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Phillip Davis Correspondent Phillip Davis covers South Florida and beyond for NPR. He joined NPR in January 1993, and has reported on such topics as the Elian Gonzalez affair, the disputed 2000 presidential election, and the growing cultural diversity of South Florida. Davis has also filed reports from England, West Africa, and South America for NPR. His pieces can be heard on NPR's award-winning newsmagazines Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, and All Things Considered.
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Phillip Davis

Story Archive

Wednesday

Haiti's Presidential Election

Haitians in America Make Mark in Campaigns

Early next week, Haitians are scheduled to vote in the first presidential election since an uprising forced out President Jean Bertrand Aristide two years ago. The estimated 540,000 Haitian immigrants living in the United States will not be able to vote, but their influence is still felt.

Haitians in America Make Mark in Campaigns

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Wednesday

National

U.S. Policy on Cuban Refugees Under Fire

Cuban Americans in Miami are increasingly demanding the end of the "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy that allows the Coast Guard to send refugees back to Cuba if they don't set foot on U.S. soil. Cuban exile groups are starting a lobbying campaign that they hope will go directly to President Bush.

U.S. Policy on Cuban Refugees Under Fire

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Monday

World

Florida Teen Returns Home from Iraq Trip

Sixteen-year-old Farris Hassan arrives at Miami International Airport, home after secretly hopping a plane to the Middle East and making it all the way to Baghdad. After detours in Kuwait City and Beirut, he made it into Iraq -- with some help from friends of his father in Beirut -- on Christmas Day.

Florida Teen Returns Home from Iraq Trip

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Friday

National

Miami Mayor Brings Building Boom, Criticism

Miami's Cuban-born mayor, Manny Diaz, is credited with a building boom and the city's longest stretch without a corruption scandal. The former attorney for Elian Gonzalez has done all this while downplaying Cuban politics in Miami. But some critics say Diaz has sent the city into a high-rise condo frenzy.

Miami Mayor Brings Building Boom, Criticism

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Saturday

The Impact of War

Training Aimed at Defusing IED Threat

At a facility in Florida, trainees learn how to detonate improvised exploding devices, which insurgents use in Iraq and Afghanistan. The training grounds are set up like a small city in a bid for realism.

Training Aimed at Defusing IED Threat

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Wednesday

Law

Florida Terrorism Trial Winds Down

A former University of South Florida professor Sami Al Arian is being tried on federal charges that he conspired to aid the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The group is considered a terrorist group by U.S. authorities.

Florida Terrorism Trial Winds Down

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Monday

Law

Closing Arguments Begin in Florida Terrorism Trial

The prosecution begins closing arguments in the five-month trial of a former professor at the University of South Florida accused of supporting terrorism. Sami Al-Arian and three others face 53 counts in a federal case alleging that a cell in Tampa managed a terrorist enterprise.

Closing Arguments Begin in Florida Terrorism Trial

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Wednesday

Katrina & Beyond

Frustration with Wilma Efforts in Florida Grows

Two days since Hurricane Wilma hit southern Florida, many residents are feeling frustrated and angry at the pace of recovery efforts. Thousands have spent hours in line waiting for ice, water and food, while millions more wait for power to be restored in their homes.

Frustration with Wilma Efforts in Florida Grows

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Tuesday

Katrina & Beyond

Wilma Surprises Miami, Halts Transportation

Hurricane Wilma's impact Monday left Miami struggling to keep order. The city's airport is closed and the mayor says out of 2,600 traffic lights there, just 18 are working.

Wilma Surprises Miami, Halts Transportation

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Katrina & Beyond

South Florida Faces Long Recovery from Wilma

Many residents in south Florida may face power outages for a month or longer as a result of Hurricane Wilma. Damage in the area is now being assessed: Citrus growers report crop losses from the high winds, and storm damage kept the Miami Airport closed until late Tuesday.

South Florida Faces Long Recovery from Wilma

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Monday

Katrina & Beyond

Wilma Surprises Florida's East Coast with Ferocity

Hurricane Wilma passes over the east coast of Florida as a Category 2 storm and surprises residents with its power. Far from diminishing as it moved over land, the storm's wind stayed strong, tossing trees and ripping roofs.

Wilma Surprises Florida's East Coast with Ferocity

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Katrina & Beyond

Hurricane Wilma Crosses over Florida

Hurricane Wilma is blowing across Florida after lashing Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula with wind and rain. Madeleine Brand gets an update on Hurricane Wilma and its impact on the region from Phillip Davis, reporting from Fort Myers, Fla.

Hurricane Wilma Crosses over Florida

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Katrina & Beyond

Wilma Headed Northeast in Florida

Hurricane Wilma comes ashore on the southwestern coast of Florida Monday. The Category 3 storm registered winds of 125 mph as it hit. More than half of Florida's population is under some kind of storm warning, but the heart of the action is around Naples and Fort Myers.

Wilma Headed Northeast in Florida

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Thursday

Business

Citizens Property Insurance Under Investigation

Executives at Florida's second biggest insurance company, Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, are facing accusations of bribes, kickbacks and insider dealing. Hundreds of disgruntled customers have sued the company for claims from last year's hurricanes.

Citizens Property Insurance Under Investigation

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Thursday

Environment

Riding with NOAA's Hurricane Hunters

Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration take a flight thousands of feet above Hurricane Rita. These hurricane hunters gather unique data about the storm that allows meteorologists on the ground to get precise forecasts.

Riding with NOAA's Hurricane Hunters

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Wednesday

National

A Year After Charlie, Still In 'Temporary' Housing

Phillip Davis reports from Punta Gorda, Fla., where hundreds of families are still living in temporary housing more than a year after Hurricane Charlie devastated parts of the state.

A Year After Charlie, Still In 'Temporary' Housing

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National

The Scene Inside Hurricane Rita

As Hurricane Rita barrels into the Gulf of Mexico, NPR's Phillip Davis is watching the storm from the sky with hurricane hunters from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He speaks with host Michele Norris from a jet over the Gulf.

The Scene Inside Hurricane Rita

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Wednesday

Katrina & Beyond

Hazards Put Pressure on New Orleans Evacuation Effort

In New Orleans, fire and police officials are battling fires -- and time -- to get the city evacuated as conditions for remaining residents grow more hazardous. Those who refuse to leave the city voluntarily may be removed by force.

Hazards Put Pressure on New Orleans Evacuation Effort

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Tuesday

Katrina & Beyond

Water Level Decreases in New Orleans

Mayor Ray Nagin says 60 percent of New Orleans remains under water, down from 80 percent. However, he cautions that the city remains unsafe, and the toxicity of the floodwaters has caused concern.

Water Level Decreases in New Orleans

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Monday

Katrina & Beyond

Despite Katrina, French Quarter Residents Carry On

In New Orleans' French Quarter, which escaped the worst of Hurricane Katrina's damage, some residents are ignoring orders to evacuate and trying to return to life before the storm.

Despite Katrina, French Quarter Residents Carry On

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Sunday

National

Now Empty, Superdome Awaits Cleanup

There are no more hurricane survivors at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. But the facility is awash in the filth and squalor created by the desperate crush of tens of thousands of suddenly homeless people who congregated there.

Now Empty, Superdome Awaits Cleanup

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Saturday

National

Convention Center Empties After Evacuation Delays

Thousands of hurricane victims who wanted to leave New Orleans remained stranded in squalid conditions until this afternoon, when buses evacuated most of those remaining at the Convention Center. Security in the city seems to be improving, though the city is not really safe.

Convention Center Empties After Evacuation Delays

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National

Waiting for Help at the Convention Center

Efforts to evacuate New Orleans' Superdome and Convention Center, where tens of thousands of flood victims gathered, move more slowly than anticipated. Anger and frustration persist as the needy throngs sense help is near, but has not yet arrived.

Waiting for Help at the Convention Center

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Friday

National

Military Convoy Brings Aid to New Orleans

A military convoy rolls through flooded streets to bring food, supplies, and the National Guard to New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast. But conditions remain desperate in many parts of the city.

Military Convoy Brings Aid to New Orleans

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