Sunburn – The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics.
By Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, Mitch Perry, Ryan Ray, and Jim Rosica.
MORNING MUST-READ — STEVE SCHALE: THE 10-WEEK JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME via Florida Politics – For me, it started in September 2008. Barack Obama had just selected Joe Biden as his running mate, and I was to staff the new VP candidate in Tampa, at a rally at the University of South Florida. During that campaign, I staffed him a few more times … Time and time again, he showed an unusual sense of kindness and humanity. He would linger on the photo line to listen to a story, and when it came to members of the military or law enforcement, he always had time for a handshake and a picture … I always got the sense that Joe Biden, a kid from a rusting blue-collar town not unlike the one I grew up in, lived every moment almost with the sense of “I can’t believe I get to do this” (another thing that I can relate to).
I was pretty sure I would sit out 2016, I was willing to do my part to help out the nominee … that changed for me in last July and early August … when it became clear Biden was giving it real thought to a run, I was a Joe Biden guy, and if he was even thinking about running, I wanted to be there … My friends – even those who privately wanted him to run, thought I was nuts. Frankly, I didn’t think anyone would really care.
Nonetheless, I “made news” by telling Jonathan Martin of The New York Times … He wrote a little piece for their campaign blog, which led … Carol Lee, now of the Wall Street Journal, to ask me if I would join the efforts to draft him into the race. I said sure, honestly not too aware of what that meant. A few hours later … her story went live on the WSJ website, and within seconds, my phone literally exploded. That started a chain reaction that plunged me, almost entirely by accident, into a rather unique journey … The first morning my news blew up, I actually canceled every single scheduled television interview and stopped returning calls – much to the dismay to the Draft folks.
The more he talked openly about his own process, the more emotionally invested we all became in our mission … We just kept leaning forward, arguing with the skeptics, and lining up more supporters … Along the road, I kept using the word “surreal” to describe it, though frankly, I am not sure that gave it justice.
My friends would sometimes say that in particularly critical moments of that 10 week journey, they could see the stress on my face. They were right … But until someone told me to stop, I wasn’t going to quit, even as time was starting to run out … Fortunately the vice president also knew what we all knew, it was time. The plane needed to land.
That last morning, I got a little heads up – a text saying “Turn on a TV.” In my gut, I had known … I went ahead and texted “He’s not running – find a TV” to a few friends, then turned on my own TV and waited the 5-10 minutes until he walked out into the Rose Garden, ignoring my phone that was in a constant state of motion from the calls, texts and emails from people & press trying to find out what was going on.
As I wrote on my Facebook page the day after he announced, the whole thing was both physically and emotionally grueling, though because of who Joe Biden is – and for the kind of politics he represents, I woke up every morning excited and ready to do my little part … knowing that for 10 weeks of my life, largely by accident, I got to stand in front of millions of Americans and honor Joe Biden. That really was living the dream.
SPEAKING OF GOOD PEOPLE … A PETE MITCHELL UPDATE via an email from Brenda Strickland for Sen. Bill Nelson – “Pete Mitchell, our Chief of Staff, will be moving on after four decades of public service. Peter will pursue opportunities in the private sect and he will being laying the ground work for my re-election in 2018. Pete has been my friend, confidant, my go to person and my right hand for over 20 years. He is one of the best public servants ever. … Pete is succeeded by our Legislative Director, Susie Perez Quinn. Susie is a pro’s pro and will ensure an effective and seamless transition.”
***Today’s SUNBURN is brought to you by Bright House Networks for Business, your trusted provider of industry leading communications and networking services for any size business – from startup to enterprise, and everything in between. We offer a full portfolio of products and services, including Business Phone and cloud-based Hosted Voice, Business Internet at speeds up to 325 Mbps to fiber-based Dedicated Internet Access, several tiers of high quality HD Video programming, and an array of advanced cloud and managed IT services. Our solutions are customized to fit your business, your budget, and your industry. We own, manage and maintain our network, which means we are 100% accountable; and we’re locally based, which allows us to be immediately responsive to our customers. Find out why so many businesses in your area trust their communications needs to Bright House Networks. Learn more.***
HOW LONG BEFORE RICK SCOTT ENDORSES DONALD TRUMP? Via Adam Smith of the Tampa Bay Times – Scott has never had a strong relationship with … Bush or … Rubio (especially not Jeb) … Now, Trump has emerged as the clear frontrunner … He is building a Florida team dominated by strong … Scott loyalists: Susie Wiles … Joe Gruters … Trump stands to have a big, symbolic Florida victory … when the Alachua County GOP holds its annual Black Tie and Blue Jeans gala dinner … that event will be the first county GOP dinner Scott has attended this year … So let’s really get those conspiracy theories revving: Rick Scott for HHS Secretary under President Trump? Commerce Secretary? Trump support for Scott’s expected U.S. Senate run in 2018?
JEB BUSH GETS TOUT FROM BROTHER AS CAMPAIGN FOCUSES ON MARCO RUBIO via Julie Bycowicz of the Associated Press
Former President George W. Bush on Monday assured top donors to his brother’s presidential campaign that Jeb Bush will be a “fierce competitor” in the 2016 race for the White House and argued his experience as Florida’s governor will ultimately win over voters.
The idea that “experience matters” was the theme of an on-stage conversation between the two brothers at a private event for donors to Bush’s campaign. That theme came through most strongly as Jeb Bush’s staff outlined how they plan to go after Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who the campaign views as Bush’s top competition for the Republican nomination.
“Put it in the campaign slogan, ‘A proven leader,'” George W. Bush told about 175 of Jeb Bush’s most loyal donors on the second day of the two-day event, according to an audio recording of the meeting.
“He knows how to manage an administration,” the former president said. “I happen to believe eventually the American people will say, ‘Who has the experience necessary to be president? Who’s run a state, for example?”
The donor event arrived at a crucial moment for Bush, a once-dominant GOP candidate who is lagging in preference polls to a pair of political novices with no experience in elected office, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump.
With fewer than 100 days until voting begins, Bush’s campaign is betting that a large swath of Republican voters will ultimately seek out a seasoned politician as their choice for the party’s nominee — especially given the GOP’s widespread dissatisfaction with President Barack Obama, who was elected during his first term in the Senate.
“We are pitching our path to victory. We addressed all the key opponents, including Marco, and will contrast Jeb’s leadership skills with theirs,” Jack Oliver, Bush’s campaign finance co-chairman, told The Associated Press. “Our supporters want someone who is willing to fight for victory and that’s what the team presented.”
A hard-hitting strategy presentation at the meeting focused intensely on Rubio and illustrated how Bush and his team plan to show differences between the two Floridians.
It included a slide that read “Marco is a GOP Obama,” according to documents provided by the campaign. In the presentation from Bush’s campaign manager, Danny Diaz described Rubio and Obama as having “strikingly similar profiles,” that include being lawyers, university lecturers and former state legislators with “few legislative accomplishments.”
Diaz also compared Bush and Rubio’s fundraising and available cash, ignoring all of the other candidates in the GOP race.
BUSH HOPES FOR RESET THROUGH NEW TOUR, E-BOOK via Candace Smith of ABC News – Bush is attempting to take control of his own narrative, quite literally, by releasing it online … e-book, “Reply All,” a tome of his email from two terms as governor of Florida … Aides within the campaign say this tour and Bush’s book will help position him as a clear alternative to … Trump, who some have characterized as showing “zero competence in the foreign policy arena” … readers are introduced to Jeb, the avid emailer, who often gave (and gives) out his email address and took the time to respond to many constituents that emailed him … anecdotes of a governor; how he dealt with the eight hurricanes that hit during his tenure, uncomfortable conversations with a gay friend who’s fighting for the right to get married, letters from those who called him a “hero” and others who told him to “go back to Texas!” The e-book will be available exclusively through Amazon.
BUSH SUPER PAC CONSIDERING STAFF FOR EARLY VOTING STATES via Tom Beaumont of the Associated Press – The Right to Rise super PAC “is considering placing organizing staff in Iowa and New Hampshire, [following] the decision of his formal campaign to refocus its efforts on the two early-voting states. … A faithful core of roughly 100 Bush supporters made the trip to Houston, … fewer than expected due in part to the rains that pounded south Texas … Among the invited were people who had raised at least $50,000 for the campaign … Right to Rise has spent $14.7 million on ads through the end of this week, mainly in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina … ‘Our primary mission is to tell Jeb’s story through paid advertising, but we’re always exploring other ways we can help amplify his positive message,’ said Right to Rise spokesman Paul Lindsey. … Jay Zeidman, a Houston fundraiser for Bush who attended the Right to Rise briefing on Sunday, said he felt ‘reassured’ after listening to the super PAC leadership.
TWEET, TWEET: @AlCardenasFL_DC: Take from Houston Jeb Qtr gathering: clear path to win, field narrows, #1 air support coming, resolve strengthened, Jeb confident.
ASSIGNMENT EDITORS: Bush will be in Colorado ahead of the CNBC Republican Presidential Primary Debate at 6 p.m. MT Wednesday evening.
BUSH, FOLLOWED BY MARCO RUBIO, FARE BEST IN GOP PRESIDENTIAL FIELD AMONG HISPANICS via the Associated Press – [A] new AP-GfK poll finds many of the Republican candidates running for president would probably struggle to win significant support among Hispanics in a general election. Bush … Rubio are their favorites, but even they are a hard sell … Trump is viewed unfavorably by 72 percent of Hispanics, with 6 in 10 having a very unfavorable opinion of him … Only 11 percent view him favorably. Bush … is viewed most favorably by Hispanics, with 26 percent giving … a positive rating. Rubio … comes in second, with 23 percent viewing him favorably.
RUBIO’S KNIFE FIGHTERS via McKay Coppins of BuzzFeed – The Rubio campaign is being helmed by a combative strategist, Terry Sullivan … The leading pro-Rubio super PAC is headed by Warren Tompkins … Rubio’s chief digital strategist, Wesley Donehue, is said to have actively hyped unsubstantiated rumors in 2010 that Nikki Haley had an affair with a local South Carolina blogger.
NOW WALL STREET APPEARS TO BE WARMING UP TO RUBIO via Jonathan Marino of Business Insider – Wall Street seems to be warming up to … Rubio … scheduled to speak on November 3 — Election Day — at MSD Capital in New York … Michael Dell’s investment firm, which just participated in the Dell-EMC buyout — the largest deal in the history of the technology industry. Other Wall Street heavy hitters will be in attendance … Blackstone senior advisor Wayne Berman, executives from UBS and MSD Capital … Rubio will also attend an evening event at the … home of Howard Jonas, the former CEO of IDT Corp. … participate in a discussion on Israel and Iran at the Lotos Club in the afternoon.
PUNCH – MEMO TO RUBIO: DO YOUR JOB via PowerLineBlog.com – Rubio has come under attack for this record by some of his GOP presidential rivals … Rubio responds that he’s fed up with the Senate to the point that he wants little to do with it. “That’s why I’m missing votes, because I’m leaving the Senate; I am not running for reelection.” This excuse is pathetic. I hope we haven’t reached the point that it’s acceptable to stop doing one’s job because one is frustrated and plans to leave it. From a political standpoint, Rubio’s explanation may suffice in the primary season. Mad-as-hell conservatives share Rubio’s disgust with Washington and may see him as less of an insider if he blows off his Senate duties. But if Rubio wins the nomination, Democrats will have a field day attacking him over his attendance record. They will be right.
COUNTERPUNCH – 8 REASONS WHY MARCO RUBIO IS RIGHT: THE SENATE STINKS via Amber Phillips of the Washington Post – Here are eight reasons why Rubio‘s right that the Senate stinks … No one knows who you are … It’s a thankless job … What you do there will be used against you … It’s designed to be slow … Some would say it’s slower than normal these days … It takes a long time to move up … There’s less room for individuality … It’s often at the mercy of the more unruly House of Representatives.
POLL DU JOUR – PART 1 & 1A: A new Loras College survey in Iowa finds Ben Carson leading the GOP presidential field with 31%, followed by Donald Trump at 19%, Marco Rubio at 10%, Jeb Bush at 7%, Ted Cruz at 6% and Bobby Jindal at 5%. A new Monmouth poll finds Carson leading with 32%, followed by Trump at 18%, Cruz at 10%, Rubio at 10% and Bush at 8%.
TWEET, TWEET: @TroMcManus: Very cool page for ne1 following the 2016 prez election: @pastfrontrunner posts candidates who were leading on this day in 04 08 and 12
TED CRUZ ADDS BILLIONAIRE BACKER TO PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN via Julie Bykowicz of the Associated Press – Cruz has picked up the backing of a Texas billionaire and the state’s lieutenant governor … Darwin Deason, a technology entrepreneur, and his son, Doug, had given millions of dollars to the 2016 efforts of … Rick Perry … Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick … a one-time foe … also will now serve as the Texas chairman … Cruz has dominated the state’s generous donor class. In the first nine months of the year, Cruz raised more than three times as much in the state as … Bush. Cruz called his own fundraising “astonishing” and said it’s “positively nuts” that he’s in some ways in a stronger financial position than Bush.
POLL DU JOUR – PART 2 via Gallup – Americans’ support for the Tea Party has dropped to its lowest level since the movement emerged on the national political scene prior to the 2010 midterm elections. Seventeen percent of Americans now consider themselves Tea Party supporters, and a record 54% say they are neither supporters nor opponents.
MEANWHILE ... HILLARY CLINTON TO GUEST ON COLBERT’S ‘LATE SHOW’ via the Associated Press – Clinton will pay a visit to “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” … joined by other scheduled guests chef-TV-personality Anthony Bourdain and “Portlandia” star Carrie Brownstein … airs on CBS at 11:35 p.m. Eastern.
CHARLIE CRIST WITH FIRST WEB AD PROMISES “JOYFUL EXPERIENCE” IN CONGRESSIONAL BID via John Kennedy of the Palm Beach Post – Crist … posted his first, web-based campaign ad … promises in the spot that his latest race — yes, as a Democrat — will be a “joyful experience … underscores his familiar populist theme, saying “I have always tried to listen to the people. Even when it’s hard.”
TWEET, TWEET: @CrowleyReport: Why is it when I watch the new Charlie Crist video I feel like I’ve seen it before.
MARY THOMAS ENDORSED BY CONSERVATIVE PAC via Kevin Derby of the Sunshine State News – Maggie’s List endorsed Thomas for the Republican nomination to challenge U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham … “Thomas is a proven leader …” said former Florida Sec. of State Sandra Mortham, the chairwoman of Maggie’s List. “Her service in … Scott’s administration since January 2011, coupled with her relentless leadership and work on issues that directly impact the citizens, the businesses, the military installations and the environment of Florida’s 2nd Congressional District, make her the right candidate to represent the district’s citizens and interests.”
***Today’s SUNBURN is brought to you by Jamestown Associates – Winning tough campaigns. The record to prove it. Jamestown produces persuasive TV, radio, mail and digital advertising that breaks through the clutter and gets votes. We help our clients in Florida and the nation perfect their message, create powerful ads, micro-target the media buy and WIN. Jamestown’s work has been recognized with 50 Pollie and Reed awards. See our work at www.JamestownAssociates.com/work***
CHALLENGERS SUPPLY SOME OF THE MISSING 2012 ELECTION DATA TO LEGISLATURE via Mary Ellen Klas of the Miami Herald – In a letter to House and Senate redistricting committee chairmen, the lead lawyer for the coalition of voters groups said they had compiled the 2012 and 2014 primary election data for key counties that the state Senate’s redistricting staff director told senators “would take months” to compile. … “It only took a few days for the Coalition to gather this data for the foregoing counties,” wrote David King in a letter to Senate Reapportionment Committee Chairman Bill Galvano and House Redistricting Committee chairman Jose Oliva. “That included significant time spent determining the methodology that the Legislature had used to compile its MyDistrictBuilder database.”
OSCAR BRAYNON FILES FIVE MORE SENATE MAPS via Jim Rosica of Florida Politics – Florida Senate’s second-ranking Democrat has filed five more plans for consideration … Oscar Braynon II … is vice chair of the Reapportionment Committee. Its members voted 4-3 … to forward a map … to the floor favored by chair Bill Galvano. Procedurally, Braynon’s maps could be considered as amendments as the full Senate begins taking up the matter … with a possible vote on Wednesday.
MORE SENATE DISTRICT MAPS FILED via Jim Rosica of Florida Politics – Gwen Margolis and Miguel Diaz de la Portilla have filed their own versions of state Senate district maps … Margolis filed one; Diaz de la Portilla turned in five … intended to contend with the map favored by Senate Reapportionment Committee Chairman Bill Galvano, and another five filed … [by] Oscar Braynon II… Jeff Clemens … filed one map later … bringing his total submitted maps to six.
PARTIES IN REDISTRICTING CASE TELL DANIEL WEBSTER: BUTT OUT via Jim Rosica of Florida Politics – Those now involved in the ongoing congressional redistricting challenge are against letting … Daniel Webster become a new party in the case … The Florida House of Representatives, Florida Senate, Common Cause and League of Women Voters of Florida … filed responses opposing Webster’s motion to intervene, submitted last week to the Florida Supreme Court … “Webster may well believe that it is impossible for him to prevail in a (redrawn) district,” the response says. “Regardless of his personal interest in being re-elected … does not have a right to disrupt this case after staying silent for over three years, and he certainly does not have a constitutional right to a gerrymandered district.”
***Congratulations to Noreen Fenner and her new venture PAC Financial Management. Fenner and her team have more than 50 years combined experience with Florida’s Elections Code, campaign finance reporting and accounting. Specializing in political committees and candidate campaigns, PAC Financial Management navigates clients through political finance. Meet the team and learn why PAC Financial Management should be your reporting compliance firm.***
5 THINGS TO WATCH FOR AT DAY 2 OF THE FLORIDA CHAMBER INSURANCE SUMMIT
After hearing brief remarks from CFO Jeff Atwater last night in Orlando, attendees of the Florida Chamber‘s annual Insurance Summit will kick off day two with a talk on Florida’s future from Chamber CEO & President Mark Wilson. The day will be replete with conversation on hot-button topics.
1. A long-simmering legislative fight over so-called “assignment of benefits” will be at issue tomorrow at a panel moderated by Steve Weinstein of RenaissanceRe Holdings and featuring Angel Conlin, General Counsel for American Strategic Insurance Company and John Rollins, Chief Risk Officer of Citizens. The lawyers, no doubt, will be listening up.
2. A panel on Citizens and the state Catastrophe Fund will feature, fittingly, Citizens CEO Barry Gilway and Jack Nicholson, COO of the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund. Look for Kyle Ulrich, senior VP at Florida Association of Insurance Agents, to stir the pot.
3. Discussion is sure to be spirited when the conservative-leaning group hears a panel on the impact of federal regulations and state insurers moderated by Holland & Knight partner Paul Bock.
4. Coastal development drives insurance costs for policyholders and insurers alike. Stakeholders ranging from state regulators (Bryan Koon, Director of the Division of Emergency Management, Florida Wildlife Federation’s Jay Liles) to top insurance executives (Liz Reynolds of the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies) will discuss its myriad aspects tomorrow afternoon.
5. The annual Hurricane Party, of course.
ASSIGNMENT EDITORS: The LeRoy Collins Institute kicks off efforts to educate and engage Floridians in the 2017-2018 Constitution Revision Commission. LCI, in conjunction with The Florida Bar, will also release the Citizens’ Guide to the Constitution Revision Commission. Attending the event is LeRoy Collins Institute Director Dr. Carol Weissert, chair Lester Abberger and Florida Bar President-elect William J. Schifino, Jr. Event begins 1:30 p.m. at the Florida Press Center Conference Room, 336 E. College Avenue, Suite 100 in Tallahassee.
SEMINOLE TRIBE SUES THE STATE AS ‘INSURANCE ‘ DESPITE REPORTING ‘SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS’ IN GAMING TALKS via Mary Ellen Klas of the Miami Herald – After weeks of intense negotiations with … Scott and legislators, the Seminole Tribe of Florida broke its silence … and reported that “significant progress” is underway to renew its gaming compact with the state but, just in case, also filed a lawsuit in federal court to protect its rights under federal Indian gaming law. The Tribe … faces an Oct. 29 deadline to quit operating table games … at five of its seven casinos … despite ongoing talks, the lawsuit [is] necessary because of “the State’s failure to negotiate in good faith as required’ by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act” … that state has breached the compact by allowing look-alike table games, operating off slot-machine software, to be played at competing casinos in South Florida and therefore it has a right to continue operating the games.
CITING ‘BLACK EYE,’ TAMPA LEADER URGES RICK SCOTT TO GET IT RIGHT via Steve Bousquet of the Tampa Bay Times – Scott is being urged to act fast to fill the vacancy on the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority caused by the resignation of Sam Rashid … Bob Rohrlack, president and CEO of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, is urging Scott to find a better candidate and warns the governor: “Your previous decision has given Tampa Bay a black eye and caused unnecessary controversy in our community,” Rohrlack wrote Scott in a letter … “As you consider your selection, know that all of Tampa Bay is watching.”
SUPERINTENDENTS IN FLORIDA SAY TESTS FAILED STATE’S SCHOOLS, NOT VICE VERSA via Lizette Alvarez of the New York Times – Nearly six months after students finished taking their [standardized] exams, Florida faces … rebellion, led by the state’s 67 school superintendents … arguing that the tests were flawed — first, because they were developed for Utah schools and based on the curriculum taught there, and second, because of a string of disruptive technical glitches when they were rolled out here … superintendents are challenging the state’s plan to use the scores to give schools grades from A to F and to influence some teachers’ evaluations. Standing behind them are the Florida PTA, the state’s School Boards Association, teachers and administrators … Under a preliminary recommendation, little more than half of Florida’s schoolchildren would pass the new math and English exams in most grades … could drop further.
MIGUEL DIAZ DE LA PORTILLA FILES DRONE BILL via Jim Rosica of Florida Politics – de la Portilla … filed SB 642 … The legislation would ensure that any injury in which “operation of a drone was a substantial contributing factor” would enable the injured person “to recover all damages” from that drone’s owner and operator. Moreover, if the injury was because of a manufacturing defect, a plaintiff also could sue and recover from a drone’s manufacturer, the bill says.
LAW SHIELDING “KILLING’” PHOTOS COULD BECOME PERMANENT via Jim Rosica of Florida Politics – A law that exempts photos, video or audio of a “killing of a person” from state public records law would become permanent under a [new] bill filed … The Senate’s Criminal Justice Committee introduced a proposed bill (SB 7022) to delete the part of the law providing for repeal of the public record exemption. The law says “a photograph or video or audio recording that depicts or records the killing of a person is confidential and exempt,” but a provision would have allowed the law to be automatically retired next October unless lawmakers re-enacted it. The bill simply strikes out that section.
NEW LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS
Brian Ballard, Michael Abrams, Monica Rodriguez, Ballard Partners: Hospice Foundation of America
Nadia Barbar: CitiBank
Eric D. Johnson: Office of Insurance Regulation
Jerry McDaniel, Southern Strategy Group: Palm Beach State College Foundation
Sean Pittman, Pittman Law Group: Investment Corporation of Palm Beach
Keri Rayborn Silver, Timmins Consulting: American Civil Liberties Union of Florida
TWEET, TWEET: @Jason_Garcia: Coming this week in the new Florida Trend: How 3 local judges and a sex scandal saved Chris Dorworth — and the rest of the lobbying corps
***Liberty Partners of Tallahassee, LLC, is a full-service consulting firm located just steps from the Capitol. The firm specializes in the development and implementation of successful advocacy strategies highly personalized for each client. Team Liberty is comprised of professionals with a track record of successful coalition-building, grassroots efforts and team coordination. The combination of a strong commitment to clients and practical government and private sector experience is why Fortune 500 companies and not-for-profits alike choose Liberty Partners of Tallahassee.***
FEDEX PREDICTS 12 PERCENT INCREASE IN HOLIDAY SHIPMENTS via David Koenig of the Associated Press – FedEx … predicted … shipments from Black Friday through Christmas Eve will rise 12.4 percent over last year to 317 million pieces … to handle the crush, it is hiring more than 55,000 seasonal workers and investing in automation and expansion … the FedEx forecast is a bullish one. The National Retail Federation, for example, predicted that online sales in November and December will rise by between 6 percent and 8 percent over late 2014.
WAL-MART SEEKS TO TEST DRONES FOR HOME DELIVERY, PICKUP via Nathan Layne of Reuters – Wal-Mart … applied … to U.S. regulators for permission to test drones for home delivery, curbside pickup and checking warehouse inventories, a sign it plans to go head-to-head with Amazon in using drones to fill and deliver online orders … has for several months been conducting indoor tests of small unmanned aircraft systems … and is now seeking for the first time to test the machines outdoors … the company would move quickly to deploy drones depending on its tests and regulations.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the Queen of Hillsborough Republican politics, Deborah Cox Roush and Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Alexis Mueller.
