rodney dunigan explains how their assistance which is offered for free is also helping efforts to put folks back to work here in tampa. time, business for torres has really taken off. >> when we opened the store, we only had four employees. now we have 12. so in one year, we've been able to triple our capital workforce. >> reporter: torres is the owner of blind tiger cafe which also houses a clothing company. he credits his business' growth to the support he's gotten from the hillsborough county entrepreneur collaborative center. >> you have to talk to people. the people who have done it before, thinking about it, the people that have done it and it failed so you can learn from mistakes. >> reporter: it is a one stop shop for local entrepreneurs. they have provided technical resources and training and mentoring to area entrepreneurs. >> small businesses are the back bone of our economy here. we recognize that. >> reporter: tony owner of scrap on the spot and the recycling company is another success story. he points to the trickle effect >> we grow, we create jobs. and then those jobs

pete, rodney dunigan abc action news. umbrella there. taking a live look at the roads at ashley drive. it is a wet commute this denis phillips is standing by tracking all of that rain. denis. deal. that's pretty rare for us to see two solid days of rain. some folks got heavier rain than others. kind of rain a day and a half after we have already picked up this is rather rare. it's just another indication of el nino in full force. taking a closer look south of that's where this rain and even a little bit of wind continues to pick up. it's moving off to the northeast. some of the stronger storms right now from arcadia and in the next 15 to 20 minutes. you can see it right there. more showers. no lightning with it. wind. look what happens in the next several hours. the front comes through and we clear out. takes the fog with it and the rain with it. and by tomorrow, we're waking up to more sunshine and temperatures in the 50s as a cooldown begins. we will talk about that coming up in a few minutes. >> thank you, denis. >>> developing in sou

murders happened in broad daylight so they're pretty sure for now reporting live in manatee county, rodney dunigan, >>> mlk boulevard was shut down because of this fire. the warehouse when the fire began. a man who was also inside was injuries. >>> now the most accurate weather team in florida, abc action weather. >> good afternoon, everybody. far this season. although temperatures have warmed up back to the mid-60s. still below normal. early on this morning, we dropped down to 28 both in brooksville and crystal river. 41 in tampa. upper 30s from lakeland over to bartow. we had a nice day. but there is rain on the way and the chance of rather strong thunderstorms as well. we will time it out for you and issue for the kids parade this weekend. >> thanks, denis. >>> we sent you a push alert this morning on our smart phone app. tonight taliban calling the attack on islam saying the organization is not to blame for it. 20 people were killed and at least 50 others were hurt in the attack. we also know that four of the gunmen were killed. a taliban splinter group is taking responsibility. but tonight th

reporting live in bradenton, rodney dunigan, abc action news. >> the famous crew began their morning visiting the children's hospital sharing treasures with the kids and the care staff there. they gave out beads, canon balls and activity books. through. year. them. when i was a kid i was in the hospital for a month. i remember nurses and doctors batman. and when you're in the hospital bring joy. >> the crew will invade morning. it begins at 11:30 a.m. starts at 2:00. it goes bay to bay to downtown tampa. find a link to all of the and singed. coming up, the common item that exploded in his pants pocket mother. >>> plus this -- >> reporter: growing pains in lakeland. the first major development in more than a decade bringing excitement and unintended consequences. >> i hate it. >> reporter: coming up, the tablet. search for it in your favorite >> covering polk county tonight. a major construction project in downtown lakeland promises to bring new business to town. >> it may lose some in the process. fighting to stay afloat with construction at their doorstep. >> reporter: four months i

i am rodney dunigan. your time is almost 9:30. today is the children's parade. a low key alcohol free event here -- event. jake is live on the scene. jake, i am at a loss for words. you will have to explain what is going on.>> reporter: you said low key but that doesn't mean you cannot get into the spirit. have been practicing our arrrrr! . >> people coming down today, what do they need to know? >> the parade starts at 3:30. the event opens at 11. and stuff that will happen before the parade. the parade ends at edison and i would suggest for people that they park at the fort brooke garage. we have shuttle that picture up from the garage taking over to cross town. and drop you at bay and be sure. and that is at the beginning of the parade route. that shuttle were one -- will run all day. >> we annually have about 100,000+. so last year, we had it very similar to this. >> thank you. >> reporter: at 11 o'clock, the bicycle rodeo is one of the first things that kicks off so get your hat, get your sword ready and come on down. i will bring some back to you guys in th

rodney dunigan with the new we start the hunt, we have better chance of getting that job.>>> frustrated because the opportunities to me did not seem to be as beautiful -- been a full -- do not seem to be as much of a benefit. just make sure that other people know you have the experience and that you can do the job. >> goodwill minnesota has put together a program focused on older workers and getting them back into the game. >> it is not like the old days where you go and sit down and meet with someone to fill out an application. >> seniors are getting much needed training. he sat in on a session tuesday. >> an older worker would be a very valuable higher for any employer. getting that older worker is the hard part. >> instructions on everything from self-esteem in interviews to networking and even social and skill sets. >> program participants are confident the training and could actions will lead them to their ultimate goal. full-time employment.>> every little bit of information that i get helps. >>> this is pretty gross. you may have more bugs in your house than you thought. the amou

. >> abc action news, rodney done began explains dunigan explaining how their service is putting people back to work. >> when we open up the store, we only had one and now we have 12. in one year, we are able toll triple our work force. >> torres is the owner of--it he credits his business's growth to the support he's county entrepreneur collaborative sent. center. people that have actually done >> the collaborative sent is a one stop shop for local entrepreneurs. they provide technical resours and evenmentoring to areas of entrepreneur. backbone of our economy here. > rec we recognize that. >> he points to the trickle effect that this also has on the local job market >> we grow and we create jobs. those jobs can createmore jobs and it is good for everybody. >> both companies are in the middle of expansion. >> they're supporting the next line of job creators. abcaction news. >>> good news, if you own a home near a whole foods or trader joe's. homes within a mile of either stores are worth twice as much from the national average. >> zillow says those stores make neighborhoods desigh sigh