this is what it looks like, i- 75 at the leroy selmon expressway. up to speed right now in all directions. just about a seven-minute drive from there into downtown tampa on buckle up. we're going to take a virtual drive along 275 heading right through hillsborough avenue. a quick pit stop here at mlk. this is what it looks like opinion you can see the lanes open right there. we can get a sneak peek at nebraska, which is also in the green. continuing to downtown. the junction looking good to i- 4. the average speed is 63 miles per hour. that could change the future of ride sharing in tampa and across florida. who is paying big bucks to win this battle? >>> violence erupts in the streets across charlotte, north carolina. we'll show you one man who kept his cool. >> or facebook ceo mark zuckerburg and his wife are launching an ambitious multi- million doll i >> mark zucker is putting his billions to use. >> and his wife are committing $3 billion over the next decade in an attempt to end all disease. >> they will fund a high-tech research center to deve

this is what it looks like at i-75 and the leroy selmon expressway. still damp out there but nothing ke ride from apollo beach to i-4. the average speeds on the interstates are looking great as well. route 70 on i-4 heading into tampa. 73 from the apex to i-4. 65 the average speed over in pinellas county from bridge to bridge. deiah? >>> breaking news in st. pete right now. a woman trying to escape police crashed a car then ran into a drugstore where police arrested pete. they say she robbed a convenience store clerk at knife point. she crashed on ninth street north. >>> as tropical storm hermine tracks toward the big bend, folks hope the rain bends that flooded parts of the area will move away as well. >> michael paloosa is live in -- michael paluska is live with more. good morning, michael. >> reporter: we had a nice break past ten minutes or so started to pick up again. this is one of the homes that flooded. the water started to recede but still has a long way to go. a lot of the homes behind me are still flooded as well. as people get up to check

. 17 minutes still in the green on the veterans expressway and looking great right here on the leroy selmon as well. dan? >>> still ahead, a controversial lesson in class. a photo shows a teacher stepping on an american flag. he is now speaking out about what he says he was trying to teach water raising concerns in one community. the city says it's there for a reason. first, a new book is encouraging parents of young children to let them eat dirt. here's more on today's gma first look. >> reporter: in this morning's gma first look, new evidence that exposing kids to dirt can actually be good for them. >> getting them out in that exposure, the new system is now function properly later on. >> reporter: the science behind the new book says that means putting your kids at a higher risk of asthma, diabetes and even owe beatsty. one of the best ways to get those microbes? playing in the dirt. researchers say children, especially those under 5 should be allowed to be barefoot outside and get dirty, within limits. >> let your kid lick the floor in your own house but probably not in the you have to

six minutes from 75 to downtown from the leroy selmon expressway. >>> still ahead, moral controversy. the reason leaders are refusing the governor in kkk clothing. >> plus, a teen trying to buy a cake supporting donald trump is denied. why a store representative now says it was all a misunderstanding. >>> first, a cold case of a college student who disappeared 20 years ago in california is heating up once again. here's today's gma first look. >> reporter: in this morning's gma first break in the college freshman's disappearance. investigators digging up a campus hillside searching for her remains. >> it's definitely been tough. we don't have close you're, and it's been 20 years. >> reporter: kristin smart was 19 years old when she vanished after a party in 1996. according to investigators this man, paul flores, offered to walk her home and was the last person seen with her. never been charged or arrested. shortly after her disappearance, the trail went cold. though her body was never found, she was presumed dead in 2002. we'll have more live at 7:00 . >>> it is 6:25 right now. here. t

the leroy selmon expressway serves as a test bed for cars designed to reduce the risk of crashes in the traffic flow and trig the carbon footprint. this week the expressway authority is launching phase two of the connected vehicle pilot program. 40 wireless communication and other roadways. the devices will communicate with hart buses, trolley cars and more than 1,500 other connected vehicles. the data they collect will help study traffic patterns, reduce problems like wrong-way drivers and as part of phase two, the authority also plans to recruit drivers to participate in the program. that will happen sometime next fall. faced with a growing fleet of self driving cars, federal government issued it's been the wild west when it comes to cars. google acknowledges that one of the self driving cars caused an accident near san francisco. they swerved to avoid some road debris. there's only minor damage but that proves a point this technology is still in the driver's ed phase. >> as more and more people are using devices and getting used to them, i think they see a progression in giving contr

gandy bridge and the leroy selmon also make appearances in the movie. it will debut in most bay area theaters tonight at 7:00. opens nationwide tomorrow. our friend from the tampa bay times said you're going to have >>laura: very cool just to know it. it is a nasty thursday on the roads. someone is hit and killed at one of the most dangerous intersections in the bay area. >>russell: alcides segui is live at belcher and gulf to bay at an intersection that will be closed for awhile. >>laura: and then planning ahead for the next big rain. st. petersburg mayor kriseman joins us live to talk about what the city will do to avoid sewage problems like the saw with the hurricane hermine. >>dave: the majority of us have a great start to the day, very similar to yesterday. the sun will be up in a little bit. we do have a couple of showers in pasco county, a couple headed toward hernando county this morning but other than those, it's going to be a very similar setup to yesterday. more cloud cover this morning. showers as well. overall rain chance is 50%. here is th