. >> reporter: you see when the florida department of transportation rececfigured i-95 to add the express lanes, they shrunk thshoulder. so trooper sanchez had to follow the driver of this camry for miles to try to find a safe place to stop him. >> regular traffic stop on here in my opinion, i think, is dangerous. >> the reason why i stopped you, you can't cut in the express lanes. >> reporter: even after the traffic stopped sanchez is uneasy. take a look at how close its patrol car is traffic. >> i'm in a dangerous situation here. >> you spoke with the florida department of transportation. >> reporter: the attorney represents stephanie blossom. he says a million dollars a year is spent replacing damaged and missing plastic polls. care has created an online petition calling for state lawmakers to fix the express lanes. >> well, he created a dangerous condition when he put in these polls so they are aware that people are diving in and out of the express lane. >> is d.o.t. surprised at the people abusing it or -- >> yes, i think a lot of people are surprised. >> reporter: the florida depart

>>reporter: you see with the florida department of transportation reconfigured i-95, they shrun the shoulder so the trooper had to follow thedriver of this camry for miles to try to find a safe place to stop him. >> making a traffic stop out here for me and every other officer, in my opinion, i think it's dangerous. stopped you is you can't cut in the express lanes. >>reporter: even after the traffifi stops, sanchez is uneasy. take a look how close his patrol car is so traffic. >>reporter: you've put the florida dertment of transportation on notice. >> he says $1 million a year is spent replacing damagessed and missing plastic polls. >> when they created a dangerous condition when they put in these polls so they are aware that people are diving in and out of the express lanes. >>reporter: is dot surprised at the people abusing it? >> yes. i think a lot of pple are surprised. >>reporter: the florida department of transportation has hired more troopers to deal with bad behavior in the express lanes. burger says there's no room for a permanent wall. >>reporter: do you remember that to make the

those officials for those families dah sats deceased. >> the florida department of transportation took down part of their memorial flights and now when they were memorializing their loved ones. according to the florida department of transportation, they had everyone sign a form that basically says you can have the metal marker there that says drive safely and letting people know that you have a loved one that died there but when you add somebody else, they feel for these families but it's something they have to keep up. if you could have this kind of stuff that's not on the right of way and it's back further on property, then you might be okay but at this point, they say the families will not be allowed to put their stuff back. >> and osceola county, a mother and daughter arrested, charged with prostitution and child neglect, among other things. >> osceola narcotics agents say they work undercover and located an ad that this duo posted on line. woman in her residence and that's when the mother and daughter got the pair, allegedly solicited them for sex. they found drugs and drug pair f

the florida department of transportation opened a interstate in january causing major backups. they quickly closed the section between lois and armania avenues to open a new lane and an auxiliary lane. drivers certainly noticed. >> it was perfect. i was able to get here and at least 20 minutes less than what i normally do. it was great. >> reporter: we ran into jd o'neal again today. >> i extended my driver here by about 30 minutes. >> reporter: drivers are glad to see the free flowing traffic knowing their commutes into downtown tampa just got a lot easier. >> i want to get to work and come home as soon as i can. >> reporter: even with the reduced congestion, construction continues and drivers should use caution. and 8 on your side will continue to monitor this stretch of highway and bring you updates throughout the coming weeks and months. reporting on i-275 in tampa, >>> high winds caused the spectacle at oklahoma city eke lace hefner. forecast called for winds of 10 to 15 miles an hour with gusts up to 23 miles an hour. >>> and we know all about the high winds. they have be

. >> two flagler county families upset with the florida department of transportation. the families say fdot removed enemies they put up for -- memorials they put up for lost loved ones and never toll the families. >> in july tyler tracy was driving north in his truck when witness says he was cut off, his truck flipped and crashes here. day later his family set up this memorial. >> tyler tracy was 21 when he died. he and his wife tied the knot a few weeks before the accident. >> we had a honeymoon plan, >> brianna tracy helped create titler's memorial. every month she brings her two-year-old daughter here so she can leave a balloon for her daddy. >> we keep one balloon here, and then we let one balloon go and she writes on it. >> yesterday brianna got a call from a friend saying most of the memorial was gone, renee bethel also got a call. >> i was devastated yesterday, absolutely devastated. >> her son's memorial was picked apart. hi was killed while riding a motorcycle in 2012. >> my son had a tattoo of a sprocket because he rode motocross his whole life, on his arm, a

traffic. 3 the grant providing the overtime for the extra enforcement is coming from the florida department of transportation. 3 and check out this scary crash, for a garbage truck drove off a highway bridge... plunging dozens of feet to the road below. this was on i-95 near little havana. the truck fell one *hundred feet down to a parking lot--narrowly missing a rec center and a swimming pool. the driver actually *survived this. he was rushed to the hospital in serious condition. 3 3 one of the best beaches in america just got an upgrade. and today... we're getting the first look, at the changes. siesta key in sarasota county is going through a 21 million dollar improvement project. this includes the historic pavillion, pedestrian walkways and the playground. the media will get a preview of the upgrades today... and there will be a formal grand opening this saturday. and it's not like the beach *needed much help. last year, "trip adviser" ranked it the number one beach in the u-s. and back in 20-11... "doctor beach" also gave it his *top honor. 3 3 3 3 if you don't already have it .. now's a good time to do

of south florida. thank you for coming in. >> so much has been said, descriptions of the project. how does the florida department of transportation describe the tampa express project? what is it? >> it's a great transportation improvement project specifically on the interstates. it's so draw traffic to the interstates to use for the through movements. it's about 50 miles of express lanes which will be tolled lanes. st. pete up to fowler avenue in north tampa. and it also -- on i-275. it also going out i-4 to east of i-75. >> we have heard from some of the residents who are concerned about it, and so the question that we have is why does the florida department of transportation feel this will benefit the tampa bay area? >> there are 180,000 trips a day on the interstate. many of us experience the backups on a regular basis. these lanes give people an alternative. if they choose to pay a toll they can to get to where they're going probably a little quicker than if they are on the general purpose lanes. >> the meetings, you had one last night and there's three more. what is the expectation? do people go and they can ask questions? t

the florida department of transportation has closed southbound lanes of 17/92 between park and monroe avenues. construction crews are working under the railroad bridge to replace concrete with asphalt. another route takes drivers from maitland boulevard to i-4. both will put cars back on 17/92 many drivers who use the road to avoid traffic are bracing for delays. >> try to miss an accident on i-4 is to head to 17/92. if southbound lanes are closed, who knows what -- travel goes. i have no alternate route to get to where i'm going. >> you can see thebackup next to park avenue. this is where we are seeing cars next to that road closure. it is going to be closed all the way until 6:00 in the morning on monday, through the weekend. if the project is not complete, they'll have another weekend closure on friday the 19th. >> remember, when you are on the go, you can check the traffic out any time from your smart phone. download our app from your app store, search wkmg. >> following news in flagler county where two people have been killed in a freak accident. we just got the details on this i

plans open suing the florida department of transportation claiming t tse orange ploos tick polls on i-95 have created a danger zone. >> neki: you meept ones people run i io. >> todd: uh-huh. >> neki: these pole are supposed to separate the general lanes from the multi purpose lanes but many are ignoring them and driving oample them and the vults already been deadly. >>> >> a very large suv crossed over the orange cone thing in front of a car. >> thehe orange poll did nothing to stop the driver from driving out of express lanes and right into the path of stephanie blossom o eye slammed onn my brake and could sort of feel the car spinning out and it was pure terror. watch the driver of this white lincoln cut through a gach missing plastic poles right into the path of of an only coming suv an then this video caught on over and over o. the florida highway patrol he is trooper have respond to 12,192 crashes in the express lane in made county in the past three years. >> it just happens in a split second. >> claudia flesh mans was riding her harley when a driver dove into the express lanes r

well, new this morning, the florida department of transportation reminding drivers speeding is not the only way to get a ticket. if going too slow is also driving too slow. the fast lane is for fast drivers. the statewide department trying to stop slow drivers. the warning signs have popped up on all major lanes telling drivers to move out of the fast lanes if they cannot keep up with the traffic. drivers could get a ticket for a minimum of $121 if they do not follow the rules of the road. the florida highway patrol says there's always an exception, though, like anytime with >>> well, now for your local business headlines. we're going to start with a major shakeup at seaworld. members of the executive team exit stage left including the parks chief operations off and zoological officer have also left as seaworld tries to boost park business and park attendance. disney's hollywood studios in florida about to be invaded by jedis and more stormtroopers. plans were announced yesterday for a major new star wars theme stage show starting in april. then this summer a new fireworks show called

the florida department of transportation is proposing four new tollways. number 2, memorial highway. the plan is to put two express lanes here. finally, interstate 4, over to 50 torkfoz st. another plan to add express lanes. the price tag nearly 2 $.5 billion. currently none of the projects are fully funded. in coming up with funding. >> reporter: they are looking at several ideas to pay for the projects. so far they have not been able to agree on much. on the table, a sales tax, increasing the gas tax, adding mobility fees and more tolls. david wilson is on the citizens advisory committee he takes input from the community and says there are other areas that need help beyond just downtown. >> there is a difference between what the people want and what the leaders want. >> they talk about raising taxes, i am i am fine if that will help the situation. >> reporter: do you think adding tolls will help? >> toll roads are a great idea. >> reporter: one thing is for certain long lines of traffic are not going away. even if funding comes through they say it will t

florida department of transportation says there are a couple of road changes which could make your commute a little easier. i-95 southbound from u.s. 92 to state road 421 will have three lanes open and the bellview bridge is open this weekend as well. a soft opening of sorts for the newly remade bridge. some time in april. and we continue our coverage of the daytona 500 throughout the weekend. adam is live track-side at 10:00 and will have full coverage of today's xfinity race and fox 35 is live at the speedway, tomorrow morning, starting at 8:00 a.m. as we take "good day orlando" on the road. then the daytona 500 is live, on fox at 1:00 p.m >> a news alert. the suspect in a taxi driver robbery in orange county is identified. he is wanted in the monday robbery of a taxi driver. investigators a the driver picked her up and traveled to several locations before she pulled out a gun and robbed him. she took off on foot near washington street and north orange blossom trail. if you have information call crime line. details are ee merging after a ship sunk. parts of the boilers were and needed to

. >> the florida department of transportation said any reading of 66 or higher is loud enough to qualify for a noise wall. that's what willholt wants. he send this e-mail to fdot. they replied thanking him for his interest but told him the area did not meet the criteria for a noise wall. >> i think i'm getting blown off. and said they won't install a noise wall because a study done 20 years ago said there isn't a need for one. that came out before these homes existed. >> you can see that mound of dirt. that's because road crews have already started working on this road widening project. the man who lives behind that brick wall said he will consider moving within the next 6 months. for now in clermont in lake county, mike manoni, channel 9, eyewitness news. >>> another billboard aimed at spreading facts about islam has popped up in orlando. you can see the sign has a website and hot line so people can learn more about muslims. it's part of a nationwide campaign to spread the message about islam. we first told you about the billboards like this when they began appearing along i-4. >>> a ce

chris carson with the florida department of transportation says they are studying how this crash happened. once they determine where the driver got on the highway on the wrong-way they'll make improvements necessary, possibly with eye-catching signs like these. >> we are studying these flashing signs. we put them at several locations. it is an on-going study. >> troopers are investigating whether alcohol was a factor in this crash. it could be weeks before they get results from toxicology tests. >>> it was two years ago this week when four usf fraternity brothers lost their lives in a wrong-way crash. they were not at fault. a driver hit their car drive south on i-275. 10 news wants to make sure everyone will drive sober. head to wtsp.com and download the parent teen contract making it clear you will not tolerate drunk driving. >>> florida is taking more action against zica virus as new cases pop up around the state. there are now 20 cases of zica. three of them in hillsborough county all travel-related. tonight the state is launching a hotline to take your questions. it is for you, touri

the florida department of transportation will work in the southbound lanes to replace concrete slabs with asphalt. detours leave drivers from lake avenue to wymore road and back around the construction site. some drivers are feeling the impact. already the time because they say they have added signs around the site saying business access is open after some expressed concern about the closure happening over valentine's day weekend. they assured us drivers will be able to get to restaurants and shops using sidestreets. some drivers say they are steering clear or not b it's not comfortable but i use them to get home and work. it's just to avoid 79 >> others say they will have inconvenience >> i have to go out of my way >> drivers will take this road , lee road as a get back on 217 92. the southbound lanes will be back open at 6:00 am on monday. >> the same detour will be set up next weekend at 1792 on friday the 19th.crews will be ou out today to finish repairing the ground and rode around where the break happen. city leaders say the road is expected to reopen next time today. they are

the florida department of transportation has closed southbound lanes of 17/92 wean park and monroe avenues. construction crews are working under the railroad bridge to replace concrete slabs with asphalt. detours lead southbound drivers from lame to wiemer and back around on lee road. another route takes drivers from maitland to i-4. both will put cars back on 192. many drivers who use the road to avoid traffic are bracing for delays. >> try to miss an accident on i-4 is to head to 17/92. southbound lanes are closed in the morning, it will exact how our travel goes. i have no alternate route to get >> the southbound lanes back open at 6:00 in the morning on monday. we'll see how that goes. if this project is not complete at that point, the same detour will be in place next weekend, starting friday the 19th. >> thanks. remember, when you are on the go. check the traffic any time from your smart phone. download our mobile app. >> and new this morning, we now know the name of the man who was killed in a motorcycle crash. troopers say julio serta was driving near brighten lakes in kissimmee la

of road projects underway in florida right now. back here live, a spokeswoman with the florida department of transportation tells 8 on your side that the project should be finished over the summer and. on wfla.com. so obviously many people interested in the story, particularly the one tidbit of when it will be finished and. again, we are told sometime over the summer. let's hope so. >> i'm sure they're clicking on it and then becoming infew rated because they've been stuck in -- infuriated because for such a longtime. man about a shooting in tampa. news channel 8's adrienne updates for us. is involved? >> reporter: good morning, gene. well, i just checked in again with an officer, a supervisor here at tampa police. he's telling me, still no arrests but they'll not call this person a suspect. instead, they just think that he might know something about what happened that night. i do want to go ahead and pull up his picture so you can get a better look. here he is, officers tell us that they don't even know his name. the picture also extremely difficult to make out but you can tell that he has a beard. one of the reasons so many are c

for morenformation >> janine: a aouth florida woman perhaps on suing the florida department of transportation claiming the orange plastic poles on i-95 have created a danger zone. >> victor: those poles are eds supppped to separate the express lanes from the general purpose labs but a lot of people ignore them, drive right over them, and the end results have been deal. even troopers who are supposed to enforce the law say 31st huge problem. long investigar jeff weinsier hits the highway. >> a very large suv crossed over those little orange cone things right in front of my car. >> jeff: these orange plastst poles did absolutely nothing to stop another driver from simply diving out of express lanes right into the pathf stephanie blossom. >> i slammed on my brakes. i could sort o feel the car spinning out and it was just you're pure terror. >> jeff: watch the driver of this white lincoln cut through a right into the path of an oncoming suv, and then there is this video caught on dash cam, showing what has happened over and over. the florida highway patrol says troopers have responded to 12,192 c

. >> our goal is to have it done by 2020 because at that time, florida department of transportation is looking at doing the 60/275 howard franklin interchange so we hope to be a reliever to that >> reporter: the idea is to take regional drivers off of gandy, fun them on the overhead lanes and keep local traffic on the surface street. are you going to fight it? we may lose. >> reporter: the civic concerns. how the project looks, how it could affect businesses and if it will really help. >> we only have congestion on that road over there for about four hours a day. >> reporter: two and two, right? >> yeah, that's 20 hours a week. >> reporter: the civic association calls this the area's main drag and he says he's heard from some businesses and some that say really concerned that it's going to cut down on customers. the expressway authority has been sending people out to talk to some of the businesses. time line for this, plans perhaps by the end of 2017 and perhaps ground breaking by the end of the that year and -- end of that year and perhaps back to you. >> all right. we appreciate it.

so the florida department of transportation hopes that things are finished here over the summer. so at this point, we have to wait and see. >> this has to be infuriating for the commuters that sit in the traffic over there. all right, thanks, ryan. >>> developing this morning, it shooter in a deadly rampage inside a tampa strip club. right now, police want to talk to the this man you're looking at on the screen. he was at the club the night of the shooting and is considered a person of interest. they think he might know more about what happened. >> news channel 8's adrienne pedersen is tracking the case live from tampa police headquarters this morning. sounds like officers are being careful in how they word this. >> reporter: oh, that's exactly right. good morning gayle and gene. in fact, they don't want to call the person a suspect, just someone they're interested in talking to. let's take a look here. it's not exactly easy to see but this is the person we are talking about. and we are spreading this message today on social media. i do want to go ahead and show you this video ag

we go along with the florida department of transportation to make sure that the bridges stay >> 7-hour standoff in hernando county is over. the man who barricaded himself inside the home surrendered to the s.w.a.t. team. that is new video of him being the sheriff's office says he wasn't hurt. he was arrested last year after an incident in the home but authorities are not identifying him yet. it went on for most of the day there on begonia street. >>> this sign says please be aware that certain staff members can can be legally armed and use whatever force is necessary to protect our students. a principal in the town of okay won't say which staff members are armed but they go through the same background checks and training as armed security gars. this option makes sense and many parents and teachers agree. >> it may not be a solution for bigger schools. but it is what fits for our school district. >> school leaders say the firearms stay with the licensed carrier or locked up at all times. >>> a 74-year-old polk county criminals could be trying to turn you into an unsuspecting drug mule.

and hats off to the florida department of transportation for getting it opened early. because it wasn't supposed to open until an hour from now but already they're reopened northbound at 275. now at last check, we had the dale mabry highway off-ramp that was still blocked. so ryan hughs is live. there? >> reporter: well, leslee, good morning to you. as you mentioned, this was supposed to open up around 5:30. we got out here around 4:00 and the roadway is already open. it was under a detour. so the department of transportation could tweak the roadway. we have video that we shot from eagle 8 hd last night that showed the back-up because of the detour. apparently the department of transportation came in here and tweaked the roadway, they changed some things around. after that new alignment caused a lot of back-ups within the last four to six weeks. is reopened and the realignment that happened overnight is supposed to help alleviate traffic. we will be here throughout the morning continuing to look at the situation, specifically around 6:30 or so when traffic tends to pic

the good news, according to a press release we just got from the florida department of transportation, the lane that was closed have since reopened. so people coming into the tampa area from st. pete, the howard franklin bridge will now have extra lanes to deal with. so as you may remember over the last few week, we told you how and tacked on, to 30, -- on 20, 30, even 45 minutes on to commutes and now according to fdot, if you take another live look, things will be running more smoothly out here in the coming days so a good thing. leslee, we will be here for the morning monitoring the situation and we will certainly have the latest, especially around the 6:30 hour when things start to get hairy. back to you for now. >> and hopefully it will be nicer this morning. now that we have the extra lane due to the widening project going on. but dale mabry highway, the exit ramp still blocked. i saw it there as ryan passed through. so that should reopen soon. >>> and please hold on to the steering wheel, with both hands today, especially over the overpasses, elevated areas, skyway bridge. the

. >> reporter: the florida department of transportation with bad behavior in the express lanes, but bergeresays there's no room for a permanent wall. >>> do you believe at all that safety was compromised to make the express lanes? >> no. >> reporter: you believe it's a safe environment? >> yes, if people obey the law and drive the speed limit, then it's perfectly sasa. >> reporter: back out on the road? >> i like to ride exactly where i'm at in case someone tries to cut in. >> reporter: trooper sanchez says you can do what he does. he never drives next to the plastic poles. on i-95, jeff, local 10 news. >> calvin: the express lanes dollars in revenue. the florida highway patrol ys ere have only been 5 deadly crashes. department claims contractors replace missing poles once a week on i- and when there are gaps of @5 or more the missing gaps are replaced immediately. if you want to sign the on local 10.com. camera stealing a package from the front porch in coral gables. the woman walks to the front porch and grabs the package and stuff its inside her purse. well, this happened yesterday on southw

the spring but perhaps that will have to be changed to say the summer because the florida department of transportation an anticipates that the project will be done over the summer. at this point, we simply have to wait and see. >> you know, when drivers find out, commuters are going to be furious. all right, thanks, ryan. >>> well developing this search for a shooter in a deadly rampage inside a tampa strip club. right now, police want to the talk to this guy. he was at the club the night of the shooting and is considered a person of interest. and now they think he might know more about what happened there. >> yeah, news channel 8's adrienne pedersen is tracking the case live from tampa police headquarters this morning. sounds like officers are being careful in how they worder this. >> reporter: oh, that's for sure. good morning gayle and gene. you know, they'll not call this person a suspect. instead, they just want to talk to him. maybe he has more information. so we did print out his picture here. you can see it. it is a little bit grainy, tough to make you the out but they're hoping someone will r

. >>> 8 on your side will keep questioning the florida department of transportation about what it's doing to stop dangerous wrong-way drivers. and now we continuously report on this deadly problem. and now we have another wrong- way driver, this time there's video the to show exactly what that looks like. news channel 8's adrienne pedersen is live on i-275 this adrienne, this puts so many innocent people trying to go to work, trying to take the kids to school, whatever at risk. here. gene. i mean, i can tell you, i i think about this every day on my way to work and try to keep -- you, i think about this every day on my way to work and fdot promises they are trying to do something. take a look at this wrong way sign, this bottom part will flash if someone is getting on the wrong way here. a lot of times we are talking about drunk drivers so do they even notice the signs? we have to show you the latest video that really got our attention. according to deputies, that's 21-year-old ryan flurry driving the the wrong way on i-75 in sarasota county for six miles. he even almost hits a deputy. no

would expect but this ram is closed and remains closed and probably will nil until the florida department of transportation gets ts repair crews out here to assess t situation. traffic is moving southbound on i-95 prel pretty ti well. you know someone who comes home and use that exit down there where the exit to the ring backer causeway and they can work their way back to the residents and brickell and parts west n. meantime the investigation to the city of miamampolice department also involved down below because their injure is stiks on the ground there. two separate cases and of course the fire department also has to make some determinations as to exactly what transpired once this truck went over the top there. again, we reported dwhrearl one person was taken to an area hot. unknown eir condition at this time and the roadways down below on southwest 4th street and 4th avenue remaingz closed as the accident investigation continues. that's the story from here in sky force. i'm ralph rayburn reporting lili. >>> >> craig: well the shooting of # teens. one quo not survive. it would be hours before the discan

other details of what lead to the tragedy are being investigated by both fhp and osha. florida department of transportation tells wesh 2 news ensuring safety is its top priority. it claims meantime, the, sgl safety stand-down will not impact the project' s construction schedule, which concludes in 2021. a relative of the victim, marvin franklin, tells me his three children live with their mother in southwest florida. sgl constructors say this work stoppage, even if it lasts into next week, will not affect their plans to complete this project. amanda ober, wesh two news. meredith: tonight wesh 2 news investigates. we' ve learned one of the companies involved in the i-4 ultimate project is already under federal investigation after two workers died on the job a couple months ago. the occupational safety and health administration is currently investigating lane construction after an ocoee worker died in a similar manner last september when he was truck. another employee was killed in october when a wood block fell. a spokesman for sgl constructors , which lane construction is part of tells us safety is of , th

greg: the bottom line from the florida department of transportation is that is is up to the contractor to contact police departments where they are doing big jobs like this one and have them arrange for off-duty officers to patrol the area and especially in this case, you are talking about going underneath the railroad crossing bridge at 1792 in maitland. according to police, the call was not made. drivers having to depend on the light running as usual while the detour onto park avenue. some drivers have been struggling to get through the mess. patients -- patience has been worn raw as angry drivers have been trying to navigate the traffic mess in maitland. in this case, south-bound 1792 drivers trying to turn left onto park avenue, even though they don' t have the right of way. by sun up, the jam that started better. as fdot worked to lower the road under the railroad crossing bridge, the closed south-bound lanes backed up deep into maitland, slowing drivers. >> oh, it' s just aggravating. trying to get somewhere. got people waiting on me. they should do it at night, don' t you think?

. >>> just into our news room, florida department of transportation is telling us they did not find any major structural problems following the deadly crash on brian dairy road near the u.s. 19 overpass. this is a live look. >>> let's check in with hilary zalla with traffic. >> you can see a live look at sky 10 with a semi on its side. someone is seriously injured in this crash. the medical helicopter is there. it is i-75 south at state road 52. 301 to old pasco road. bobby? >>> we have cloudy skies. looking at more sunshine as the day wears on. that will get us in the mid 70s. quiet weather with light winds. >>> disney has a new pricing system. it could cost you more or less depending on when you visit. for the first time disney world will charge based on demand. tickets fall into three categories. value, regular and peek. park goers pay the most during the summer and over the holidays. >> does that mean it will could down on the numbers? >> that would be good. >>> we had a great weekend helping the american cancer society in sarasota raise money for cancer research. i joined emerald m

florida department of transportation, folks say they expect these repairs to be done very close to rush hour this afternoon. of course, we will be back up checking out that situation for yoyo that's our story from skyforce hd, i'm ralph rayburn reporting live. >>> it was a dream come true for a five-year-old boy meeting the >> diana: roshh lowe shows us how he was left with a gift and h@ is saj he will never forget. it's today'sowe down. >> reporter: shawn kennedy is five years old and in fight for his life. >> he has a brain cancer, a very, very rare form of pediatric braim cancer. and he's inor a big fight becausus it is inoperable. >> repepter: shawn has always had a dream to meet his hero, stefan curry of the golden state warriors. that dream came true. >> he wanted to meet him, spend time with him and joke around, hang out with him is unfathomable. >> reporter: this wasn't just a momentary meeting. they sat with him. >> hung out with him for at >> reporter: this is the man responsible for the once-in-a-lifetime meeting, mike, a friend of the warrior head coach. >> stef and all the

though the proposal is still in the community input phase the florida department of transportation has said the interstate must be rebuilt. those whose properties would be destroyed in the process disagree. >> it's something we canned afford, won't solve any of our transportation problems and i think it's the biggest boondoggle we've had in this town in 50 years. >> the first of monthly protests, they are expected to gather in ybor neighborhoods, following seminole. >> holly hill, the general manager says the woman was driving in for service she somehow sped right into the shop and she ran over the employee the tower shop. called 911 and stayed with his friend until the paramedics paper paramedics arrived. >> i saw my co-worker pinned between the vehicle and the wall and that's when i went and grabbed my phone and called 911. >> the man who was injured is expected to be okay. it is unknown if the woman will face any charges. >> search and rescue missionen your honor way in taiwan. >> high rise buildings turned into piles of rubble. we'll also have mike's oooh, i think i saw dessert! bu

the florida department of traps poor saying saying a lane that was closed is now reopened and -- of transportation saying that a lane that was closed is now reopened and a fourth lane has now opened as well. and hopefully the smooth commute will continue as the morning goes on. back to you for now. >> thank you, ryan. and again, the dale mabry highway off-ramp has been reopened. definitely more vehicles on the roadway but traffic was moving at good speeds. the big issue now is the wind on the skyway bridge. >> on any bridge, any elevated surface, on any street surface, drive. sustained. meaning we take an average over time. and in the average, you get the strongest gust, the one that moves the car around a little bit and that's where we're close to 30 miles per hour in cases. and now the winds going forward in time may pull moisture off the gulf of mexico. like around 8:00 this morning, see the blue spot, maybe drizzle or sprinkles through about 10:00 and after, that we will see clear skies but right now, when you just look at the temperature map, you might think that's not cold, low to that's not

a florida department of transportation grant will be used to target parts of the city where they see the most warnings. they will hand out warnings to drivers that break rules of the road. drivers must always yield to walkers and bicyclists. as for bikes make sure you have a white light on the front of the bike and of course pedestrians must walk facing traffic so you can see the cars that are coming your way. >>> 6. 35. first steps rebuilding a palm harbor church since it was destroyed by a fire in 2014. this is from saints rafael, nicholas and irene greek orthodox church this. is what the new building should look like once the construction is finished. this is a year and-a-half after an electrical fire sparked at the church destroying nearly everything except for the relics of the saints who gave the church its name. this morning church leaders will break ground on a new site along riverview road and we'll see 200 -- will seat 200 people at a cost of $1.4 million to build. >>> crews are still investigating how this fire overnight. it took crews about a half-hour to put out the fire

i reached out to florida department of transportation and they are pointing me to details. even though police said they held the scene until fhp arrived. troopers arrived a couple minutes ago to investigate. you can see traffic this way on wymore road, backed up because of the accident. cars moving slower than normal. this is an active scene. i'm told it was part of the ultimate i 4 project. talking about the maitland exit, 98. while it was happening here i 4 it was not directly on i 4. we will file and break the latest -- and bring you the latest on eyewitness news at 4. orange county, julie salomone, channel 9 eyewitness news. downtown orlando. we will track showers and storms moving to parts of central florida. certified meteorologist brian shields has the latest from severe weather center 9. >> need to be careful. >> watching the southern sections. continue around central florida to show you what we are dealing with. early warning doppler 9 hd, one shower near doctor phillips, windermere area, moving over toward doctor phillips in a few minutes within seven minutes and

thth just went up to do an inspection, the florida department of transportation is out here an it affects traffic continues. they have opened up two lanes of traffic going southbound, but traffic still backs up deep into and all the way into fort lauderdale-hlywood international airport. now the northbound lanes, which were closed for a short period of time, what they had were cleanup crews working on what would be the east side of i-95. you can see all of the debris that blew across the roadway there. a lot of tree and where branchs were there as we. (audio) >> diana: we will get back to ralph. a lot of damage throughout the neigigorhoods. many wondering if it was a tornado confirmed. >> christine::let's get the latest on that with all the spots beginning with alex de armas in northeast miami-dade. >> reporter: we've driven up and down the street and the amount off damage is incredible. we had severe weather here in rtheast miami-dade and the severe damage just goes to show how bad it was out here this morning. this is just part of e debris, right now. we are along 191st street and north

florida. now you can rent a car by the hour. the zip car has partnered with the city of orlando, the city of winter park and the florida department of transportation. a ribbon cutting event happens tomorrow in downtown orlando. >> number two. >> madam few swords has unmadame tussauds is located on i-drive at the i-drive 360 attractions. >>> number one. >> and congratulations to the four seasons resort orlando at disney world resort. the four seasons ranks number 34 on u.s. news and world reports best hotels in the u.s.a. for 2016.p it's also the only local hotel to make it into the and that's tonight's o-town countdown. a mother with just an unforgettable moment. how this woman was reconnected through her son after hisx >> one arizona mother gets to hear her child's heart in another child. heather clark made the brave decision to donate her son's organs when he died at just seven months old. her son's heart is now in a very emotional reunion with jordan and her mother, clark heard her son's heartbeat for the first time. >> i can't save my own son why not save somebody else's. why not save somebody else's child because i can't do anything with them

. >> it was the florida department of transportation official who was driving in the area and had five roadside memorials in the area taken unall except the metal signs. we to a spokesperson. >> we understand people want to memorialize their life and we try to be very respectful of that's. hi families who want the roadside memorial. they said declarations ornaments are not allowed. while this families got back most of the things taken, they tell us they intend to fight this and get their own memorials put back. >> this is a place of grieving and they rip it down, and without any warning. >> kelly joyce, fox 35 news. >> chaos in brevard county when a vehicle crashes into a medical office. derrol nail has the latest. >> reporter: two expecters scheduled to be here at the medical and dental center and one would have a in a cheer just like this, point it out the window. fortunately both of them cancelled. one of them would have been in this office. you can see the collapsed shelf over to the side. even worse, though work have been the second one. this is right here at this chair. you can s

of road projects underway in florida right now. now a spokeswoman with the florida department of transportation tells 8 on your side the project should be summer. gayle, it seems like this has been going on forever. so the hope is that it will summer. you can count on 8 on your side to keep track of it and let you know what happens as we go down the road, so to speak. the furious. nightmare is ongoing? >> it's been years. years. there. ulmerton. just have patience until it's finally finished. right now, what's going on outside of those barrels. we have got a collision here in the palm harbor area, u.s. 19 right at tampa road. we are starting to see both the southbound and a northbound delay due to the collision. and again, injuries involved so more activity out there. and this accident wrapped up, it was a vehicle that caught fire near sun boulevard. it's gone now. and a good drive across the bay area bridges. bear trail at richard drive and things are getting busy in downtown tampa. but not as bad as yesterday on the skyway bridge. >> that's right. >>> so if you're getting ready for the gasparilla distance classic like i am, it's a

the florida department of transportation is closing the road between allen street and granada drive to vehicles and it' s part of i-4 ultimate work on drainage improvements, and to realign wellington. access to killarney elementary school' entrances will be maintained at all times until april 1. more i-4 ultimate road work to let you know about at 4:45. summer: some breaking news from the space coast. meredith: most of nasa' s newest space craft the orion has arrived at the kennedy space center in quite a unique fashion. this is nasa' s super guppy. the orion spacecraft pressure vessel was just completed last week in new orleans. the goal is that orion will go out past the moon and back in 40 years. 2023 has been set as orion' s official launch date. summer: the world health organization has now declared the zika virus as a world concern. meredith: if you enjoyed manicures, listen up. the new study tying nail polish brands to weight gain. summer: a good samaritan trying eric: at this hour, it feels >> you' re watching wesh 2. summer: we' ve now learned that a good samaritan, who was ki

of trayvon martin. the unarmed florida teenager killed by george zimmerman. >>> 8 on your side will keep questioning the florida department of transportation about what it's doing to stop dangerous wrong-way drivers. and we report on this deadly problem. this time there's video that shows that incident. and news channel 8's adrienne pedersen is live on i-275 this morning. adrienne, this puts so many incident people at risk, people who are out doing groceries, taking the kids to school. something's got to be done here. >> reporter: good morning, gene. that's for sure. honestly i think about this every day on my way to work, especially with our crazy hours. and fdot promises us that they are trying to put this to a stop. one thing they are doing, we are on bearss on the exit ramp to 275. look at this wrong way sign. and now just on the bottom, you see this black area. that will start blabbing if someone is driving -- start flashing if someone is driving the wrong way. this is bart of a pilot program. f -- this is part of a pilot program. about drunk drivers. we have to show you the latest attention. according to deputies, this is 21-year-old ryan flurry driving s

collected from plane tickets but around $9 million will come from taxpayers through the florida department of transportation. >> i don't think one terminal is going to hurt, another one. i don't think one other terminal, but i don't think it should get much bigger than that. that's why people come here. >> the expansion will streamline security to one central check point and separate arrivals and departures, meaning as crowds of parszen jers grow, the lines will hopefully stay short. >> simpler, faster, better, that's our motto. we want to retain that. the only way to do that is to experience is very, very positive. >> they hope to break grown in may of 2017, and the project could be completed by 2020. we will, of course, keep you posted. in seminole county, eyewitness news. >> the expansion plans still need to be approved by the faa. airport officials told us they are in the beginning stages but don't anticipate any problems. >>> orlando international airport saw a record number of passengers traveling through the airport last year. in 2015, more than 38 million passengers came through. that breaks the pre

as for the work stoppage, the florida department of transportation tells wesh two news, ensuring safety is its top priority and it claims meantime, the sgl safety stand-down will not impact the project' s construction schedule, which concludes in 2021. franklin, had three children ages 10, 13 and 15 who live with their mother in southwest florida. a relative told me over the phone, franklin was excited to have this new construction job, a job he' d been on for only about a month. as for the dump truck driver, he' s identified as 49-year-old riomar morales of orlando . meredith: today, wesh 2 news investigates looked into the history of some of the companies involved in the project. summer: we found some have been fined before. wesh 2' s matt grant joins us live to continue our team coverage. matt, what did you find out? matt: this is the spot where the accident happened. we are looking into the company and what investigators are looking for. highway patrol investigators want to know if a spotter was present during the deadly accident. on wednesday, a 34-year-old carpenter, who just bega

of ice on the roads. one family driving from new york to florida says they couldn't escape the dangerous driving conditions. a spokesperson for the virginia department of transportation says they are telling people to stay home if they can.. but if they need to be out, to take it slow. and make sure that if you are heading out of t-i-a to check your flight status. you can do that by going to the travel section of our website, w-t-s-p dot com, then click on flight status. new this morning, no autopsy will be performed on supreme court justice a texas judge changed her mind scalia's doctor, deciding that it wasn't needed. says he will name a replacement, but not this week while the senate is out. scalia was 79- years-old. happening today-- a big debate in should transgender students be allowed to use the bathroom 10news reporter sarah hollenbeck is live at pine view school in osprey. sarah that's the school where these changes started. yes, a 17-year-old student who goes to school here at pine view worked with the district administration to change the policy here at the school. now transgender students can use the bathroom they feel they belong in-- not necessarily the

. >>> wrong-way driving is a problem law enforcement along with the department of transportation in florida are trying to address. abc action news reporter rodney dunigan spoke with law enforcement who are trying to send a clear message now for drivers to pay attention. >> reporter: just inches, that is all that kept a sarasota deputy from getting hit head on by a wrong-way driver monday morning. the video frightening. investigators say the driver ryan floory's blood alcohol level .287. >> three and-a-half times the legal limit. >> reporter: deputies believe he was going 70 miles per hour the wrong way for more than 12 miles. also monday tampa police wrong way on the 50th street exit ramp for i-4. officers say there was not enough evidence to determine if that driver was drunk. then, there was the accident here nearly two weeks ago, at 275 on the ashley exit. two men died after the driver headed the wrong way on to the interstate. we took this snapshot just days ago of the d fdot billboard on 275 warning of a possible wrong way driver. if it ever happens law enforcement does have a bit of a

florida state fair, he relives every moment of the night his 14-year-old son was killed. >> they placed my son in official hillsboro county sheriff's department vehicle, transported him 100 yards away from the interstate and abandoned him. >> when he tried to cross i-4 to get back to the fairgrounds, he was struck and killed by a passing car. he had just been kicked out. the deputies say that hundreds of rowdy teens caused a stampede on student day. the students get in for free. according to his parents and the new lawsuit, joseph was not involved in the stampede. making an unjustified arrest. and they believe he was racially profiled. the joseph say the point of the lawsuit against the sheriff's office, the school district and the fair is to hold the agencies accountable to contributing to their son's death. >> it's your job, and oath that you would do whatever you needed to do in the benefit of the community. >> all three organizations sued, say they don't comment on impending lawsuits. they've made changes since the death, and increased security. and they'll no longer release a student who's kicked out. they'll hold them until a parent can pick them up. >> we've made

department of public services and the department of transportation have been here appropriate safety precautions. reporting live from columbia parkway, jordan vilines, fox 19 now. with spring break around the corner...florida is taking no chances with the zika virus... 5 counties are now under a health emergency declaration. right now...there are 12 cases in florida...all from people infected with the mosquito-borne virus when they traveled to other countries. the governor says the state is preparing like it would for a hurricane and wants residents and tourists to know florida is safe. luck has run out for the winner of a california lottery jackpot. the person with a 63-million dollar winning ticket...never claimed the prize. the money will now go to the state's schools. it's the largest unclaimed prize in california history. rob 2shot we want to get another check on this morning's forecast. kara 2shot frank marzullo joins us with a look at the day ahead. a cold morning with temperatures in the upper teens in many areas to near 20 degrees. a partly cloudy sky and dry this morning. we will have a sun and cloud mix today with high of 41 degrees. we stay dry for most of the weekend with temperatures of 46 on

florida they believe he's driving a honda hatchback. if you're traveling through maitland and winter park, crews plan to close all lanes at the border. they made progress on construction last weekend. the department of transportation says now you only have to expect lanes for one of those lanes to be blocked during certain times. the roadway is often used as an alternate to i-4. >> 12:04 now. this is shaping up to be a beautiful day. >> it really is, darlene. that sunshine is out for many of us. we'll see partly cloudy skies as we move into our day today. our temperatures are heating up rapidly. all of us are in the low 70s already here at 12:06. we're just going to continue to warm up into the mid-70s as we head into the next couple of hours. it's going to be beautiful. we have 70s along the coastline. will be comfortable. 4-6 feet if you're headed down to the beach to cool down. we're still going to make sure we watch because rip currents will be moderate to high today and tomorrow. we couldn't ask for more perfect weather. 71-degrees, partly cloudy skies, and driveway conditions. coming up, what this means for in 1934, steak 'n shake decided the world didn't need another hamburger. it needed a steakburger. so t