President ial candidates are going head to head in houston. Senator ted cruz is hoping to bring frontrunner Donald Trumps winning streak to a halt. The texas senator just scored a key endorsement from his own states governor. And a study out this morning shows most of us are taking risks behind the wheel. Aaa found about 87 of drivers are doing Dangerous Things on the road, being drunk, speeding, texting, they all made the list. The data comes from a report revealing nearly 33,000 americans died in crashes back in 2014. Its 60 00 1. For news in about a minute. Lets get a check on the weather with leigh. Well, the big storm system that brought strong storms yesterday has moved up the east coast and bringing not only the threat for strong storms in new england but windy and snowy conditions across the midwest. Locally, not seeing any rain, patchy clouds, just dropping temperatures. In inverness. And 54 in lakeland and auburndale. And even tampa now, youve dropped to 5 degrees. What is happening is the cold air is spilling down the peninsula and youre feeling that movement of air because its so windy. 14 Miles Per Hour in tampa. 21 in clearwater. And gusting up close to 30 Miles Per Hour. So we dont really warm up much. A high of 65. Well below the average of 74. In weather and traffic on weather and traffic on the 8s, i take you hourbyhour through too. The windy commute, again, skyway bridge, still a lot of wind out there and fhp says be careful moving across it. Heres whats going on in st. Pete, i have good news for you, remember that construction southbound 275, the exit to 54th avenue south, looks like it has cleared from the roadway. Traffic looks very, very good in the area. And we have a great drive and also, a great drive on the Howard Franklin bridge. And i want to switch gears for a second here. I want to talk about how we have all seen them on the road, gayle, distracted drivers. I know, i feel like just talking on the phone is the least of the problems. People are doing all kinds of things makeup. Traffic. Its bad out there and a aaa report shows us how bad it is. 8 on your sides ryan hughs is live in pasco county this morning. Ryan, bring us up to the date. Reporter gayle, as you said, name it and its probably been done behind the wheel. These numbers are pretty alarming. And now aaa says roughly 87 of people have engaged in some sort of risky behavior while behind the wheel within the last month or so. They include driving while distracted, impaired, drowsy, speeding, running red lights or not wearing a seat belt. Here are some staggering statistics that might make you this morning, 70 of drivers admitted talking on a cellphone within the last month or so. 42 said they read a text message or email behind the wheel. And nearly half reported going 15 Miles Per Hour or more over the posted speed limit on a freeway. And 32 of drivers claim they have driven when they were so tired they had a hard time keeping their eyes open. We also learned 13 of drivers reported being drunk or close to it while driving within the last month, gayle. So some alarming statistics as people head to work. And you can tell, it gets crazy at times. Thanks, ryan. New information here, parents accused of making a false Police Report about their toddler being inside a stolen car. Police tell us their lies sent officers on a frantic search until the little boy was found doing just fine. In fact, he was at day care. News channel 8s Adrienne Pedersen is tracking the case department. And adrienne, you know, you hear the details of the story and you need to ask yourself, who would do this and why would somebody do this . Say that their kid is missing . Reporter exactly, gene. Those are the questions here. This story really has us shaking our heads and its incredibly convoluted and thats why we will be asking officers here at the clearwater parents l. I. E. About getting their car stole parents lie about getting their car stolen. We spoke to the grandmother. Now thank god im getting my grand babies and going home and theyre going to be safe and theyre going to be okay. Reporter her daughter called 911 reporting her car stolen with her child in it. Turns out, she lied and sent investigators on a pointless chase. They eventually caught up with moms boyfriend was behind the wheel. Thank goodness the kid wasnt actually inside there. I do keep checking back with the jail this morning. We do know the dad is out on bond. The mom will also be out any minute now. And for the driver of the car, he is going to face a judge later today at 1 30. Now the mom, she didnt exactly offer up an apology for this. You will want to hear what she has to say in the next 30 minutes. Ive heard and it she has a bit of an attitude. Thank you. Today Hillsborough County will try to figure out the number of Homeless People now living on our streets. Right now hundreds of volunteers are counting Homeless People they come across. The volunteers are walking street, allies and woods to find homeless men and women. The county is trying to better understand the homeless problem in our community and develop outreach programs. Well governor rick scott is asking for more zika antibody tests. Disease control to send another 250 test kit. The request comes after three pregnant women in florida tested positive for the zika virus after traveling outside the united states. The Health Department isnt identifying the women or saying exactly where they live. The zika virus is linked to birth defects. This morning, people in Charlotte County are assessing damage after strong the tomorrows including a tornado. Look at that, that roof damage there. This is video from over the damage. And you can see some of the homes there losing their pool enclosure. One of the hardest hit areas is deep creek subdivision. The winds that were so strong as you can see, the pool enclosures just rip add part and many fences in the area ripped apart and many fences in the area were knocked down. And the same system caused problems for us. Its blamed for spawning tornadoes in virginiament at least four people died after several virginia. At least four people died in that state. And some were trapped under piles of wood, shingles and metal. Have found everyone but are going house to house just to make sure. And in new york city, high winds are blamed for flipping a tractortrailer rig. Forecasters estimate wind speeds of 50 to 60 Miles Per Hour in the big apple. Wow. This morning, we are hearing from a man who rode out the tornadoes in louisiana in his rv. Listen to him describe what happened. My camper started shaking and when i raised the blind up, the privacy fence behind my camper took off. And then the next thing i know, i was hitting the icebox and airborne. By the time it was done, i woke up on the ground face first, didnt know where i was, and it was still going. The wind was still blowing hard. Airborne he says. He fractured his knee, shoulder. And he has cuts and bruises. Incredible to live through fortunately, we kind of got by this without any major we did. We had a couple Tornado Warning but certainly no injury which is good news for us. And now the cold front has passed and we are feeling the effects with the colder air. And now temperatures will two hours. A. M. At 54 degrees. But its also going to be really windy and thats going to make it feel cold all day and allow us to struggle to warm up. 62 at noon. 65 at 3 00 p. M. Thats well below average for this time of the year. And quickly cooling down this evening. The windy conditions topping the headlines, and its actually going to cause dangerous boating conditions so be careful out there. And chilly weather hangs around, highs in the 60s, liors in the 40s through the next couple days. Now the afternoons this weekend wont be too bad but look at this, 56 today. 62 tomorrow. And 64 saturday. And we will check in on traffic on the 8s because we know people are headed out. They are. The skyway bridge, tough drive. Just real windy. Keep both hands on the wheel and pick the smaller car. I only have one car. I only have one. And bikes arent good either. Lets look. Downtown tampa, folks, more vehicles on the road here. But traffic still looks very good through the heart of downtown. Again, seeing more vehicles out there. And lets look at i4, this is kathleen road out in polk county, up to speed. And i just got word of an accident in brandon. Say it isnt so. Well, it is. More in the next report. And now back to gene and gayle. Thank you so much. A Bay Area Company is breaking new ground when it comes to making all employees feel included. Yeah, we will show you how just ahead. And then emotions run high in the trial involving Television Sports caster and the first time in my life as her, sorry her father, our very own Investigative ReporterSteve Andrews explains how online videos of his daughter changing in a hotel room really impacted their family. Its 6 10 00. Youre watching news channel 8 today. The new caramel macchiato from dunkin donuts. Let handcrafted layers of espresso, milk, and a caramelflavored swirl uplift your mood. Indulge in a hot or iced macchiato today. Its 6 13. Happening today, Sports Reporter and tampa native erin andrews is heading back to court in her lawsuit against a big hotel chain. Andrews is suing her stalker and nashville marriott for negligence claiming the hotel allowed the stalker to request and stay in a room next to her. News channel 8s Lindsey Mastis is following developments live from our tampa news center. Things really got emotional for andrews dad, our own Investigative ReporterSteve Andrews. Reporter this one hurt. And he told the court his daughter called him after finding out nude images of her were posted online and what he heard would make any dad shutter. She was telling me hysterically crying, screaming out of her mind that she, images of her, video of her were up on the internet of her changing. Attorney insist her stalker requested a room next to hers. The hotel complied and then he filmed her through a peephole. Steve andrews that it wasnt until this happened that he started to worry about his daughters safety. The first time in my life as her, sorry, as her father where i didnt know if she was safe or not. I feared for her life. Reporter the Stalker Michael Barrett served 30 months in prison. He is now free and is expected to testify via video. The hotels lawyer claims the stalker. Erin andrews is expected to stake the stand during the civil trial which could last two weeks and we will have a close eye on this and update you through the news channel 8 app as soon as we get updates. Gayle very emotional day in court. You have heard the warning but now maybe seeing this will remind you to lock your car. Deputies want to find this guy here. He is looking for an target. This is home Surveillance Video from lakeland. He walks up and pulls the trucks door handle but its lock sod he walks away. However the guy and an accomplice later scored a gun, cash and electronics from three other unlocked cars deputy say. Get mcdonalds out. Thats the new campaign urging Tampa General Hospital to cut ties with the fast food chain. Today residents and local groups are meeting at Mcfarland Park elementary school. They want the hospital to close the mcdonalds inside. The group feels its not good for parents or visitors at the hospital. This morning an 8 on your side story about your workplace. In florida, samesex workers can technically be fired just for being gay. A bill that aims to stop this just got shut down. One major local player backed news channel 8s Adrienne Pedersen takes us inside tech data, a company striving for inclusion. Reporter 24yearold christian feels safe sitting in the middle of his Company Cafeteria talking to me about being gay. Definitely not something he would have done just a few years ago. It was a very small company. I wasnt really comfortable coming out. Its just something that you have to think about all the time if you are closeted like that. And it really wears you down to have to do that. Reporter tech data known for always being inclusive just started a group called spectrum for lbgta employees. If employees are encouraged to be themselves, then they put more effort into work. Reporter spectrum members will have guest speaker a tend Charity Events and go to job fairs. This got us wondering, how inclusive are other Bay Area Companies . Well the Human Rights Campaign keeps track with the Corporate Equality index. Three Bay Area Companies got of course tech data is on the list as well as Carlton Fields jordin burt lawyers and consultant plus holland and knight, a law firm. Tech data has employee Resource Groups for women and military members. And we checked a lot of Larger Companies are starting similar committees so check before you sign the next job contract. Time now is 6 18 on this thursday morning. Lets get a check on the weather, leigh. Well, quieter today as far as the tomorrows are concerned but you might be hearing the wind right now because behind yesterdays storms, a strong northwest wind is going to continue all day today. Thats really going to be our big story. You feel it this morning and its colder. 54 degrees along with the gusty winds around 8 00 this morning. And those winds keep us from warming up. A slow climb to 62 at noon. Right around 65 at 3 00 p. M. The wind of course will make it feel colder. 51 in zephyrhills. 54 plant city. 55 in fish hawk. And the cool spot, 48 right now in inverness. We checked with wendy in brooksville, she is at 50. The wind speeds out of the northwest 15 to 20 Miles Per Hour. And thats a sustained wind. Meaning if youre outside for a while, thats generally how its going to feel. But theres the individual stronger gusts. Thats 28 Miles Per Hour in clearwater. 23 in lakeland. 25 in sarasota. So theres a small craft advisory, High Surf Advisory today with the northwest winds. Seas coming in at 6 to 10 feet. Please be careful on the water. Chilly day too, mid60s. And colder tomorrow at 62. And still chilly 64 saturday. Leslee how is traffic on the 8s . Well, its windy across the skyway bridge. Fhp has a travel advisory there. And a collision, just west and south of the plant city area. Road, a collision but no injuries reported. And now i4 looks fantastic away from polk county through plant city tall way down into ybor city, absolutely no delays. Brandon now, main street right at providence road, thats where the new crash is. And injuries are involved in that. I will keep an eye on it for you. Thats a look at weather and traffic on the 8s. Back to the gene and gayle. Thank you so much. Its your chance to get orlando. Stay tuned to find out how you can win the free tickets. Las vegas. Up next, how a ferris wheel is youre watching news channel 8 vo new tidy cats lightweight 4in1 attacks three strong litter box odors, plus locks clumps tight. And now its light. Every home, every cat. Theres a tidy cats for that. Ba da ba ba ba youve got to see this, training for extreme situations. Yeah, thats extreme. Fire crews from florida and new york practiced rescue drills on a ferris wheel in las vegas where they went for the special training. Now the wheel has a zip line pullly system that helps firefighters reach the rim which is hundreds of feet up in the air. This giant ferris wheel is very similar to the orlando eye not far from us. Thats cool. Yeah. Its your chance to win tickets to Universal Studios. Right now, we are giving away a pair. All you have to do is be the eighth caller. The number to call is 1855420 9352. If you are the eighth caller, you win. The number again, 1855420 935 2. It is a free call. Good luck, if you dont win this time, you will have another chance in the next half hour. Weather and traffic on the 8s is three minutes away. And new fhp the next half the new in the next half to be a prank, why the jokester ended up on fire. And pants on fire. What was that . What is inside this guys it is 6 28. Time to really get those kids off to the bus stop this morning and kind of bundle them up. Theres a chilly wind, 54 degrees this morning. But it doesnt really warm up that much. Theyll come home and it will still be windy and only about 65 degrees. So emoji man says, hold on to your hat, strong northwest winds out there bringing in the cooler air. 65 today. And 62 tomorrow. Leslee, how about traffic on the 8s . Yeah, no convertibles on the skyway bridge. Very windy. Downtown tampa, looks good. More vehicles on the road but crash, sidney road at jerry smith road. We have a collision there but no injuries involved. I4 looks great away from polk county and into ybor city. And another crash in brandon, main street at providence road, good morning. Im gene ramirez. And im gayle guyardo. Sports reporter erin andrews heads back to court today in her hotel peephole lawsuit. And we could hear from her. Andrews is the daughter of our chief Investigative Reporter steve the andrews. When he took the stand, we could feel how helpless he was as a father. First time in my life as her father, sorry, as her father where i didnt know if she was i feared for her life. Andrews is seeking 75 million from her stalker and the hotel chain where he took images of her changing and posted them online. A local School Bus Driver