inmate in polk county. ((jen the election is over, but one local race is still too close to call. why votes are still being counted, nearly two weeks later. ((walter and this week's hometown heroes are helping get moms fit... physically and mentally. ((walter)) thanks for joining us this friday morning.. i'm walter allen((jen)) and i'm jen epstein. let's start off with a check of the forecast, with dave. tons of sunshine and lovely no closed captioning is developing this morning in polk county.. deputies are searching for an escaped inmate.. who took off from a work release program in bartow... fox 13's shayla reaves is at the polk county jail with the latest.. this isn't the first time an inmate has escaped in polk county.. a month ago, an inmate named "david ross" was part of a work crew at mosaic park.. when he took a guard hostage and drove off in a city vehicle.. he then drove all the way to pinellas county.. where authorities nabbed him. a hillsborough county firefighter is facing battery charges for taking part in a violent bar fight.. the september 27th brawl key west... offic

melissa marino shows us, polk county is right in the middle of the fight >> if my person doesn't win, i can only say u paul casts ballots early. they know just how important their votes are in this election. >> i think this is probably the most important election we have had in my lifetime. >> reporter: the entire i-4 corrider will play a vital role and polk county is in the middle of the political ring. >> and polk county, we are evenly divided. we have 37% democrats, 36% republicans and 27% of our makes polk county a prime political target and a must watch. >> we are truly unpredictable on the i-4 corrider. >> reporter: florida southern college, political science professor bruce anderson says polk county voters will play a major role.>> we are out the vortex in the center of the i-4 corrider. the way polk county goes is the way that the i-4 will go is the way florida will go. it could not be more important for polk county to turn out. >> reporter: so far, they are doing that. >> we are approaching 60,000 early voting and another 65,000 or more. -- 65,000 or more by mail. >> reporter:

((dave)) developing this morning... polk county part is.. this inmate only had a few months left in his sentence.. ((walter/dbx)) fox 13's shayla reaves joins us live from polk county this morning... shayla-- are deputies any closer to find this guy? ((walter/dbx)) thanks a crazy brawl on the streets of ybor city. guys then one of them gets into a car... crashes right into several of them... and goes right into a bar. it happened tuesday night.. but police are still searching for that driver this morning. police say that driver... along with several other men seen in the video were fighting on east 7th avenue. in his attempt to ?leave the situation... they say he may have just lost control of his car. surveillance video caught the whole thing... you can see them throwing punches. off to the side... another man involved in a fight gets in a black nissan. do a u-turn buts gets hung up on the curb... the car jumps the sidewalk... smashes into some men... then the window of the "bad monkey" bar. may have just been trying to leave the fight.. but lost control. only one of the victims was

trump and clinton is polk county right in the heart of the i-4 corrider were both candidates campaigned heavily toward the end. melissa marino continues our coverage live from lakeland. we both live in polk county. it's important to both camps for a variety of reasons. >> reporter: political analysts tell me the way polk county votes will likely be the way the i-4 corrider goes and away florida goes. polk county is virtually split democrats, republicans, and independence. historically, polk county has favored the republican candidate. in recent years, candidates one by a on average of 5% here but it will all come down to turnout. we spoke with one voter who decided to cross party lines. >> i just kind of went on, do i want business as normal or do i want to shake it up and i actually for the first time broke from party lines everywheus >> reporter: more than 170,000 people voted early or by mail in polk county and those voters, virtually split 50-50 between republicans and democrats. a must watch here in polk county. >> looking forward to it. melissa marino for us. >> while m

next president. right now people in the i-4 quarter still casting their ballots tonight and polk county is right in the middle of that territory. >> clifton french is live in lakeland right now. how are things going? >> reporter: right now a big part of what makes florida a swing state is the i-4 corridor and the large number of independent affiliated voters >> this is it. all of the debates and campaigning. >> reporter: coming down to the county sitting of the long stretch in central florida called i-4. polk county on the western edge where the voters we spoke to her as divided as the candidates themselves. >> i voted for hillary clinton. >> i don't trust hillary. >> reporter: south florida going democrat and north florida republican but it is right in the middle for a quarter of the registered voters have no party affiliation. there are nearly 150,000 registered republicans and polk county nearly the same number of democrats in 111,000 people registered outside those main parties. >> we need to clean up this country. >> reporter: this voter was independent until this year. >> i changed t

targeting parking lots. >> and an inmate slips away from a work program in polk county, we're live with the latest on this manhunt. >> plus temperatures in the 40s and 50s, but could get colder over the weekend. . >> good morning and welcome to news channel 8 today. >> it is friday and leigh's got nice and chilly out there. >> pretty much a fantastic friday because it's cool and crisp this morning. 45 in inverness, a little bit milder places like bradenton you're 63. in fact, everybody is a couple of degrees warmer yesterday by about 2 to 5 degrees. let me take you through your friday. the sun comes up we'll see a couple of clouds today. a touch more humidity. blue skies, 76 at n be 80 degrees and it's time for the weekend. at 4:38 i'll have the 8-day temperature trend for you. >>> pretty good drive this morning a little bit of overnight construction in the sun coast area but a great drive on the veterans expressway. let's talk about one accident out in polk county on u.s. 27 right by i-4. so i want you to keep that in mind, but otherwise a great drive throughout polk county. no de

red. we continue our team coverage now live from polk county where trump needs to win if he's going to win florida. . >> reporter: well, here in polk county the votes actually skewed slightly republican in the past 2 elections, 2012 polk county voters choose mitt romney, in 2008 john mccain, but it's worth noting elections the republicans won by just 5%. now, this county is split 3 ways pretty evenly between republicans, democrats and independents that makes it truly a purple state and a must watch. . >> we are in the center of the i-4 corridor the way that polk goes is the way that the corridor will go and that's the 168,000 polk county residents voted early or voted by mail. the number of democrats and republicans who voted nearly split 50-50. in fact, only a difference of 1,000 voters and today we will be watching, is this the year that polk county flips and votes for the democrat or will it go republican? >> we will find out today. all right thank you. >>> well, trump held his fin here and says he's in it to win it and not to get credit for starting a moment. >> i don't want any

and broward counties. but one of them was in polk county. there was also one ?locally transmitted case in miami. there are now more than 11 hundred zika cases confirmed in florida... ?most in south florida. today in polk county: the department of health is conducting free testing for h-i-v and hepatitis c. the testing event is from nine until three at the department's pasco county clinic. that's on little road in new port richey. it only takes about 20 minutes to get your ?results from the testing. the county will also hold another free testing event next week. in pasco county: an assistant principal could soon lose her job... after she ate cookies, laced with marijuana. deputies say "donna lynch haff" actually ?overdosed on marijuana oil after eating the cookies and had to get rushed to the hospital monday. deputies say haff wanted to try marijuana for her 50th birthday..so her daughter bought the cookies from a co-worker. haff and her daughter are now charged with possession of a controlled substance. haff is also on administrative leave from anclote high school in police in sou

. . >> reporter: yeah the past 2 elections polk county has favored the republican party. president obama was defeated here twice in 2012 by mitt romney. romney winning by 6% vote by 4%. as far as this election goes early voting numbers no indication of what might happen here. more than 168,000 polk county residents voted early or by mail, but there's a virtual split down the middle between republicans and democrats. both campaigns included lakeland in the barn the deciders in presidential politics. >> hillary clinton is an insider fights for herself. i'm an outsider, used to be an insider, to be honest with you, okay. i know the inside and i know the outside and that's why i'm the only one that can fix this mess, folks. >> so did those visits buy the presidential campaigns make any difference here in polk county. we will see like all of the tampa bay area, policy here in polk county will be open at 7 a.m. >> lots of eyes throughout our area this morning and throughout the day. thank you. >>> well, this morning dozens of the children from a south florida preschool are recovering aft

of election day 2016. >> still ahead watching voters in polk county. could voters flip from red to blue and what it means for the outcome of the presidential race. >> and preschoolers rushed to the hospital in south florida, coming up would school officials believe made these kids sick. >> then a real life version of the movie snakes on a plane, the moment passengers saw this mid-flight. you're watching . >>> polk county is a must win in the race for the white house. historically the county skews republican and it has to stay that way if win the sunshine state. we're joined from a precinct with an equal number of registered democrats and republicans. pretty interesting there. >> reporter: yeah, absolutely, and despite those equal numbers the past 2 elections polk county has skewed slightly republican, in 2012 mitt romney defeated president obama in this county by about 6% of the vote, and in 200 # it was john mccain that you can't take any example here from early voting because of the 168,000 polk county residents who have voted early or by mail there is a virtual split right down

i don't' an arrest in a deadly hit and run crash that killed a woman and injured a polk county deputy, how deputies say they tracked down the suspect and the surprising confession he made when they found him. >> also donald trump's wife pledge to fight cyber bullying. her rare appearance on the campaign trail. . >> and the cross bay ferry starts operating today. it offers you a new way to travel between tampa and st. petersburg but is it better than using the bridge? we put it to the test, the results straight ahead. you. >> thanks for waking up with us. let's get a check on your wake up weather. >>> good morning. it is a very comfortable morning, temps are running a degree or cooler than yesterday. still above average. right now 58 brooksville. it'sn plant city. let's go through the day today e before the time change the sun is not going to rise until about 7:30. so 8 should be a beautiful morning, passing clouds. warm up quickly to 78 degrees this afternoon or by lunchtime. i only add a 10% rain chance this afternoon and 5 p.m. heading home from work at 82 degrees. 5:08 i give you t

>>> a tragic accident in polk county. a 5-year-old boy is killed and atv crash. when investigators believe caused the accident. >>> plus another night of anti- trump protest across the country . the message police have for protesters just ahead. >>> good morning, thank you for joining us on this sunday here let's take a look at the weather. >> this is a view from polk county where the thought has been the thickest all over pulp county -- polk county. you see people trying to navigate their way through the fog up there. just make sure you take it easy this morning. at a few extra minutes of drivetime to wherever you are going. >>> 61 temple terrace. 60 largo . starting off at 55 and wimauma, 55 -- 59 in lakeland . this is the story, the visibility has now come up just a bit in lakeland. temperatures near 60 this morning, patchy fog. by the time we get to the afternoon, lots of sunshine coming our way. all in all, great-lo you're headed out to the book game -- books game -- bucs game we will take a look at that. >>> a 7.4 earthquake struck the island near new zealand. there were no i

40th street. >>dave: we have a little fog in the middle of polk county. that's where it seems to be concentrated, that plus eastern citrus and sumter. you're getting ready to walk out the door. temperatures, there are a lot of us still in the lower 70s. not to mention it's humid as well. high temperatures today should easily make it back to the lower 80s with a mixture of clouds and sunshine. let me tell you, off to the northwest it's been a whole different ballgame. look at the radar and hefty storms from tennessee all the way down to louisiana, doing damage. this is video of winston county, mississippi as these storms came rolling through and we have had reports of tornados. we have tornado watches out from louisiana all the way up to parts of tennessee at this hour. we also know there have been three lives lost in northeast alabama last night, very early this morning with some of those storms as well. only thing good out of all of this would be the fact we are getting some rain to work its way and take care of those wildfires up in tennessee. >>russell: you're right but the damag

coverage now live from polk county where trump needs to win if he's going to win florida. . >> reporter: yeah, that's true. in the past 2 elections mitt romney in 2012 and john mccain in 2008. it is important to note that both won by just 5% of the vote here in polk county. now, looking at today's election, the county is split among 3 ways, democrats, republicans and independent dans. that makes it truly a purple of purple state and a must watch according to . >> we are in the center of the i-4 corridor. the way that polk goes is the way that the corridor will go. >> reporter: now, the final early voting numbers here in polk county 168,000 residents voted early or by mail, however, the number of democrats versus republicans who voted right at watching polk county very closely. will this be the year that the democrats take this county or will they hold strong for the republican party? . >> this is the day we're going to find out. thanks. >>> well, trump held his final florida rally in sarasota yesterday morning. he predicted a win here and says he is in it to win it, and not get credit f

amazing everyone ?survived this crash. today in polk county: grief counselors will be out at lake alfred addair middle school in winter haven. they'll help students deal with the ?shooting death... of a classmate. 14 year old "kyler daughtry" was killed tuesday, after he and two other teens started playing with a shotgun, in a motel room. a 19 year old provided the the gun went off, ?killing kyler. later today... we should find out if a tampa man will be granted bail... after killing another man at a basketball court. "trevor dooley" is serving an eight-year prison sentence for killing "david james" during an argument in valrico back in 20-10. dooley says it was self defense. back in april, dooley won an appeal to get a new trial... after the court found mistakes during his sentencing. dooley's lawyers are asking for him to be released on bail, pending that next trial date. they're between 50 and 100 thousand dollars. but the ?widow of the man dooley killed is fighting his release. a former bay area teacher ?won't be getting a reduced sentence. a polk county judge made that decisi

. eli was wearing a helmet that it was a soft helmet. the poll county's sheriffs office -- polk county sheriffs office investigated the accident and the investigation is ongoing. joshua suffered a chest injury and possibly the hospital that morning -- this morning . the accident happened near the family's home. >>> a tragic atv accident that we just told you about did claimed the life of a 5-year- old boy. >>> pinellas county deputies are investigating an accident that injured 2 divers. it happened 5 miles off of madero beach. the 70-year-old and his wife lo for life-threatening injuries. deputies believe it was a diving accident because they found diving equipment on board . >>> a doctor turned into what investigators say is a drug dealer, is now free on bond. the deputies put the cuffs on him charging him with practicing medicine without a license. he wrote prescriptions for more than 6000 tablets of oxycodone and realize the scheme had been going on for quite a while. spat we knew what he did of course. we knew he was a pain doctor, but we do know anything else. >> 5 patients that he prescri

workshops tonight and one couple in polk county just got some huge help, with their wedding planning. why someone ?else is now footing the bill. ((walter and speaking of money, here's a look at last night's winning lottery numbers. tonight's mega millions jackpot is worth 25 million dollars. and tomorrow's powerball jackpot surprise.. for a very deserving couple in polk county. meghan and her fiancee gabe were overcome by emotion when they found out they were the ?winners of the "blue i do" contest. it provides a free wedding to a deserving law enforcement couple. the two work with the polk county sheriff's office and couldn't be more thrilled: they won't have to wait too long for their wedding. they will be walking down the aisle in january! talk about a ?big week on broadway. after the break: why one hit show... has a ?lot to be thankful for. plus: another 80's movie gets a modern day including a new take, on one of the most popular movie songs... of all time. the holidays don't officialy begin, until it's time to make: flaky, delicious, piping hot things. golden brown and sticky t

shooting in polk county. what led up to the deadly confrontation. i'm jennifer leigh. >> i'm keith cate. thank you for joining us tonight. we'll begin with the breaking news tonight as these protester continue to show their outrage over the outcome of the presidential election. this is a live look in dallas tonight. it's natural to see this here though hundreds of demonstrators have taken to the streets. they wanted to see hillary clinton in the white >>> it is the same scene in philadelphia where thousands are marching through the streets blocking traffic. another blue city. protest organizers know they cannot change the vote, but they want to be on record that they oppose what the president elect stands for and has promised to do. >>> now president elect trump is responding to all of this on twitter saying just had a very open and successful presidential election, now >>> and some of that anger is boiling over here in the tampa bay area. eagle hd flying over the anti- trump protest. demonstrators here telling us they want their voices heard even though the election is now over. >

lewis is in jail right now and will go before a judge this afternoon. we're live at the polk county sheriffs office this morning. so a tipst recollection is giving credit about lewis. >> reporter: apparently someone called the sheriffs office here in polk county and where to find the suspect and the blue pickup truck he was allegedly driving during the incident. charles lewis is accused of driving drunk after a party saturday morning appeared hitting and killing otero, deputy pinell who previously stopped to help her was also hit but survived. investigators explained lewis confessed and claimed he knew he hit something but never stopped. the polk line and told them where to find lewis and his truck. >> our homicide team from traffic investigations turned looking for the house. they didn't have a house number. they were preparing to go door to door when low and be hold who's driving down the road in a blue pickup truck but or suspect charlie lewis. >> reporter: lewis faces 2 charges leaving traffic crash causing serious bodily injury and leaving the scene of a traffic crash causing death. he'

that this man falls into that category and is back behind bars very soon. according to polk county, 45- year-old joseph flanagan of lakeland escaped on bob phillips road in bartow yesterday afternoon around 3:30. place say flanagan was working in fleet maintenance and he this one. it's almost like deja vu for polk county officials. last month an inmate led them on a manhunt after they say he made a makeshift weapon, kidnapped a corrections officer, and stole this pickup truck. officials were able to catch the man in pinellas county. for the current case, flanigan was in jail for stealing and violation of probation. he had a 300 day sentence and had already served a quarter of his time. if you see him, call police. >> how often does this type of thing happen where someone is able to escape? >> reporter: you can argue that one escape is too many, but it does happen. according to the state department of corrections, from escapes statewide. now, that number is down from 21% from the previous year. >> thank you. we have that information on our website wtsp.com. >>> police are searching for

name charley belcher we're humane society of polk county. because it is national animal shelter appreciation week. so lisa the executive director humane society of polk county. we appreciate you. >> thank you. we're done. doggies in this one and talk about the shelter. i love the way the shelter is designed. i love your kennels the way they look i did know you guys are very proud of this facility. we are. we put lot of research and thought into it. we had a board that allowed me to travel. and find out the latest greatest techniques and things to do in kennels. and we actually were able to implement them here like the arrow ma therapies that you see. we have the lavender and peppermint. just to they breathe that in and that unless can them and relaxes them. i will nowsay a sentence that i have never said at an animal shelter smells good in here. no offense to any other shelter. this smells pretty good. and as we good around jason shows off some kitties and puppies that you have here. by way everyone you see up for adoption, we should point out that it the, it takes a lot of volu

part of a daytime burglary trend happening in polk county. the victims te 10news the crooks smashed through a window and 2 locked doors to take the entire 300 pound safe with the guns inside. auburndale police say this white lincoln town car with a beige top has been spotted in at least 2 of the burglaries. they believe a right now, a local animal sanctuary is making preparations to take in five new tigers as part of one of the largest big cat rescue efforts ever. 10news reporter emerald morrow is live at the big cat rescue in tampa. emerald, what happened to make this local sanctuary take the animals in? it's a very serious situation that led to this. basically, there's a sanctuary in colorado that had to give up its big cats and bears because the owner's health isn't so great. but he wanted to make sure the animals would be in good care, so he donated them to sanctuaries all across the country. the cats are actually here now, and workers are waiting until daylight to take them inside because that's safer. but we do have susan bass here to talk with us about this rescue effort... -

in polk county.. a series of dangerous home break-ins are under investigation. including a very dangerous one, just added to the list. ?35 guns were stolen from an auburndale home in broad daylight. the burglary happened earlier this and auburndale police are now asking for you to be on the look out for ?these two cars. one is a white lincoln towncar with a beige top.. the other is a white chevy malibu. investiagtors believe they are connected to the break-ins. if you recognize them... give auburndale police a call. a big vote this morning... could have a huge impact on hundreds of bay area students. thats because they may be forced to ?change their schools. and as fox 13's alcides segui joins us from the pasco county school board this morning, for the latest. no matter what the school committee decides... the superintendent and the board it's going to be a busy morning for "big cat rescue" in tampa. they're taking part in the largest rescue of big cats in u-s history. more than a ?hundred animals need to be moved from a sancuary in colorado. the owners health is failing, and he

the forecast is shaping up. >>> around the bay area at no issues but if you are in polk county or inland citrus county we're seeing some pretty dense fog out there. be careful and be aware of that. overall the pattern will be that we are pretty clear this morning. with more cloud cover arriving as we look ahead to the afternoon. we are tracking this frontal boundary which will have minimal impact to florida but we're seeing significant severe weather across alabama and southern mississippi and now over into northwestern georgia and tennessee. strong winds ahead of this could cause more problems for wildfires. we are watching this line closely and closer are quiet and once it arrives here it is not going to have that same spark that it does as it moves through the deep south. 71 now in tampa. we are clear as we look out over downtown st. petersburg. no issues for you. we are warm. we will go toasty as we had to the day. along with more cloud cover. southwinds will continue to pump in the moisture. round after round of cloud bit of a sprinkle possible after midday. especially after

, mornings but but it's also cooler. the live look from polk county, and 's next 20 minutes or so. by lunchtime, expect the clouds to be clearing, humidity to be low. 72 at noon. 76 at 3:00 p.m., and then a cooldown, quickly after sunsets tonight. morning clouds rake braking up, leading to a sunnier afternoon. this week, we are cooler than average today, but near 80 on thursday. next week, much, much cooler air. despite that we are in hurricane season. hurricane season through november 30th, so we are checking the tropics. >> it feels like i have hurricane season senioritis. >>> we have water mains causing problems here. i need you to take me. >>> that will ease your commute, believe me. 10th avenue and art 43rd street and as we move in, we have been following this breaking news, and one of the southbound lanes, that's due to the war that we believe the into the road ever bar there on 7th and thank you. >>> and 8 is on your side with what you need to know to keep your family safe for a hover board. >>> the games coming tampa in january. the big game could bling you big bucks. you're w

. i know that the temperature is right over where the sun is of how pretty it is in polk county. in fact, most of the country, the weather looks great for election day. we'll have that northeast wind again today so we'll keep it relatively mild this afternoon with a mixture of clouds and sunshine. we're going to sneak right back up into the lower 80s for high temperatures. enjoy it. >>vanessa: thanks, dave. looks like the biggest incident on the road is going to be along 275. it's northbound direction in case you're were watching this crash in the last report and it's going to be infecting drivers who will be heading north past the fowler avenue area. it is taking up a left lane. we have authorities on scene but i'm not seeing tow trucks so it could be locker until this is cleared out. the good news is we're seeing delays under five minutes or so so you can plan that extra time or if you just would rather take a work around, please do so. we'll update you as we get on throughout the morning on how this crash is clearing. the normal congestion. clear on southbound 75 and i-4 westboun

. >>> and right now the search is on for an escaped inmate in polk county. joseph flanagin who you see here took off from a county maintenance facility where he had privileges to work. well, now, deputies want this guy back behind bars. ryan hughes joins police officers searched this area near a sam's club in lakeland overnight but i just checked and still no sign of the suspect. a polk county sheriffs spokeswoman tells news channel 8 that flanagin took off from a county fleet management facility in a pickup truck around 3:30 yesterday afternoon. the truck was later found abandoned that's when the all-out search began. this is video of the search from eagle 8 hd. deputies drove around in cars and used k-9 units hopin lakeland officers tell us they'll continue searching until he's back behind bars. now, here's another look at the 45-year old flanagin. court documents show he was arrested in september for theft, his third conviction of that -- on that charge rather. flanagin was set to be released in march just a few months from now. he was grand trustee status for good behavior which al

run crash that killed a woman and injured a polk county deputy, how deputies say they tracked down the suspect surprising confession he made when they found him. >> also melania's pledge to fight cyber bully, how she says she would like to combat bullying as first lady. >> and across -- the cross bay ferry starts operating today, a new way to travel between st. petersburg and tampa. >>> we, goal and welcome to news channel 8 today. let's get your friday forecast. >>> good morning. it is comfortable out there this morning. temperatures are even a couple degrees cooler than yesterday. still above average. palm harbor starting your day a. 67 in sarasota. so let's go through your fridaye sun will just be coming up about 8 a.m. because again, time change will mean next week it's going t today 6 degrees at 8 a.m. a mix of sun and clouds lots of sunshine at lunchtime, 78 degrees. you don't see rain, a 10% rain chance, 5 p.m. heading home from work at 82 degrees. i'll go more specific hour by hour and of course give you the weekend forecast. in the meantime let's help you get out the door.

into how he died. good evening and thank you for joining us. >>. polk county deputies try to figure out what led up to a father's death. >> the 32-year-old did try to get help. >> reporter: just moments ago polk county deputies removing the crime tape that was strung a i cross the front here of gabriel's house where this all first started. we don't know a what happened just yet. what we do know there was some type of a fight around 11:00 last night. right in gabriel's front yard. punches were thrown and the suspect took off. gabriel walked across the street to a neighbors house to get help. they called deputies saying there was a stabbing in the neighborhood. before help arrived gabriel day investigating this crime going into the house tryings to collect evidence and piece together what happened. right now they are not saying it's a homicide. just calling it a suspicious death and trying to find that person that was fighting with gabriel just before this all unfolded. certainly if you know anything about this crime or have information that might be helpful, call the polk county sher

former polk county three of her students is set to appear before a judge in bartow this morning. jennifer fichter pleaded guilty to 37 child sex charges last year, but now she wants her sentence reduced for several reasons she says, among them her victims were willing participants. she's also citing mental health issues and a lack of treatment options in state prison. >>> we're waiting on big announcements from president- elect donald trump. >> vice president-elect mike pence says today is going to be a benchmark day for the trump administration. he says that going to plan to nominate georgia representative tom price to head the department of health and human services. price has been a vocal critic of obamacare calling it a threat to quality and affordable health care. mr. trump has made repealing and replacing obamacare one of his goals. >>> meanwhile president-elect trump is causing a stir following his meeting with retired general david petraeus yesterday. trump is considering petraeus for secretary of state. director of the cia after he shared classified information with his

can count on today is long lines. consider this in polk county between those mail in ballots and early voting they have already seen about 170,000 voters so they are expecting plenty of people here today to people headed to the parking lot here to be ready, to be walking in at 7:00 a.m. so definitely expect those lines today. we'll have much more on that side of the story coming up this morning at 6:45. for now reporting live in lakeland rodney done. >>> hillsborough county two problems watching for votes violations intimidation sending staffers to 28 statest viewer than 2012 because of the voting rights act. >>> the presidential race campaigning into the early hours of election day on the left. donald trump wrapping his last day on the campaign trail. this morning at 1:00 he was supposed to hold a finale in new hampshire but he made a democratic push to michigan. john bon jovi took the stage in her last rally in north carolina as clinton talked about a positive vision for america. >>> today's vote will also determine who will control congress beginning in january. right now it a

they're after. >> and on the run an inmate slips away from a work program in polk county. we're live with the latest on this manhunt. >> plus another chilly morning with temperatures in the 40s and 50s but could get cooler this weekend. we'll check in with leigh spann on how cold it will get and how long it will last. >> just in time for thanksgiving. good morning and the weather. >>> still a cool morning. it's actually a couple degrees warmer than yesterday but i mean, we need a jacket when it's 45 in inverness, 47 in zephyrhills, right now winter haven you're 58, 62 in fish hawk and 61 in sarasota. look at the difference lakeland is 9 degrees warmer than this time yesterday, about 2 degrees warmer in inverness, 3 degrees warmer in bradenton. watch the metro cast we'll see the sunrise temperatures 61 degrees at 8 a.m. unlike yesterday i expect rainfall obviously. 76 at noon, blue sky as you round out your friday afternoon, 80 degrees at 4 p.m., but you're going to want to stay tuned at 5:38 to the 8-day temperature friend because that tells you how long it stays chilly. >>> you've got a

outside. the man >>> polk county deputies are searching for this man. he drove off in a county truck. investigators recovered the truck but he's still on the run. last september a judge sentenced him to 300 days in jail for petty theft. >>> a crime alert in brandon. police are looking for two men who stole cell phones. on tuesday the phones they're worth more than $2,000. if you know anything about what happened, call the hillsborough county sheriff's office. >>> a 9-year-old boy is recovering after falling off a resort balcony near walt disney world yesterday. his family was packing their things to head back to michigan and left the boy unattended. a relative returned the room and found him on the ground outside. he was alert and conscious when taken to the hospital. >>> a venice teacher under authorities are not saying exactly why. the teacher works at island village montessori school. he's now on leave. the venice police department isn't releasing details about the case because it's an active investigation. gara shaffer's two children attend the school. >>it was just a letter that

interested in a local race. polk county school board district one but not really. they are all the exact same done heor using the election rules to his advantage. 10 news polk county element shows you how he is getting away with it. >> reporter: there's one thing they have in common. >> are you peter. >> reporter: they are all donating to billy townsend for school board making voters scratch their heads. you know those guys? >>i believe i heard the name before yes. >> reporter: obviously tony stark and jack bauer can't make campaign contributions. they are fictional characters i did digging and traced the donation from stoney stark llc- - tony stark llc and other llc named after movie characters to one guy under florida law, he can only donate up to a thousand bucks of his own money to a campaign. but he can donate a thousand more dollars from each of the llcs. so far between all of them, the total is around 9,000 dollars. >> a loophole you might say. >> reporter: he doesn't see it that way. >> he job and we want to make sure he has the best shot at it. >> reporter: belly townsend says he is

an escaped inmate in polk county. joseph flanagin took off from a county maintenance facility where he had privileges to work. well, now deputies want him back behind bars. ryan hughes is live in lakeland. any sign of this deputies and lakeland police officers they searched this area near a sam's club in lakeland overnight but i just checked and no sign of him so far. a polk county sheriffs office spokeswoman tells us that joseph flanagin took off from a county fleet management facility in bartow in a pickup truck around 3:30 yesterday afternoon. the truck was later found abandoned and that's when the all-out search began. now, this is video of the search from eagle 8 hd. deputies drove around in to find him. deputies and lakeland officers tell us they'll continue searching until he's back behind bars. here's another look at 45 years old joseph flanagin. court documents show he was arrested in september for theft, his third conviction on that kind of charge. flanagin was set to be released in march just a few months from now. he was granted trustee status for good behavior which all

'. >> a few races we want to tell you about now. we want to go to polk county. >> the only commission district race for district 5, incumbent john hall remains on the commission. and there are two polk county school board races. district 1 covers lakeland. barryman keeps his seat -- keeps actually bill townsend has won this race, 60 to 40% beating hunt berryman. and in district 4, let's take a look. the current board member is not seeking reelection, a very tight race here, and sarah beth reynolds has won this race, beating becky troutman. extremely close. so that's a tight one. we'll see what happens with that if they do a recount o polk county voters decided to pass a continuation of the half cent sales tax for health care for indigent residents, voted yes, 69 to 31%. >> it looks like it may have been within the margin of error for recount. we'll see about that one. pasco county had two commission seats open. ron oakley making a second run for the seat, winning tonight, 70% of the vote. he defeats retired coast guard commander delgado. his first run for office. >> two newcomers want

and batteries now, but it's only being made for men. we'll explain why. >> a polk county school employee fighting to keep her job today accused of changing records after a student died heading to the bus stop. ahead in a live report, what parents are saying this >>> 17 minutes until 6 right now. >> and we're expecting to hear firsthand today from the polk county school employee accused of changing school records just hours after a student was killed trying to make his way to a bus stop. >> abc action news reporter rodney dunigan is live on clubhouse road in lakeland where that student was hit and killed. that employee brenda young tells us she's going to defend herself at that hearing tonight. >> reporter: that's right, deiah, this is all a part of an effort to save her job. she's accused of actually into the school's computer system and actually lying, stating that that student did not have to cross the busy intersection here at clubhouse road to get to the bus stop. if you look across the street here, that cross marks the spot where this young student died. now brenda young wa

are some of the biggest claims so far? >> we had a $20,000 claim at a polk county.>> shannon behnken was on your side whole might helping you catch -- cash in on money you never know was yours. >> reporter: we helped people cash in on over $7 million. >> there's a new reason to choose the station that's >>> storm team 8 coverage is brought to you by your suncoast dealers. visit your local hyundai dealer or shop www.buyanissan.com. >>> dramatic video footage shows a train smashing into a car that was crossing the tracks in massachusetts. look at the highlighted the goal at the top of your screen. the train hit the car and basically split it in half. surprisingly, no one was hurt. the driver and the passenger are walking away from th here. police are interested in talking to them. >>> a man featured on the show making a murderer will have to stay behind bars even though his conviction was overturned. brendan dassey was convicted of raping and killing teresa halbach in 2007 but a federal judge overturned the conviction saying investigators coerced a confession. the george ordered him re

rain chance and not much cooler behind it. >>> of polk county boy is doing boy is doing something most 8- year-old stone, he is giving away all his christmas presents . >> coming up we will tell you i and also how many calories are ok! impaciente! manolo! you're so cold, come in! what's wrong? take off your hat! no hey...it's, it's dry... your scalp? mine gets dry in the winter too. try head and shoulders' dry scalp care it nourishes the scalp 3 surface layers deep to help... and keeps you up to 100% flake free now we can cuddle the whole winter! strachan many of you are spending thanksgiving with family. there are quite a few people that will spend the holiday at work or with coworkers. career spend the holiday with their work-family. 28 indicate they will be working. some of those positions that don't get the day off includes doctors, nurses, police officers, firefighters and candace and gayle. >>> besides fending -- spending the time with family best thing about angst giving is the food. >> you can really add up calorie wise american will consume 3000? 4500 calories during than

back and relax at the beach. only this one is in polk county. a sneak peek at legoland's new attraction. >>> it was nice to see a few light rain showers across the bay area today. active with a few showers as well as a lookahead at your iousright now, when you buy $20 in gift cards... ...you get a $5.00 gift certificate for yourself. >>> eagle 8 hd is brought to you by your local suncoast hyundai dealers. visit your local hyundai dealer today or visit www.buyahyundai.com. >> and now 8 on your side special coverage. it is the start of a four day journey across cuba to their final resting place in santiago. crowds waved cuban flags and chanted as the convoy go by. news channel 8 is the only station in the country during this historic time. >> let's check in with jeff patterson. he has been in the thick of things all day.>> this is the heart of old havana. this is the heart of the tourist district tourists at this time of day would normally be going in because this is the place that invented the daiquiri they say but they are not selling alcohol in havana. this is our third time being here

and put a polk county deputy in the hospital. that victim hit a tree on state road 60 lake -- east of lake wells and ran over pennell for help. a driver hit them. jessica died at the hospital. we will carry that live for you as it happens here on news channel 8 more breaking news. a west virginia mother is in the nobles county jail accused of killing her daughter. the pinellis county sheriff's office arrested lena lunsford. her daughter disappeared in 2011. we are working to gather more will have an update in our late news after the bucs game. >>> now to the campaign trail. the fight for florida continues for donald trump, rallying in jacksonville. so did per rock -- barack obama making a stop for hillary clinton. it's all hands on deck in the race. both donald trump and hillary clinton are counting on surrogates to seal the deal. mark meredith is in washington and he joins us now . that we actually have dueling rallies in jacksonville. >> reporter: you have to wonder why the candidates just didn't set up shop in california -- florida all along. i am a floridian, you might as well vot

sale of firearms in polk county and it is preempted by relevant statute authority to regulate that activity. therefore his friend is unable to manufacture of firearms and sell them from his home. double standard pack >> a little discouraging that some people are being allowed to do it and i'm being excluded. >> this issue went to the state attorney general. florida attorney general pam bondi said the county has the powder -- power to allow mondale to make silencers but since the county aarti denied >> it seems strange that if you meet the federal criteria but yet the county can say you can do this but you can't. that is the part i don't understand. >> i contacted bondi's office in the polk county attorney and none of them wanted to talk to me on the record. mondale is taking the fight back to the county to do exactly what his friend already can. manufacture and sell guns from his own home. i want to know what you ha say. go to our facebook page now and tell me. how far do you think your second amendment right goes? in polk county, 10news political reporter mark rivera. 10news. >>>

today. >>> and see how this polk county deputy gets down. the impressive move he used to shake up a high school pep rally. >>> from tampa bay's number one news station, this is "good day tampa bay." >> sorboni: good morning, everyone, welcome to "good day tampa bay." it is 7 a.m. on this saturday morning. >> alcides: i am alcides se segui. thank you for joining us as well. and lindsay to talk more about the saturday morning forecast, good morning. >> lindsay: good morning. behind us the clear skies and we just don't have the cool a air. 67 degrees. the winds starting to pick up out of the northeast behind a cold front that moved through while they were sleeping. i know he woke up to few tiny light raindrops on the rooftop, the rain is gone and cooler, drier air is lacking. dropped to 68 61, crystal river. winter haven, 66. bradenton you dropped below 70 as well. the showers that passed on by. the front now south of our a area. a lot of sunshine. you will find it today. a swift northeast wind kind of picking up by late morning. a bit breezy in st. petersburg and gustier for the boaters th

deadly hit-and-run in polk county. coming up, what a bar manager told news channel 8 about how much the suspect drank before getting behind the wheel. >>> siting of an exotic animal roaming around where the recease monkey was carson and i have seen some terrible ads attacking our mom dana young. for things she never did. it hurts because mom is cool. she is caring, she works hard. whenever something is not right mom is on it. trust us we know from experience. mom put her career on hold for us. to raise our family. she is a role model for everyone in our community. y25egy y16fy >>> suspect in a deadly hit-and- run faces a judge. tonight new information about what he was doing before that terrible crash. >>> a violent break in at the them of a buccaneer. hurt. >>> a vicious cycle at hillsborough pet resources. how dogs are getting returned to the homeowners who neglected them. >>> good evening. i'm jennifer leigh. investigators tell us a polk county hit-and-run suspect knew he was involved in the crash but didn't turn himself in. today charlie lewis stood before a judge for seriously

died.>>> a polk county deputy improving. adam pennell was in surgery for much of the day. doctors just updated his family shortly ago. they say the procedure went well but he may need another surgery on his hip. detectives are still searching for that driver. >>> a polk county elementary school is on edge after an intruder is found inside. teachers at bartow elementary academy noticed a suspicious man trying to open locked doors in the fifth grade ha alyssa marino joins us live from the school. do we know how he got in or what he was doing there? >> reporter: officials are still trying to figure that out but witnesses say he climbed the fence, got up on to that balcony, prompting this major scare. >> he actually walked past her and a friend that were going to the bathroom and smiled at them . >> reporter: amber doyle says her daughter knew right away their classroom door and told the teacher there was a guy without a badge in the hallway. >> you are charged in the following manner . >> reporter: police tell us the intruder was don stephens, who is now facing burglary and trespassi

news. >>> we follow the fallout from a bus to tragedy. >> a polk county ski employee accused of covering her tracks after this teenager was hit and killed. >>> the right place at the right time. who fired the fatal shot that saved a deputy from an interstate brawl? >>> if bucs, he would sit and wouldn't play, and i wouldn't rye new his contract either. >> a call to boycott the bucs over a player's political protest to sit during the national anthem. >>> you're watching fox 13 and the 11:00 news starts now. >>> we're starting with this. a polk county school district employee accused of a cover-up after a student was hit and killed trying to get to his bus road in lakeland. evan lambert is live now. evan, the superintendent is actually recommending that this employee be fired, right? >> reporter: that is right, chris. the school district says that employee lied to them saying that students didn't need to cross the road to get their to bus stop, and then they say she covered it up. 17-year-old george school student jayden kirk died cross the street in may. a polk county schools emp

, 48 in zephyrhills, a little bit warmer in the lakeland polk county area. everybody is cooler than yesterday. significantly so. lakeland 7 degrees cooler, plans 5 degrees cooler. of course it is veterans day and it should be perfect d the festivities 78 degrees sunny pleasant low humidity. now, 78 degrees is technically a degree below the average of 79 degrees but it's basically right at the average, and tonight just a little bit below average as well as we drop down to 58 degrees. so at 5:08 i have an hour by hour look at your friday this veterans day and our own veteran is going to get you out the door. >>> thank you to serving out there. let's take a look at state road 54 about a 10-minute commute there. also up to speed in palm harbor on 19 itself looking very good all the way up in pasco and down into pinellas county no delays. all right moving over now manatee and sarasota county still up to speed and let's take a live look at traffic out here at i-75 and fowler, it looks great. that's a look at weather and traffic. >>> we're following breaking news this morning an anti-trump

campaign promise. the i-team digs into her >>> abc action news starts now. >> in polk county authorities arrested a driver who killed a mother and severely injured a deputy. investigator said they caught the driver after following a getting this view of the scene, the sheriff will give us details any minute now we will bring them to you. >>> a demand for change in hopes of saving the environment, stemming from that toxic sinkhole in polk county, abc action news reporter ryan smith found out a change could come with a toll on workers in florida.>>> a polk county mother living within two miles of this for her family's health and safety. she came to the haines city's community center to look for answers meeting with a local lawmaker to help spark some change.>> i am pissed off at the world. >> this mother's frustration like many in mulberry left in the dark about the toxic sinkhole nearby. >> it is easy to sit back and blame them but i am not worried about the blame. i just want to know >> she noticed the water changing colors it was tested last weekend, preliminary results show it is clean

the polk county sheriff's office.>> reporter: the family tells me they are not sleeping. they still can't believe this happened. more than anything, they say they desperately need answers. saturday morning, the family got the worst news possible after someone hit their daughter and left her for dead in this medium. >> i just can't believe it. i am still in denial. >> reporter: the way jessic >> someone just with no heart, who has no heart, just shot both of them and didn't stop or help them. maybe he could have helped my daughter . >> reporter: jessica was a single mom to two boys, a 16- year-old and an 11-year-old. her older son way he is a son taught him. >> my mom always taught me that everything happens for a reason >> reporter: the family begs anyone who knows anything to please help them and for the driver who is responsible, they big you just to admit that you did this. >> just come out and say it. for our peace of mind. and i hope that god will forgive you. >> reporter: there is a $10,000 reward for any information that could lead to the driver's arrest and sheriff's office

quiet out to west shore and looking good if you are out the door in polk county, i-4 is accident and delay free. >>> breaking news in tampa. investigators are on the scene of an apparent smash-and-grab burglary at a gun store. >> it happened at the tampa arms company on west waters near dale do we know if any of the guns are missing from the store. >> we don't know the information just yet. that is a big concern for law enforcement on scene this morning. they need to identifying out exactly what was taken from the store. we know the tampa arms company sells a variety of guns and also ammunition. so, there could potentially be a lot of inventory in the hands of some bad people this morning. deputies are trying to figure folks got in the store. they are refueling surveillance video fringe side the store and around the complex. -- from inside the store and around the complex. deputies responded to the scene after security alarms at the company went off this morning. when they arrived they found the front window gone and a wall of inventory empty. deputies have not been able to take an e