>> she's relieved to city tampa city leaders decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. charges that have derailed many people's lives. >> i was studying at the university of south florida. >> reporter: he has three bachelor's degree and one masters and one misdemeanor marijuana charge. >> i was leaving class one day to get food and i had a gram of marijuana on me and i was arrested. >> reporter: tampa city councils passed the ordinance making

council voted 6-1 in favor of the change. 8 on your side's ryan hughes is live at tampa city hall. and ryan, how much of a change is this? >> candace, good morning to you once again. as it stands, if somebody is caught with marijuana here in the city. they could lose their license, go to jail, maybe have to pay a hefty fine. if this new ordinance gets the green light, the punishment will be a slap on the risk. this is one of the top clicked stories on wfla.com. and it is causing a lot of d. >> first and foremost, it is a plant. parent. a parent who does have a child, still, as an adult, who is an addict. and he started in high school with mari. >>> residents sounded off to tampa city council members at a meeting last night. some believe it is harmless and some say it ruined the loved ones lives. they found police chief eric ward and bob buckhorn are in favor of the change. here is a look at what it would look like. under the new proposed measure, people who have 20 grams or less would have a $70 fine. each offense after that. this isn't a done deal. ordinance at a meeting on

tampa city council just voted pdeveloping now tampa city pcouncil just voted to pdecriminalize marijuana. pfoming evan lambert is live in ptampa to tell us what this means pfor us. peveryone. p>> we're not talking about a pblanket legalization or anything plike that. pbut we're talking pdecriminalization of small a punder 20 grams that will become pa civil citation with a fine. pand the first offense p>> and people will have a 30 pdays to pay that fine. pthis was a vote that was almost punanimous, everyone except for pone council member charley moran pvoting no. pevery council member yes except pfor charley. pit was not a surprise this pass pinitial vote coming two weeks pago here at city council. pand it passed with a majority of pcouncil support as well. pi was just in touch with the pmayor, spokesperson who tells me pthat bob buckhorn mayor buckhorn pwill sign ordinance into law pwithin coming days. pagain smaller amounts of pmarijuana now decriminalized in pcity of tampa. pthis will take effect as soon as pthe mayor signs this into law. pand coming up later, we will be pof this issue

>> she's relieved to city tampa city leaders decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. charges that have derailed many people's lives. >> i was studying at the university of south florida. >> reporter: he has three bachelor's degree and one masters and one misdemeanor marijuana charge. >> i was leaving class one day to get food and i had a gram of marijuana on me and i was arrested. >> reporter: tampa city councils passed the ordinance making civil citation with a $75 fine instead of a criminal charge. the crimes increase with every citation. >> this is giving people a second chance. >> reporter: the ordinance will likely be adopted march 17th after a second reading. >> this is an opportunity to unclog the system and a bit and not ree yat a record for somebody. >> reporter: the ordinance is really aimed at youngsters who make bad choices and minority disproportionately arrested for marijuana charges, this mom is thankful it may help her son. >> it's chipping away at the bigger issue. >>> an update now at 5:30. one day after complaints about long lives the iers sending t

the tampa city council leaders say this is not about legalizing marijuana. what they say is people who violate this ordinance will basically just have a lesser punishment. this is pretty much to help young people so they are not criminalized in the future an again, the people who oppose this ordinance, well, they disagree. >>>> we have an opportunity to o what is right. what's good. >> reporter: with the 5-1 vote, tampa city council members decriminalized marijuana. the intent of the ordinance is to help young people who make >> what we are attempting to do is put a stop to that pipeline to prison that affects so many of our young people, especially young people of color. >> reporter: before you were charged with a misdemeanor if caught with 20 grgrams or less, faced jail time or lost your license. now you pay a citation instead. ticket. >> i don't feel what we did today is different than what a lot of citieses have doing, and, as a country as we are movingng nationally. >> there are unlimited chances. >> reporter: ellen snelling thinks there should be a cap

the tampa city council leaders say this is not about legalizing marijuana. what they say is people who violate this ordinance will basically just have a lesser punishment. this is pretty much to help young people so they are not criminalized in the future an again, the people who oppose this ordinance, well, they disagree. >>>> we have an opportunity to o what is right. what's good. >> reporter: with the 5-1 vote, tampa city council members decriminalized marijuana. the intent of the ordinance is to help young people who make

tampa. other spots will get warmer than that. like plant city, 87 for the strawberry yesterday our high was 85. i think because we'll see a few more clouds around today, we probably won't get there officially so slightly cooler temperatures today. and then tonight, muggy readings in the upper 60s, so we'll be warmer than what we're seeing outside right now. that will be the water temperature chilly if swimming. fishing, you're looking at a low tide at 9:53. the way we see it is the temperatures stay in the 80s all week long, although a front will get through here. the front brings rain tomorrow. as we were talking about setting your clocks forward as we spring ahead, and looking ahead towards the week, i don't see much rain in the outlook until we head towards the end of the week. friday, isolated showers and it could be on saturday, we'll be wetter than friday. we'll have to see thunderstorms. >> so you want to go outside this morning if you can. >> definitely a great start to our weekend, that's for sure. >>> the buccaneers wrapped up a free a

tampa... emerald...this has been a huge problem in that area. yeah, and city council is saying enough is enough. tampa has a law on the books that says tow companies aren't supposed to tow away cars from places like bars and restaurants where people have probably been drinking...but it was happening anyway...until a 10news investigation brought the problem to the city's attention. - our stories showed that last year more than 270 cars were towed from one particular plaza along south howard...one of the city's most popular hopping. - what makes this this city ordinance trying to protect you by discouraging drunken driving... - it says with just a few exceptions...that tow companies shouldn't be taking your car away between the hours of 9 at night and noon the next day - but lots of towing companies were of the law... but that's all right now i'm reading through this memo the city sent out to all the in tampa...i'll have thirty. live in tampa, emerald morrow, 10news wtsp. police in tampa are investigating another case of a stolen car, the same week a driver in a

a new marijuana ordinance heads to tampa city council for a vote... the new punishment offenders would face. 3 ((walter and... a *dog story... that's a *whale of a tale... the pup that disappeared at sea... and suddenly showed-up... more than a month later. 3 3 3 thanks for joining us. i'm walter allen((vanessa)) and i'm vanessa ruffes, in for jen epstein. we're following a news alert out of tampa right now... 3 3 (vanessa just a short time ago, officers went to a home on west cherokee avenue... and were forced to open fire, when an armed man... shot at them. the officers weren't hurt... but it was a really close call... in fact, they may owe their lives... to a piece of police equipment.... 3 ((vanessa fox-13's alcides segui is on the scene for us. scary stuff, alcides... tell us what happened. 3 3 3 3 3 thanks, alcides. 3 3 (dave 3 patchy fog early, with variable clouds for the afternoon. high temps head slowly back to the lower 80s. tonight will be mostly cloudy and mild; lows in the upper 60s. more clouds on tap for friday, with a 30% chance of a

so 8 on your side's ryan hughes went to tampa city leaders to find out what is causing the latest population boom. >> reporter: downtown tampa is transforming. new high-rises, condo shops and restaurants. population is following suit, especially with young adults. 25 to 34 years olds are entered in everything the downtown life style has to offer, even those in college. >> i think the city would be best for me. i can't see myself in a rural area. >> i would stay in downtown or the south tampa area. i'm a city-type of person. >> reporter: there appears to be a city person in a lot of young adults these days. a study shows more and more of them are staying in or moving to downtown areas nationwide like here in tampa. in a decade, the population of young adults in downtown neighborhoods in tampa rose from 4600 people to nearly 7800. that's a 70% increase. experts are telling us that the two most important things are sun and water. >> reporter: we turned to the city councilman. he tells 8 on your side between those things combined with tampa's new job, young adults are moving here in droves and s

tampa city council is cracking down on towing companies found breaking a city law. the law prevents them from hauling away cars outside of bars and restauraints...places where you might have been drinking. 10news reporter emerald morrow is live along south howard in tampa where towing has been a huge problem. emerald, tampa is sending a strong warning to towing companies. - yeah, the city sent out a memo to all towing companies to remind them of the city's law that says they're not supposed to be towing people's cars out of lots like this one...even though the sign says otherwise.... - they had to do this because so many tow truck companies were hooking up cars and taking them away when they investigation that looked through hundreds of thousands of towing records shows the highest concentration of towing incidents happened right here along south howard...where many people come out to drink and have a good time - tampa's ordinance says companies aren't supposed to be towing your car of parking lots of businesses where people have been drinking alcohol... - it was put

tampa police made nearly 2-thousand marijuana related arrests last year. city council will vote a 9-30 this morning. if councilmembers pass it... along with the mayor.. it would take effect immediately. 3 3 there was some exciting action at raymond james stadium yesterday afternoon, but it wasn't on the field. that's smoke rising from the jumbotron. somehow, it caught fire. there was construction going on at the time, but tampa fire rescue hasn't said what sparked the fire. they used one of the large ladder trucks to spray water on it and quickly put it 3 southeastern pasco county may not be the first place you think of... when you think "tourist destination". but as new housing developments and shopping centers have sprang up around wesley chapel... so has the demand for hotel rooms. 3 and those hotel rooms are almost always full... which is music to developers' ears! pasco county has become a destination for the business class... mostly because the tampa area is full... and pasco is an easier drive to the airport. developers are rushing to meet a demand for m

a new marijuana ordinance heads to tampa city council for a vote... the new punishment offenders would face. 3 ((walter and... a *dog story... that's a *whale of a tale... the pup that disappeared at sea... and suddenly showed-up... more than a month later. 3 3

we've exhausted every other medical option. >> the tampa city council is if it passes tampa will join a handful of other florida cities with a similar ordinance including miami. >>> you may notice more police on the streets starting today. the annual click it or ticket campaign today. local officers will look out for drivers not wearing seat belts. national statistics show more than half of young adults involved in deadly car accidents weren't buckled up. the campaign lasts two weeks. >>> we all feel attached to cell phones but this morning wildlife experts are urging you to think carefully beforeuing them now that -- before using them now that sea turtle nesting season is underway. lights with scare baby turtles trying to find their way to the ocean and now learning it can scare females trying to lay eggs on the beach. they say the flashes from phone cameras can do that so keep your phones in your pocket or turn off the flash at least, especially at night if you come across one of those nesting sea turtles. the season by the way runs >>> as if you checked facebook you may noticed a c

this morning you can tell tampa city council members what you think about a controversial topic. the city is looking here's what a change would mean: if someone is caught with twenty grams or less of marijuana, they'll get a civil fine starting at 75 dollars. they won't be arrested. if you want to tell commissioners what you think, the meeting starts at 10:30 this morning. we want to know do you thnk the proposed fine is too light? vote yes or no in our facebook poll. just head to our 10-news w-s-t-p facebook page. a new bill that prevents a back log of rape kits from happening again is now awaiting governor rick scott's signature. the bill requires local law enforcement to submit sexual assault evidence kits within 30 days and the state has 120 days to process. once they file, the evidence goes into a national database and it's used to solve old crimes and help prevent new ones. right now, there's thousands of rape kits holding valuble evidence untested leaving many cases in florida, including the bay area, unsolved. governor scott pledged to find the needed to clear up the back

a tampa city council changes the punishment if you get busted with a little marijuana. some people not so happy. >>> after a disappointing loss in his home state. marco r rio returns to capitol hill for the first time since suspending his campaign. what's next for him? >> a few clouds across the area. temperatures there at 71. we'll keep it steady in the low 70s. a warm afternoon. talking mid 80s for your friday. we'll detail >>> the city council in tampa changing the punishment if you get 20 grams of marijuana or less. getting busted is like getting a traffic ticket. the idea is to help young people but not essentially criminalize them. those who disagree are asking city leaders to create educational programs for repeat offenders. this way they're getting some kind of help. >>> at this point it looks like south florida congressman david rivera is ready to run for congress again. rivera is going after the district 118 seat currently held state senate. he last held office in 2012 when he lost to joe garcia in a congressional contest. at that time he was actually involved

a 70% increase. >> experts are telling us that are sun and water. >> reporter: we turned to the tampa city councilman. he tells 8 on your side between those things combined with tampa's new and innovative job, younger adults are moving here in droves and spreading the word to others. >> once they see it's a great place to leave, they send the signals to friends in different to tampa. downtown tampa, i'm ryan hughes, news channel 8. >> well, city leaders don't expect the boom to let up. with more and more changes coming to downtown, they think the population will only continue to grow. >>> time now is 5:14. lowering your risk of diabetes or heart disease may be as simple as watching what you eat. many of us fall into the habit of mindless eating. doctors believe being aware of what we are eating can head off diabetes and heart disease. >>> how tall you are and how much you way may play a role in your social and economic status. researchers came to the conclusion after studying data on about half a million adults. they looked at education, job and income. researchers found shorter men tended

. >>> and tampa spends your tax dollars on an expensive machine but instead of putting it to work the city just parks it. coming up, an i-team investigation getting you >>> more than a thousand guests gathering at the ronald reagan library today to say good-bye to former first lady nancy reagan. that included michelle obama, george bush. there would be no ronald reagan and certainly no president reagan without his mom. said now his mother is where she always wanted to be, next to the man she loved. >> they watched the sun drop over the hills in the west toward the sea and as night falls they will look out across the valley. my father will tell her that the lights below are her jewels. >> the family saying nancy reagan had one request, she will be buried so close to her husband the couple could hold hands. >>> two teens missing for a year found alive. they were held against their year for nearly a year. a 29-year-old woman is now charged with their kidnapping. police have been looking for the 2 sisters since april of 2015. they were living with a foster family at the time and were last seen

. >> reporter: tampa city council member has called for an investigation. >> how did we purchase this to begin with? >> it is what it is. the purchase was made a number of years ago. >> reporter: the department bought the machine when kenneth >> we did not find a specific cost benefit business plan. >> reporter: the machine was supposed to help repave many of the city's 2800 miles of roadway. >> when was the last time they paved this street? >> i couldn't tell you. >> reporter: according to the audit, the overall condition of tampa streets is considered poor. something east tampa resident bobby wright relies on an electric wheelchair to carry around. >> it could be tricky with this rough service. >> reporter: the pavement machine logged on 23 of 57 possible hours. >> we have changed that situation and reassigned crews to utilize the pavement machine. >> reporter: that's true. the paving machine logged 283 more hours in 2015. mean it was put to good use. it actually paved 15,000 fewer square yards than the year before. the complexity of the project could have play a role but they think

coming up on 10 news this morning, tampa city council is meeting this morning to talk about changes in towing policies to make sure people can park their cars instead of driving drunk. we are expecting dense fog once again. road warrior hilary zalla will be watching the roads and the impact it has on your morning commute. today, supreme court nominee merrick garland will visit capitol hill to meet with senators. whether you have 30 minutes or 10, we have everything you day. we're back in good morning and this morning. i'm allison kropff. and i'm ian reitz. we're on top of breaking news right now in south tampa. where police are investigating after they say a man shot at officers, forcing them to shoot back,

that's the hope from the tampa city council... voting... to allow police to cite someone caught with less than 20 grams of marijuana... instead of charging them with a misdemeanor crime. the first time it's a 75 dollar fine... that goes up each time they're caught. critics say there's no mandatory drug counseling in the ordinance - and worry money won't be a big enough deterrant. and an outstanding warrant or other crime along with the pot possession will the state attorney's office tells me the change will potentially cut down on hundreds of cases.. that won't have to be handled by the clerks office.. prosecutors... public defenders.. judges... and jail staff. exactly how much money this will save taxpayers - is yet to be seen. kendra conlon, 10news wtsp the mayor now this. the policy change to officers and be ready to enforce it in the coming weeks. st. pete is considering similar changes. right now, polk county deputies need your help finding the person who stole a car with a toddler inside! deputies say a woman who was supposed to be wa

council voted 6-1 in favor of the change. 8 on your side ryan hughes is live at tampa city hall. how much change is this? >> good morning. as it stands, somebody caught here in the city with marijuana would likely lose their license and have to pay a fine. they could go to jail. under this new ordinance, the punishment could be a slap on the wrist. this is the top clicked story right now on wfla.com and it is getting a lot of heated discussion here at city. >> first and foremost it is a plant. put here by nature. >> i'm here this morning as a parent. a parent who does have a child still as an adult who is an addict. and he started in high school with marijuana. >> residents sounded off to tampa council members at a public hearing. some say it ruined their loved ones lives. they found mayor buck horn is in favor of this change. people who possess 20 grams or less would be issued a $75 fine for the first offense. 150 for the second and offenders would pay $450 for each offense after. that back here live, this is not a done deal yet. the council must approve the ordinance at a meet

he'll be buried in massachusetts, where his family lives. 3 ((russell tampa city council has voted to *ease punishments for people caught with small amounts of marijuana. people caught carrying 20-grams or less, will be *fined, instead of going to jail. the first offense is 75-dollars... and it goes up to as much as 450-dollars, for a fourth bob buckhorn signs the bill into law, there will be an "education" period for tampa police... so it will be a few *weeks before the law is in full effect. 3 3 "oh my god, people are running." --vanessa a horrifying scene inside a high school gymnasium in delray beach. paramedics rushed eight people to the hospital after a performer accidentally set himself on fire during a pep rally. 3 (vanessa) many students were hurt... but the only person treated for *burns was the "fire-breather"... who is reportedly, an experienced and seasoned performer. so, what went wrong? 3 (vanessa ricky charles is the owner of "inferno's challenge" in broward county... and yesterday, he and his crew went to "atlantic high school" for a pep rally. he's done these fire sh

so 8 on your side's ryan hughes we want to the tampa city leaders to find out what's causing the latest population >> reporter: downtown tampa is transforming. new high-rises, condo, shops and restaurants. 8 on your side found the population is following suit, especially with young adults. 25 to 34 years olds are interested in everything the downtown life style has to offer, even those in college ready to make their next move. >> i think the city would be best for me. i can't see myself in a rural area. >> the i were going to stay, i would stay in downtown or at least the south tampa area. i'm a city type of person. >> reporter: there appears to be a city person in a lot of young adults these days. a study shows more and more are staying in or moving to downtown areas nationwide like right here in tampa. in a decade, the population of young adults in downtown neighborhoods in tampa rose 7800. that's a 70% increase. >> experts are telling us that the two most important things are sun and water. >> reporter: we turned to the tampa casey kasem man. those things combined with tampa's new an

. >>> tampa city council has decided to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. they voted 6-1 to approve a new ordinance. people busted with 20 grams of pot or less will get a ticket instead of a misdemeanor. they think it will prevent people from getting a lifelong criminal record for what they call one small mistake. >> this is talking about giving people a second chance. >> the fine for the first offense is $75. and then, it goes up for repeat offenses. mayor bob buckhorn has showed support for this idea and is expected to sign that into law. >>> the best of the best at picking a suspect out of a crowd. >> they are called super recognizers and a bay area police department has a bunch how they were able to identify their special talents. cuba. which airlines are planning havana? >> we were able to lift our high to 75 degrees. tomorrow morning. forecast coming up. >> we'll have that and more coming up. you're watching newschannel8. >> in polk county, an ambulance crash shut down highway 60 for several hours. it was returning from the station in winter haven hos

tampa, as well. american, delta, frontier and silver airways all submitted applications, listing routes out of other florida cities. but not *all of these requests will be granted. the government will spend the next few months reviewing them and is expected to make a decision this summer. 3 ((jen the tampa bay rays are poised to make history later this month.. when they travel to cuba to play the cuban national team. 3 ((jen)) that game is set for march 22nd. it's sure to be memorable *and significant. (walter) fox-13's josh cascio explains the impact it will likely have on *both countries. 3 take jcthis is certainly going to be more than just a baseball gamea&this is being viewed as another step in rebuilding a relationship with cuba.take vo the rays will be the first mlb franchise to play in cuba since the orioles did it back in 1999.the rays are getting the opportunity after winning a lottery thru major league baseball.and it really couldn't have worked out better - considering the history between tampa and cubaa&a history that dates back to the 1500s.experts say this game will be a historic event - and will be

. >>> tampa city leaders taking the first step to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana. if this passes getting caught with pot will still be an ordeal. carson chambers explains from tampa. >> reporter: >>> and it was embarrassing. hundreds of people saw me in handcuffs. >> reporter: it's one of the stories from college. carlos isn't so proud to tell. >> i was pulled over right in front of the university of south florida and i was pulled over leaving class. gram of marijuana. >> it's about a joint and a half worth. >> reporter: on his way to grab a bite to eat. his education was in jeopardy and his future. >> it made my life a lot harder. and it definitely hurt my pockets. you know, having to go through the court system, having to do the divergent program, having to go through drug treatments. >> reporter: if a new city ordinance passes march 17th, small amounts of pot will be decriminalized. you will be ticketed, not taken to jail. >> if it's a car stop, you might be there for a little while and it might ruin your night. >> reporter: being caught with marijuana will not b

. >>> and a major step by the city of tampa. city council members voted to decriminalize marijuana. this is a big deal. of 20-grams or less will be fined instead of facing misdemeanor charges. and it will almost be like getting a traffic titicket. the ordinance passed 5-1. >>> we are getting a sneak peek at what st. petersburg's new pier will look like and the architects are insisting that all of the items on the wish list will become a reality. the color renderings show several changes that weren't in the orange drawings. there are changes such as the boat orthodox that wewere originally set to go in. those are gone. but architects say structures used to hold the pyramid competent hold the new billing so new ones will be built. >>>> although there's some differences as they move along, all of the component pieces are there. >> now the plan is to break ground on the new pier next spring. and work is supposed to be completed by the end of 2018. >>> brace yourselves because a loud and action-packed weekend base adds the 2016 airfest gets underway tomorrow morning. and our ryan hughes

. >>> well, just as the tampa city council votes to de criminalize marijuana, the i- team has learned about a hemp product that's growing in popularity. it's sold locally. jarrod holbrook takes a look at this growing alternative >> reporter: it's popping up in stores in tampa bay. cbd being used as alternative medicine. >> cbd coming from hemp is beefing people that is a fact. >> reporter: it comes in pills, oils, creams, even edible products. distributeddors claim it helps with everything from stress, knauss why, and headaches to anxiety and epilepsy. jennifer uses it op her 11-year- old son. anyway was born missing the center part of his brain, but it looks like autism. >> reporter: she's seeing is positive results. >> it allows rowdy to function in a much more calm way. >> reporter: cbd is found in hemp, a cannabis plant like marijuana, but unlike marijuana, hemp is high in cbd, not thc. wendy uses it for sleep anxiety. >> i'm always up in the night, and i am able to get a good night's sleep when i use it. >> reporter: more parents are moving to colorado because they want their chi

kotfila will be 3 3 tampa city council has voted to ease punishments for people caught with small amounts of marijuana. 3 in a five to one vote... city council chose to decriminalize possession of the drug. that means, if you're caught with 20 grams or less... you'll be fined.. instead of going to jail. 3 the fines work on a graduated scale. the first offense is 75-dollars... but you could be charged as much as 450-dollars for a fourth offense. only opponents of the measure showed up to voice their opinion before today's vote. anti-drug activists say they worry about the message 3 mayor bob buckhorn still needs to sign the bill before it can become a law. once that happens... there will be an education period for tampa police... so it could take a few weeks before the law is in full effect. 3 3 lakeland linder airport just received a big upgrade... it opened a brand new control tower yesterday! 3 airport officials say the old one was outdated. the new one is 3 times as high... so air traffic controllers can see twice as far. it also has all the newest bells and whistles. the tower took 9-

. >>> and a major step by the city of tampa. city council members voted to decriminalize marijuana. this is a big story here. that means people in possession of 20-grams aureoles will be fined instead of -- 20-grams or less will bebe fined instead of facing lesser charges. it passed 5-1. >>> well we are getting a sneak peek at whatat st. pete's new pierer will look like and the architects are insisting all of the items on the pier's wish list will become a reality. show several changes not in the original drawings such as a boat dock that was originally bridge, that's gone. the architects say structures used to hold the per mid can't hold the new building so new ones will be built. >> although there's some subtleties and differences as they move along, all of the component pieces are there. >> so the plan is to break ground on the new pier by next spring and work be completed by the end of 2018. >>> and take a look at what happened when one camera crew took a ride with the army national guard in texas. you can see how flooded it is there. flood victims wading through knee-deep water

. >>> and in a few hour, the issue of decriminalizing marijuana goes before the tampa city council. councilmembers are expected to vote in may investigator of lessening the punishment for having small amounts of pot. in a few minute, we will would have to pay in fines. and we are looking at what people on both sides of the issue are saying. controversial issue. we will tell you how it's going to pan out. >>> let's get a check on the weather with meteorologist leigh spann on this st. paddy's day's morning. you're wearing your green. >> that's right. i wanted to show you the fog map. this is the map i look at to see how far you can see due to the thick fog. and at this point, everybody is clear. there may be isolated spots with thicker fog but keeping an eye on it for you. at this point, things look good and it's also warm. 70 in bartow. 71 in bradenton. the st. patrick's day's forecast, the leprechaun dancing at 8:00 a.m., yeah, some fog. and 71 degrees and quite steamy at 8:00. at 3:00 p.m., 18 degrees. by 8:00 p.m., i left in a 10% rain chance throughout the afternoon and evening.

move over chicago and new york city, it turns out tampa bay has both cities beat when it comes to celebrating st. patricks day. a study by wallet hub ranks tampa sixth in the country to celebrate the luck of the irish! they based the study on cities with the highest percentage of irish heritage, number of festivities and parties, and irish pubs. boston, massachusetts, buffalo, new york, omaha, philadelphia and pittsburgh round out the top five. it's a story that will make any sports fan frustrated. the n-c double a has launched an investigation into how a tournament bracket was leaked on social media before it was unveiled on the selection show. but first an act of kindness that's gone viral. the story behind this photo of a teenager and a homeless man...next. on 10news and cbs.. followed by scorpion at 9:00 and n-c-i-s: los angeles. then stay tuned for 10news at 11. live look at florida southern pepper discovers jimmy dean delights, made with real egg whites, lean cut meats, and whole grains. an excellent source of protein, it fuels her up with energy to help power through her morning. with

the issue was up for discussion at tampa city council, thursday... and the public got to add their two-cents. most of the council-members seem to be in favor of lessening the punishment for possession. the tampa police department is onboard, too. right now, as a first-time offender, you can be fined up-to one- thousand dollars... have your license suspended and spend up-to a year in jail. it record. now tampa is considering an ordinance that offenders 75-dollars, if or less. repeat offenders would be charged 450-dollars. the council should vote on this, next month. 3 a brother and sister are expected to face a judge this afternoon... after deputies say they robbed a girl scout selling cookies outside a deltona walmart. 3 'ashley winters' are facing multiple charges. the volusia county sheriff's office says they snatched a metal cash box right out of a girl scout's hands on sunday. the cash box had about 200- dollars in it. multiple tips led to warrants for their arrest... including one from winters' husband. both 'delbrugge' and 'winters' turned them

standard tv and 50 megabit lightning internet... only $94 a month >> the city of tampa is easing up when it comes to the. ment for the. punishment for being caught with a small amount of marijuana, up to 20 grams of the drug, and the mayor says he will sign it. >> miranda. >> no. >> suarez. >> yes. >> reddick. >> yes. >> cohen -- >> with a 5-1 vote tampa city council decriminalized the possession of small amount office marijuana. the ordinance has had strong support since it came before council for a vote two weeks ago but opponents still have problems with what they see as a green light for marijuana use. >> we are giving the key to the decide >> but antidrug volunteer has a comment about this message. >> marijuana is not a harmless drug. it is really a dangerous drug. it is much more potent than back in the 70's. ten times stronger. it it is not your daddy's pot. >> instead people will get essentially a traffic ticket and a fine. the first oa offense is $75 increasing each time up to a cap of $450. the law goes into effect after mayor bob buckhorn signs it, and his office says that wil

. >> reporter: that is the hope from the tampa city council. >> we're not talking about wheelizing marijuana. >> reporter: voting to allow with less than 20-grams of marijuana instead of charges them with a misdemeanor crime. the first time it is a $75 fine that goes up each time they're caught. >> this should be done at a state level legally. >> if it is illegal, you shouldn't have it. >> reporter: the critics say there is no mandatory drug counseling in the ordinance and worry money won't be a big enough deterrent. >> after four arrests, clearly a person is heading down a wrong path and not toward the path of employment. >> if the officer sees a pattern, they absolutely can and most likely will go to jail. >> and an outstanding warrant or another crime along with the pop possession will also land you in lock-up. >> the bottom line is it is still legal. >> the state attorney's office tells me it will potentially cut down on hundreds of cases that won't have to be handled by the clerk's office, prosecutors, public offenders, judges and jail staff. exactly how much money this will save taxpay

tampa. you can see the hot spots, ybor city south 275 and also i-75 away from the new tampa area. and let's talk about this crash, it's off to the shoulder but i wanted to bring it up to you. it's in the mango area on martin luther king on williams road. a slow down, maybe just people checking out what's going on in the area. the roadway at 75 near gibsonton. and 19th avenue, at cyprus village boulevard, an accident there. be on the lookout for that. and also taking a live look, kind of hard to see with the sun coming in, southbound 275 heavy at bird. and backs up at fowler avenue. starting to hit the brakes. back to gene and gayle. >> leslee, thank you. >>> now your chance to win tickets to universal studios orlando. >> that's right. all you have to do is be the eighth caller. the number is 1-855-420-9352. if you are the eighth caller, you win. >> the number once again, dial 1-855-420-9352. remember you have to dial 1 before 855. it is a free call. good luck to you. if you don't win this time around, you will get one last chance tomorrow morning. >> all right. >>> what you need t

. >> the tampa city council will if it passes tampa will then join a handful of florida cities including miami in decriminalizing marijuana. >>> for the fourth time in a week spacex will try to launch a communications satellite from cape canaveral. the company scrubbed launch attempts wednesday, thursday and sunday, after delivering its pay load spacex will try to land their falcon 9 rocket on a barge in the atlantic ocean. previous attempts to land on a barge ended in a spectacular fireball after the rocket tipped over. the question is of course, whether it's a go at the launch site today. >>> we're green at cape canaveral today. i don't see any issues that would be a violation in terms of the weather. clear skies, light winds, no rain. and we are good to go. if they have issues this early i don't think it will be weather related. we'll talk about the extended forecast, we have a couple of fronts to talk about that will be rolling through here before the weekend is up. crash in gibsonton. southbound i-75 reopened. you can see it there, those are the white lights, headlight coming at you

questions remain about the treatment of african american bicyclist within the city of tampa. the naacp held a news conference to tackle this problem. rodd carter joins us live. rod, tell us the latest on this. >>reporter: here's the deal, jenn, the president of the naacp and the vice president are going to meet on civil rights and have a meeting on friday. the released new numbers on how many people were stopped and or ticketed on bicycles. many people believe this is an all too common sight. an african american being ticketed. they say this man -- the guy walkining away was asked by the suspect to keep it. >> this addresses the issues of biking while black. >> the naacp held a news conference about this issue and announce a trip to dc to meet face-to-face with the u.s. commission on civil rights. >> the rights of the naacp has been involved with the united states justice department since they came down in july. >> the tampa bay asked them to came down -- african american on bikes were ticketed at a higher rate than others. the report has not been released yet, tampa police g

pwe'll talking to these fine prepresentatives plant city pflorida when good day tampa bay pscott kelly touched down in phouston he was welcomed back by pcolleague friends and family pincluding two daughters and pgirlfriend. pand secondly of united states of pamerica, dr. jill biden was pthere also kelly's twin brother pmark. pkelly said his year in space is pnot his achievement but nasas pand our countries. p>> one of the things i thought a plot about during this year is pthat there's no greater phowever and wherever you might pdo this mission a latest pachievement country space rogram but not the last. pthere will be more. pit's in our dna of our country. pto explore and we must never pstop doing this. p>> well, his mission generated ptremendous interest around the pworld. pfueled in part by kelly's social pmedia prowess. phe has won million followers on ptwitter. pand instagram and posted one,000 ictures from space. p>> now he'll undergo a lot of pdifferent tests to see what a pyear in space does disto a human pbeinged. pthey will loobing for evidence pbrittle bones from being away p

p>> this morning tampa city pleaders will discuss more plenient punishments for people pcaught with small a little of pmarijuana. pthey are expected to vote on pordinance that would pdecriminalize marijuana ossession. pinstead of misdemeanor anybody pgrams of marijuana gets a fine. pfines would range from $75 to p$450 depending on how many pviolations that person has. p>> president obama's pick to pfill vak anne on supreme court pwill meet with democrats on pcapital hill today. phowever, senate republicans are pusing an old trick to oppose pjudge merrick garlanding pnomination. pthey are pointing the records of resident and vice-president. pwhen they were in the senate. pback in 2006, then senator pbarack obama wanted to slow the rocess for president bush's pnominee. pand in 1992, then senator joe pbiden unwittingly created pso-called biden rule to not pschedule confirmation hearing puntil after political campaign pseason was over. pmembers of white house reached pout senate judiciary committee. ptouched base with an other psenatorses but all but mcconnell psay they are willing to have pc

tampa city council will hold a public hearing and reading on >> and after understaffing led to superlong wait times. you have to see this picture, look at the lines. we found hundreds of people waiting four to six hours to tbe seen today at the tampa irs office. many of the people are in line because of i.d. fraud. one filed taxes in their names to get their returns and in order to file themselves they now have to verify their identitied in person and had to stand in this line for six hours to do that? the irs says more than 700,000 people have been victims of this i.d. fraud but the agency blames the waits on slashed budgets and a reduced work force. in a letter to the irs commissioner urging action on the long waits but the irs says their hands have been tied. this is to taxpayers and we sympathize and understand and we are very sorry they are going through this. we are doing what we can with what we have. >> they did promise to try to add more staff to this office and also to skip the lines, people can make appointments on line at the st. pete irs office if that helps. >> and the 86th

. >> using penalties for pot in tampa. the city decriminalized the possession of small amounts of immediately. here's what it means, if someone is caught with 20 grams or less, they could face a fine $71 on the way up to $450 or, all of this is meant to keep jail. >> new research about a deal between charter can indications and time warner cable could be finalized within weeks. that deal could possibly lead the federal communications commission and the justice department have to approve both of those deals. action today following a ten investigates report aiming to protect you and your car. investigative reporter noah prensky shows how telling is the newest effort to curb them. >> if a bar goer has too much to drink, i think we can all of agree that we would avoid to getting home high on the wheel. that changed after our report. city council discusses how they can take it a step further by notify customers that they had this safe option and they didn't need to drive home and they were intoxicated. >> we see horror stories of wrong

patrick's day into the weekend, you'll want to head to downtown tampa. the city will dye the hillsborough river kelly green tomorrow for the the non-toxic and biodegradable dye will be used between the cass street and kennedy bridges. it begins at 11 in the morning. in a couple of rays will be traveling to cuba for a historic game. they will become league team to play the eyes of the baseball world will be on the rays as president barack obama plans on attending the big event. 10 sports caught up with some of the players to see how their big game. i caught up with a few others players in port charlottee -- we'll hear from them about the trip tonight at 5. and as the rays head to cuba... i will be traveling there as well. i'll bring you reports from the rays' history making game in havana.. and the presidents visit... starting sunday night. company behind the popular m-t-v t-v show that brought you snooki, j-woww and the situation...is looking for another spot! the possible location could be right here in florida! after the break...a man's quick thinking helped sa

summer: the tampa city council s meant to benefit young people who get caught with marijuana. the vote decriminalizes marijuana, which means no more distant -- misdemeanors for people caught with 20 grams or less. now getting caught with marijuana is like getting a traffic ticket. city council members say this is not about legalizing marijuana, but instead about lessening the punishment if caught with it. angela: repairs are underway on a california highway that collapsed monday night. a chunk of highway slid down the side of a mountain after heavy rain. it' s isolating a small community, which leaves officials trying to figure out how to connect the town with the rest of society. right now they' re working on making a dirt road for people to use as an alternate route. they really have nowhere to go at this point. supposed to be a fun event for high school students. summer: but a man ended up setting his face on fire. he is now talking one day after his accident. angela: >> local, live, late-breaking. this is wesh 2 news, first at 4:00, in high definition. summer: a volusia co

p>>laura: the tampa city council pvoted to decriminalize the poe p-- small possession of pmarijuana. pmayor buckhorn plans to sign the pordinance in the coming days. pit will not take effect pimmediately. pthere will have to be a training eriod for officers to know how pto enforce the law. p>>russell: scary situation in pdel ray beach. pa man accidentally set himself pon fire. phe was rushed to the hospital pwith severe burns. pseveral other people were phospitalized for breathing fire pextinguisher fumes. pthe school district is pinvestigating. p>>laura: a giant nine foot, 11 pinch alligator was the talk of pthe town yesterday in lakeland. pthe city posted this picture on ptheir facebook page. pit shows the gator catching a plittle shade. psoon after this picture was ptaken. pthe alligator went to where a ptrapper managed to get the panimal and the school wrote pthis. olk county education today. p>>russell: look at that. p>>laura: like the gator boy guy. p>>russell: well, it's easily one pof the most popular events in pour area and this weekend, the pmacdill air force base is popeni

city. turns out that tampa bay has both cities beat when it comes day. >> tampa is sixth in the country to celebrate. they base the studies on the city with the highest irish people and number of irish pubs. boston, philadelphia, omaha, and pittsburgh round out the top five. before the teams are announced. we'll look at the investigation underway coming up. >>> what inspired a teenager to pray for a homeless man he seen on the street. >>> a live look at a crash along the courtney campbell causeway this morning. this is causing traffic issues. traffic gets very busy during on 6:00. this will make it tough to cross the bay area. hilary zalla will be a bridge >>> donald trump will be in tampa today campaigning ahead of tomorrow's primary. >> that rally will start at 2:00 at the convention center. heads up your morning and afternoon commute could be affected. franklin street will be closed at 8:00 a.m. from channelside drive south to old water street in front of the convention center. >>> hulk hogan will be back in a pinellas county courtroom this morning for his trial sex tape. >> he is suing

seventeen other house democrats will join the president. 3 tampa's cigar city brewing has been sold. oskar blues brewery from colorado has bought controlling interest in it. the aquisition puts months of rumors to rest. a boston-based equity firm... called fireman capital is a financial partner in the transaction. the founder of cigar city brewing, joey redner, will remain c-e-o. 3 3 ((vanessatake vo)) happening today, governor bill that expands medical marijuana use in florida to terminally ill patients. the new legislation allows people with seizure disorders and cancer to have access to a non-euphoric strain of marijuana. patients were supposed to have access to the drug more than a year ago... but legal fights caused delays. 3 happening today... people in saint pete have another opportunity to voice their visions for the new pier. officials are holding a pier approach public workshop today. it's on u-s-f's saint pete campus... inside the student center ballroom. the design team will be there to hear feedback as they present some new layouts for the pier. that workshop runs from 7

report caught the attention of city and county leaders. >> and a simple thing like this can be so complex and so costly to someone that it's really heart breaking. >> reporter: tampa bay city councilman hard charlie miranda was stunned when it found an apartment complex allowing a towing company to target their residents. advantage of people. >> reporter: russell brandon was visiting a friend when his car was towed after he forgot to put his new registration sticker on the tag. no one checked if the tag was expired before hauling off his car. >> take the car out because it's got an expired tag. they don't have the proper equipment to check the tag like the police department or the sheriff's department has. >> reporter: eight cars were towed away from foxcroft the same night. so where is the warning sign? 8 on your side checked and just found this generic sign found anything, nothing about expired stickers on your license plate. >> there's not enough signage to say an expired tag will be hauled away, just says unauthorized. what does that mean? >> reporter: we have the same question, but no one at foxcroft or miami management company would talk. at professional tow

heading into tampa from work city into i-75 in tampa you are two minutes delayed with the drive times being 17 minutes. sarasota and manatee counties so far so good. very quiet. i-75 no significant delays yet. if you guys have any problems on the roads be sure to send me an e-mail. i'm your road warrior. i'm look at traffic safety issues you are seeing. e-mail me at roadwarrior@wtsp.com. >>> 6:48. we are looking at cloudy skies out there right now. ahead of a cold front that's coming through later today. showers offshore watch them dry up. that's going to be the case as the frontal boundary comes through here. there are some bright spots. it is mostly cloudy. there are bright spots now. the actual frontal boundary itself is pushing through tallahassee now. it will bring a small chance of rain. this comes through midday. clearing gets in later this afternoon. there will be more sunshine after 2:00 to 3:00 than the first half of the day. still warm. mid 60s. to ten degrees. 57 in lakeland. that's a cool spot. 66 tampa. 65 sarasota. clearwater 67 degrees this morning. let's track the col