3 3 dave some clouds today, very warm and humid. High temps back in mild and muggy; lows from mid 60s to near 70. Scattered clouds and more warmth on tap in the lower 80s. 3 3 no closed captioning is 3 3 3 vanessa its a huge and possibly pivotal day in the race for the white house. And this morning, all eyes are on florida. walter in just under two hours, polls will open across the state, and bay area. And depending on what voters decide, it could be the end of the line for marco rubio and john kasich. 3 walter fox13s ken suarez is on the story for us. Ken, its makeit orbreakit time for senator rubio. Hes promised to win his home state. How does it look for him . 3 3 3 3 3 thanks, ken. 3 walter besides florida, voters in illinois, missouri, North Carolina and ohio are headed to the polls as well. Well have the primary results for you tonight, beginning after the polls close at seven pm. Were webcast at 8 00 on fox 13 well have the complete wrap up, at 10 and 11. And this morning at nine on good day, well have a live interview with senator marco rubio. Hope you can stick around for that. 3 3 vanessa new this morning a Hernando County mother is facing child neglect charges, accused of leaving her Children Home alone. In what could have become tragic circumstances. Police say 41yearold tarsha hite left her three kids. Between two and 10yearsold. At home in spring hill, while she went out to dinner in clearwater. Her toddler turned on the oven. And some pots stored inside, caught fire. Luckily, neighbors called the fire department. The kids are okay. But moms took her hours to come home, even after she heard what had happened. Shes in jail this morning, being held on 60 thousanddollars bond. 3 walter new this Morning Police in bradenton are investigating a stabbing. At an applebees restaurant. It happened early saturday safron walked up to another man, 26yearold james bandouveres, and stabbed him in the neck. Apparently for no reason. The injured man was taken to the hospital as a trauma alert. He was last listed as stable. And the attacker took off. But they caught him. When he returned to the same applebees. Later on the very same day. Safron denies the accusations. But was taken to jail. And is currently charged with aggravated battery. 3 vanessa another Police Pursuit to tell you about this morning. This time in pasco county. And viewer Logan Templeton was able to get video, as the chase went by little road in trinity. The Pasco Sheriffs Office says deputies responded to reports of a possible dui suspect, who wouldnt pull over. So they gave chase. The driver, christopher conti, eventually rammed his truck into a pair of patrol cars, at trinity boulevard and trinity oaks. No one was injured, and conti was taken into custody, and charged with aggravated battery against a Law Enforcement officer. Detectives say they also 3 john made us better, he made this program better, he makes this Sheriffs Office better, and hes gonna be missed. Walter Hillsborough County deputy john kotfila, junior. Will be laid to rest on friday. He died in the line of duty. In a selfless and remarkably brave way. 3 walter investigators and witnesses believe Deputy Kotfila intentionally drove his cruiser into the path of a wrongway driver. No one believes that more. Than the woman he saved. 3 Walter Sarah Geren was driving with her boyfriend on the selmon expressway early saturday morning. When she noticed a pair of headlights coming directly at her. The wrong way. She flashed her headlights rapidly at the vehicle. But it just kept coming. Moments from impact, a deputys cruiser came out of nowhere and swerved in front of her. The collision killed Deputy Kotfila. Monday, sarah and her father did their best to let everyone know what a hero he is. 3 theyre just like the brothers in the military. He saved my daughter. I was a random person on a random road, at a random time, i didnt know him and i love him for saving me. God bless walter 3 the driver of the wrongway car, erik mcbeth, also died in the crash. Highway patrol troopers are trying to determine if alcohol was a factor. And also exactly how his car got onto the selmon expressway. 3 walter Deputy Kotfilas funeral will be held this friday. At st. Timothys Catholic Church in lutz. Visitation begins at 11 am. The funeral will start at one oclock. He will be buried in massachusetts, where his family lives. 3 3 vanessa the excitement is building at legoland today. Theyre about to make five announcements. About future expansion at the theme park in winter haven. Its all tied to their fifth birthday, coming up in october. And today, theyll reveal whats coming. Brickbybrick. Get it . Its supposed to be the largest expansion in the parks history. We should and 10 this morning. 3 3 walter 3 it pays to bullieve the usf Womens Basketball team is heading to the big dance theyre seeded sixth in the bridgeport region of the upcoming n cdoublea tourney. Theyll travel to los angeles for an opening round matchup with 11thseed, colorado, on saturday. This is the same region as their conference rival, and heavy favorites, uconn. 3 walter today we should learn the lineup. For the upcoming rays game against the Cuban National team. In cuba. Its happening a week from today, in havana. The game roster is expected to be larger than the major leagues standard 25players. The rays won a lottery to be selected for this. Its a historic trip, but also controversial. And it interrupts the rays spring routine. Especially the work of the pitching staff. But theres still a lot of fox13s anjuli davis is on the story, and in the next half hour, shell tell us about some of the other famous faces expected to make the trip with president barack obama. 3 vanessa this morning, were following a developing story out of the middle east. walter what the Russian Military is doing right now. That could have big repercussions for region. And the refugee crisis there. 3 walter and. Step aside guys. This romeos got the sweetest moves ever. The animal love dance going on all over florida right now. 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 walter new this morning three Police Officers are morning three new this 3 captioning is no closed 3 3 3 new this morning three Police Officers are recovering, after being shot in the line of duty. It happened late last night, during a drug investigation on the citys west side, in the homan square neighborhood. The officers reportedly saw a man and woman acting suspiciously and decided to investigate. They announced their presence, the couple took off, and the officers followed. Then the shooting brokeout. The man was killed. The woman was arrested later. And is being questioned. The officers. Should be okay. 3 walter and in maryland the Police Officer killed in an ambush outside the station in Prince Georges County sunday afternoon. Was killed by accidental friendly fire. The chief says an errant round from one of his colleagues hit officer jacai colson as he arrived at the scene, in an unmarked car. He was an undercover narcotics officer. Was wearing civilian clothes, and no body ran right into danger, trying to disarm the men. Now three brothers are under arrest. Including the triggerman, 22yearold michael ford of South Carolina. He was the ringleader, and reportedly had a death wish. The other two are accused of recording video of the attack. Including officer colson, as he lay dying. 3 3 vanessa 3 big developments overseas in just the last hour. The first group of russian warplanes has left syria. Its of a Major Military policy shift, Just Announced by russian president , vladimir putin. But are his seemingly peaceful intentions sincere . Are their secret motives behind all this . Foxs Steve Rappoport tells us thats the big question at the ongoing syrian peace talks in switzerland. 3 vanessa days away from the start of spring, and it looks like South Carolina is getting winter. But thats not snow. Thats hail. Look at this video taken in the town of taylors. That car is getting pelted with hailstones. And making it even worse, the 70miles per hour at the time. Oh boy. Thats gonna leave a mark. Or hundreds of them. 3 anchors 3 its now 5 . Time 3 dave. 3 3 3 3 vanessa well, heres a sure sign that spring, and love, is in the air. This is a male gopher tortoise. Trying to put the sweet moves on a female. And hes making those motions, trying to lure her out of the burrow in crystal river. Were not sure if it worked, but he certainly put his all into it 3 vanessa 3 wonder if that tortoise got those sweet moves from these guys. From night at the roxbury. Hope it works better for him, than 3 walter skip the coffee. The energy drinks. The really strong tea. vanessa weve found another way to get your morning a jolt. But fair warning it could give you. Brain freeze 3 vanessa and. Good news for florida homeowners. Some of you are about to get a great return on your investment. Where home values. Are going up. Wayyyy up. 3 if your family outing is magical you may be muddling through allergies. For powerful allergy relief. And zyrtec is different than claritin. Because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. Try zyrtec. Muddle no more. Whos here. She has to take a brand name drug. Been taking it since the early 1980s. At that time it cost approximately 180 for the latest refill was 14. 700 for the same 10 vials and the company is called valeant pharmaceuticals. Im going after them. This is predatory pricing and were going to make sure it is stopped. Im Hillary Clinton and i 3 tampas Cigar City Brewing has been sold. Oscar blues brewery from colorado just bought controlling interest in it. This puts months of rumors to rest. The founder of Cigar City Brewing, joey redner, will remain ceo. 3 walter good news for florida homeowners house prices are soaring this spring. But not everywhere. Some housing markets in our state are doing better than others. 3 walter according to zillow, homeowners in lehigh acres. Just east of fort myers. Have seen their homes appreciate in value the most. The average home price there has increased 112 percent to 124thousand dollars. Kissimmee comes in second. Up 83percent. Tampa didnt make the top five, but it has seen 71 percent value growth. Not too shabby. 3 vanessa heres Something Else to raise a glass to. Possibly. The st. Pete city council is working on an ordinance that would allow people to walk through parts of downtown. Carrying cups of alcohol. 3 it sip and stroll. Now, it would a limited area. Just the edge district. Which is along central venue, between dr. King and 16th street. Drinkers would buy a special cup with the districts logo on it. Which they could carry outside, and have refilled at bars and restaurants. This would only be allowed during preapproved special events. But before Council Members can finish drafting the ordinance. They say more discussion is needed with police. 3 walter and heres another way to get your drink on. At any age. 7eleven is hosting byoc later this week. In honor of the slurpees 50th anniversary. Just bring your favorite cup to 7eleven on friday and saturday. And you can fill it to the rim, for a dollar50. Now you cant get too nuts. Just one cup per person, and containers cant be larger than 10inches in diameter. But you can can get creative. Apparently, last year, people brought in drums, kettles, helmets, teapots and fishbowls 3 vanessa its been suggested for years. Theres even a movie about it, starring will smith. walter this morning a first from the nf admitting, about football. And brain injuries. 3 walter plus. Baseball and history. Both are on deck in cuba next week. The rays are headed there. Learning more about the players, and other famous a live report, after the break. 3 hi, guys spring is almost here and you know what that means easter is hopping along. Pso, if youre looking to stretch your dollar this easter holiday, pjust look at these savings at your local walmart. Tampa, in headtohead shopping, the total amount saved at walmart vs. Winndixie was 22. 72 thats 15 on this weeks easter basket. Why shop anywhere else . Fill your basket with walmarts pevery day low prices and get big savings. Start shopping with walmarts 3 3 3 3 3 no closed captioning is available for traffic. 3 walter its 5 , on tuesday, march 15th. Im walter allen. vanessa jen epstein. Its a huge day in the race for the white house. And florida voters. Have a pivotal say. By the end of the day, two candidates, could be out of this race. 3 vanessa but to make sure your vote counts, youve got to follow some simple tips. And fox13s ken suarez is here with the things youve got to know before you head to the polls. 3 3 3 vanessa 3 thanks, ken. 3 3 3 3 walter 3 the time now is 5 . Lets get you up to the minute on todays top stories 200pounds of marijuana. Thats what Authorities Say they found in a sarasota apartment. Elueterio galloza and his girlfiend ashley plott live there. Deputies first went to the home to arrest galloza in a found bags of pot. Plus other drugs, thousands in cash. And a handgun. The couple is also accused of child neglect, because there were two toddlers living in the home with them. 3 walter in polk county a woman already behind bars, accused in the death of her boyfriend, faces serious new charges. Her name is star tribble and shes from winter haven. Deputies say she shot and killed 33yearold Tomorreio Clark last month. According to investigators, she asked her brother to help bury the body, but he refused. Her 19yearold daughter found the the body the next day. And called police. Initially, the woman was only charged as an accessory. Now, shes charged with first degree murder and tampering with evidence. 3 walter and today, people in st. Petersburg have another opportunity to voice their thoughts and opinions on designs for the new pier. Officials are holding a public workshop today, on the usf st. 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 approach and surrounding area. The workshop runs from seven till nine tonight. 3 3 acknowledging a link between playing football and developing degenerative brain disease. The leagues executive Vice President for health and safety policy made the connection during a government hearing monday. When asked if theres a link between football and cte, jeff miller said research certainly backs up that claim, but that there are also a number of questions that come with that. The house government and Commerce Committee is investigating concussions in the military and sports. 3 walter great news for jobhunters in our state. And something for governor rick scott to brag about. According to the new job numbers from the us bureau of labor. Florida leads the and orlando leads the state. More good news the Unemployment Rate dropped slightly, to fivepercent in january. Governor rick scott announced the new numbers yesterday. Hes made job creation the central focus of his administration. 3 walter next week. Baseball and politics collide. In cuba. The Tampa Bay Rays will be playing against the Cuban National will be there. Were also learning about some other big names that will be making the trip. 3 walter fox13s anjuli davis is live in tampa. With the guest list. Good morning, anjuli. 3 3 3 3 vanessa all eyes on the skies this weekend. walter its time for 3 Macdill Airfest and this explain, after the break. 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 our gardens have evolved. We can run them from anywhere. Make them greener faster. Drop them and watch them bloom. Theyre 5star worthy, grown regionally. And keep their color. A lot, lot longer. These gardens are the next generation of blooming. Bring on spring, feed your lawn and kill weeds with now 10 off at the home depot. More saving. More doing. Introducing longhorn big, bold, steaks. Our new 10 ounce filet. Our 16 ounce tbone. And our fire grilled 18 ounce outlaw ribeye. You cant fake steak. 3 off we go. Into 3 the wild blue yonder. Its almost time for the airfest at Macdill Air Force base. Always a huge crowd favorite. And this year. I get to be part of the thrills. 3 walter im going up with the thunderbirds later 3 this week. More about that in a minute. Joining us now, im so honored. Colonel daniel tulley. Base 3 3 macdill in tampa. Thanks for being here. This is always a big deal. The airfest is a massive draw. Its coming up this weekend. Tell us whats on the itinerary this time. 3 3 people know if they 3 want to come out to the base . And finally my 3 flight with the thunderbirds. Should i be 3 thanks, colonel tulley 3 3 3 time to check the forecast with dave. 3 3 3 it is 5 time now to find out whats happening on the roads with our 3 no closed captioning is available for traffic. 3 3 3 walter heres some motivation for the tampa bay lightning. They have been nominated for sports business journals sports team of the year award this is a big deal. Because its not just hockey. This award spans all leagues. Other nominees include the carolina panthers, the golden state warriors, the Kansas City Royals and the portland timbers. The bolts are in the running because of their success last year. Which boosted season ticket sales. 3 vanessa and. If you take a bobcat to the dentist. What happened when 3 3 is the economy rigged . Well, the 15 richest americans acquired more wealth in two years than the bottom 10