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Businesses Face Challenges This Valentine's Day

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

OK. So it is Valentine's Day - unless you live in Oconee County, Georgia. The county sheriff there has officially postponed Cupid's holiday. Who knew that was the sheriff 's responsibility?

Anyway, our last word in business is: Heartbreaker.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Oconee County, Georgia sheriff declared his county a no Valentine's Day zone due to the severe weather in the area. He says the men in the zone are exempt from scurrying around for last-minute gifts until February 18th - the New Valentine's Day. No mention on whether the women in the area are officially accepting this.

INSKEEP: It's no bed of roses this Valentine's Day in Detroit either. That's where flowerdeliveryexpress.com thought of a new way to solar past its competition.

WESLEY BERRY: We had heard a lot about drones and that drones were a future delivery vehicle, and we really wanted to get a little bit of real-life experience.

MONTAGNE: That's the company CEO and flower shop owner, Wesley Berry. He used a drone to carry a bouquet of flowers from one of his flower shops to a nearby home. Shortly after posting a video of the delivery online, Berry was contacted by the FAA.

BERRY: The FAA was very polite. It was the best experience I've had with the government ever. But they explained to us that they had concerns about public safety and they really didn't want people commercially engaging in the use of drones.

INSKEEP: But it's Valentine's Day.

MONTAGNE: Aw.

INSKEEP: Deadline. Anyway, Wesley Berry's experiment was grounded, as were his flowers.

And that's the business news on MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

MONTAGNE: And I'm Renee Montagne.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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