. it brought down the anxiety. just look at her and immediately that goes away. >> reporter: but just as he was improving, moving forward with his life, a freak accident. while he was at work, zena ran into the street and got hit by a car. the dog couldn't be saved. >> i wasn't in a good place. that's for sure. it was very difficult. >> reporter: he never thought he would want another therapy dog. now he realizes there's a void. family members are raising money to get him another one. the sup

eric waxler shows us why the county says they can't afford it. >> a thousand feet, that's the distance from the senior living facility to a shopping plaza down the road. shouldn't be that hard to get to. try navigating this in a wheelchair. residents say they are forced into the street right here is that is always buzzy and risking their lives judge university to go to the store. cerebral palsy makes it difficult to speak for darlene but she has no trouble getting her point across. >> i want a sidewalk. are you kidding me? >> reporter: she has been asking officials to put a sidewalk here for years. those living at vista grand can safely make it to nearby stores and doctor's offices. richard even showed up to express his frustration with commissioners dragging their feet. >> this is a simple project. it's not like we're building a nuclear submarine. we're putting in a sidewalk. >> reporter: there are plans for sidewalks on both sides of quality job. but that won't be done for at least two years. commissioners say there isn't money available now but they agreed today to look for cash to

eric waxler, abc action news. >> and if you want to help, this is joey's facebook page where it charts his progress and has pictures of the interview with eric. we have links on abcactionnews.com and you can find out who to contact if you want to see if you're a match for joey. wendy. >> right now at 5:00, an 18- on bond after being accused of impersonating a doctor. this isn't the first time that he has been accused of this very crime. tonight he is also charged with grand theft and forgery. robinson was arrested yesterday afternoon at his new medical clinic after examining an undercover officer. he says it's all just a big misunderstanding. >> i'm hurt because of the accusations and the allegations but like i said this is not the first time where i've been accused and i will pursue this. when i do, you guys will know. >> robinson was cited last year for practicing medicine without a license. his grandfather tells the sun sentinel he never claimed to be a medical doctor, just a hoe list tick doctor and he had never seen any patients. >>> this plane clipped another plane as the pilot t

our eric waxler is heading there to talk to deputies. follow him on twitter to get >>> also now, pasco deputies on the hunt for this guy after a rash of car break-ins at one trinity community. they think this is the suspect that has been taking stuff from unlocked cars in the foxwood community. we're trying to confirm with deputies whether he's the only suspect or if more people might be involved. >>> 5:37. democracy 2016 -- donald trump may have the most republican delegates following his saturday win in south carolina's gop primary. >> but marco rubio certainly is not letting that stop his campaign. the florida senator crisscrossed the country yesterday holding events in tennessee, arkansas and nevada. rubio believes he will benefit most after former florida governor june better suspended his campaign. jeb bush suspended his campaign. >>> rubio getting a major hollywood endorsement from one of the wahlberg brothers two days before that state holds its caucuses. >> the other candidates, they hear marco coming, donald trump narrowing dow

. >>> eric waxler traveling to crystal river to find out how officials are keeping those manatee save despite the big crowds. >> reporter: the water here is for them even though it is only them to remain warm while the cold fronts move through. largest gathering of manatee more than 500 gathering at times floating like giant >> i think it is really pretty.>> fantastic. i love it. we don't have these in maine. >> reporter: people are able to get views from the deck and tour boats and kayakers getting as close as they can. the pickering family just got out of the water after snorkeling. >> to look next year and the water is full of manatee and his face is literally 1 foot away from yours, it is an amazing experience. >> reporter: you cannot touch them or swim after them and when it is this crowded, officials don't allow any people in the water. >> trying to find the balance is a little difficult because how many is too many to allow the creation. some of the address on a day-to-day basis. >> reporter: everywhere you look, there are manatee here. the video does not do it justice. you rea