Greg Allen

As NPR's Miami correspondent, Greg Allen reports on the diverse issues and developments tied to the Southeast. He covers everything from breaking news to economic and political stories to arts and human interest features. He moved into this role in 2006, after four years as NPR's Midwest correspondent.

Allen was a key part of NPR's coverage of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, providing some of the first reports on the disaster. He was on the frontlines of NPR's coverage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, arriving in New Orleans before the storm hit and filing on the chaos and flooding that hit the city as the levees broke. Allen's reporting played an important role in NPR's coverage of the aftermath and the rebuilding of New Orleans, as well as in coverage of the BP oil spill which brought new hardships to the Gulf coast.

As NPR's only correspondent in Florida, Allen covered the dizzying boom and bust of the state's real estate market, the state's important role in the 2008 presidential election and has produced stories highlighting the state's unique culture and natural beauty, from Miami's Little Havana to the Everglades.

Allen has spent more than three decades in radio news, the first ten as a reporter in Ohio and Philadelphia and the last as an editor, producer and reporter at NPR.

Before moving into reporting, Allen served as the executive producer of NPR's national daily live call-in show, Talk of the Nation. As executive producer he handled the day-to-day operations of the program as well as developed and produced remote broadcasts with live audiences and special breaking news coverage. He was with Talk of the Nation from 2000 to 2002.

Prior to that position, Allen spent three years as a senior editor for NPR's Morning Edition, developing stories and interviews, shaping the program's editorial direction, and supervising the program's staff. In 1993, he started a four year stint as an editor with Morning Edition just after working as Morning Edition's swing editor, providing editorial and production supervision in the early morning hours. Allen also worked for a time as the editor of NPR's National Desk.

Before coming to NPR, Allen was a reporter with NPR member station WHYY-FM in Philadelphia from 1987 to 1990.

His radio career includes serving as the producer of Freedom's Doors Media Project — five radio documentaries on immigration in American cities that was distributed through NPR's Horizons series — frequent freelance work with NPR, Monitor Radio, Voice of America, and WHYY-FM, and work as a reporter/producer of NPR member station WYSO-FM in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

Allen graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1977, with a B.A. cum laude. As a student and after graduation, Allen worked at WXPN-FM, the public radio station on campus, as a host and producer for a weekly folk music program that included interviews, features, live and recorded music.

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Architecture
5:13 pm
Tue November 27, 2012

Battle Lines Drawn Over Old 'Miami Herald' Building

Originally published on Tue November 27, 2012 5:55 pm

The Miami Herald's old headquarters on Biscayne Bay have been sold to a developer who wants to tear it down. Historic preservationists are working to stop the demolition, saying the hulking, boxy building is a prime example of Miami modernism architecture from the 50's and 60's. Demolition proponents — which include some prominent architects — say it's a clumsy building with no sense of style and not a "MiMo" design worth saving.

U.S.
5:57 pm
Mon November 26, 2012

Will Florida Pythons Slither To Rest Of The U.S.?

Credit Lynne Sladky / AP
A Burmese python coils around the arm of a hunter during a news conference in 2010 in the Florida Everglades. New research suggests that the pythons won't spread through the American Southeast, as previously believed.

Originally published on Mon November 26, 2012 6:42 pm

There are several exotic snake species that have become a problem in the Everglades. But for wildlife managers, the biggest headache is the Burmese python.

Earlier this year, researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey captured the largest Burmese python yet in Everglades National Park. Three USGS staffers had to wrestle the snake out of a plastic crate to measure it. The snake was a 17-foot-7-inch female carrying 87 eggs.

Wildlife managers are working to get a handle on the problem of exotic snakes in South Florida; but the snakes have already made a big impact.

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Election 2012
5:01 pm
Tue November 20, 2012

Tea Party Favorite Allen West Concedes Florida Race

Originally published on Tue November 20, 2012 6:14 pm

Two weeks after votes were cast, Tea Party firebrand Allen West conceded he lost his Florida Congressional race to Democrat Patrick Murphy. He was one of just a few Tea Party activists to be defeated.

It's All Politics
3:09 pm
Fri November 16, 2012

Republican Lock On Florida's Cuban-American Vote May Be Over

Originally published on Fri November 16, 2012 8:07 pm

Election 2012
5:09 pm
Fri November 9, 2012

Palm Beach County Still Counting Votes In Florida

Originally published on Fri November 16, 2012 12:17 pm

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

And I'm Melissa Block.

One lone county in Florida is still tallying ballots. It's Palm Beach County. Yes, that Palm Beach County, which was central to the presidential recount in 2000.

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It's All Politics
4:25 pm
Thu November 8, 2012

Florida's Most Populous County Finishes Vote Count

Credit Alan Diaz / AP
A Miami-Dade Elections Department employee tallies absentee ballot reports in Doral, Fla., on Thursday.

Originally published on Thu November 8, 2012 4:53 pm

It only took two extra days, but Florida's Miami-Dade County has finished counting votes in the presidential election.

Supervisor of Elections Penelope Townsley said Thursday she was pleased to announce that the state's most populous county, with more than 2.5 million people, was "the first of the large counties to complete its tabulation process."

Townsley was referring to three other large counties — Broward (population 1.8 million), Palm Beach (population 1.3 million) and Duval (population 870,000) — that were still tallying absentee ballots.

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Election 2012
4:54 pm
Wed November 7, 2012

Florida Still Tallying Ballots With Obama In The Lead

Originally published on Wed November 7, 2012 5:50 pm

Ballots for the presidential race were still being counted in Florida on Wednesday. President Obama appeared to be leading the state, but does not need it to secure his re-election.

Election 2012
5:18 pm
Tue November 6, 2012

Long Ballot Ties Up Florida Voters At The Polls

Originally published on Tue November 6, 2012 8:08 pm

Transcript

LYNN NEARY, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Lynn Neary. We're going to check in now with a couple of our reporters at polling stations around the country. We'll hear in a moment from Colorado. First, to Florida. NPR's Greg Allen joins us from College Park Baptist Church in Orlando. Hi, Greg.

GREG ALLEN, BYLINE: Hi, Lynn.

NEARY: What are you hearing from voters there today, Greg?

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Election 2012
5:41 am
Tue November 6, 2012

Florida's Early Voting Outcome Differs From 2008

Originally published on Tue November 6, 2012 12:18 pm

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

On Election Day, it's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne.

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Statewide Races
3:20 am
Tue November 6, 2012

Florida's New Battleground: The State Supreme Court

Originally published on Tue November 6, 2012 12:18 pm

In Florida, Supreme Court justices are nominated by a commission and appointed by the governor. Every six years, they're up for retention. Voters decide whether to keep them on the bench or let them go.

Since the system was put in place in the 1970s, retention votes have been pro forma affairs, with justices doing little fundraising or campaigning.

But this year is different.

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It's All Politics
5:31 pm
Mon November 5, 2012

Legal Battle Surrounds Florida Early Voting Dispute

Credit Alan Diaz / AP
Floridians stand in line during the last day of early voting in Miami on Saturday. A judge extended early-voting hours in one Florida county Sunday after Democrats sued to allow more time.

Originally published on Mon November 5, 2012 5:49 pm

Early voting ended in Florida on Saturday. But on Sunday, some county elections officials opened their offices to allow people to vote using absentee ballots.

In Miami-Dade County, elections officials opened the office for over-the-counter absentee voting, but then inexplicably shut down. A couple of hundred waiting voters began chanting and pounding on the doors. An hour later, the office reopened.

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Around the Nation
5:04 am
Fri November 2, 2012

Gas Shortages Add To Frustration In Storm-Hit Areas

Originally published on Fri November 2, 2012 11:43 am

Transcript

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

There are people in New Jersey and New York who are beginning to get back to work. And they're facing another problem: how to get gas for their vehicles to make that commute. Because of widespread power outages, most of the gas stations in the region fall into one of two categories: They have power, but no gasoline, or they have gasoline, but no power to pump it into cars.

As NPR's Greg Allen reports, that leaves a small number of gas stations with very, very long lines.

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House & Senate Races
5:26 pm
Wed October 31, 2012

Allen West Faces Challenge After Redistricting

Originally published on Wed October 31, 2012 6:53 pm

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Audie Cornish.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

And I'm Robert Siegel.

Among the hundreds of races underway for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, one of the most expensive and nastiest is in a district on Florida's Atlantic Coast. Although he's just a freshman, Republican Allen West is known nationally for his Tea Party conservatism, his frequent appearances on Fox News and his provocative statements. He once called House Democrats members of the communist party.

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Election 2012
5:14 am
Mon October 29, 2012

Obama Campaign Looks To Black Churches In Fla.

Originally published on Mon October 29, 2012 6:41 am

In the closely contested battleground state of Florida, the Obama campaign is trying to drive up the number of votes from its base. A key mechanism is the network of black churches throughout the state.

It's All Politics
3:46 pm
Wed October 24, 2012

Florida Republican Rep. David Rivera Charged In Ethics Probe

Credit Alan Diaz / AP
Rep. David Rivera, R-Fla., talks during a freedom for Cuba march in Miami on Feb. 24, 2011.

Rep. David Rivera, R-Fla., was charged Wednesday by Florida authorities with alleged ethics violations while he was in the state Legislature, perhaps imperiling his bid for re-election to the House in an already tight contest.

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