Ari Odzer is ten-time Emmy® award-winning journalist and is currently the NBC 6 education reporter. Odzer joined the station in January of 1990 as a general assignment reporter. In 1994, he briefly worked for sister station WNBC in New York and returned to WTVJ in 1995. Odzer joined WTVJ from WPEC-TV in West Palm Beach where he was an anchor and reporter for three years.
During his time at WTVJ, Odzer has covered all major hurricanes since Andrew in 1992. Some of the big stories he’s covered include: the Elian Gonzalez controversy, 2000 presidential elections recount, the murder of Gianni Versace and the manhunt for his murderer, Andrew Cunanan, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre, COVID-19 pandemic and the Surfside tragedy.
In 2014, Odzer established Education on 6 as a brand, with a focus on education features and issues. Throughout the pandemic, he covered all facets of distance learning, mask mandates, safety protocols, teacher and parent concerns, and learning deficits. Odzer says he finds education stories to be particularly rewarding, especially when highlighting the achievements of outstanding students.
Odzer, whose father was in the Air Force, was born in Izmir, Turkey. A self-proclaimed Air Force brat, his family finally settled in Pompano Beach when he was in the 5th grade.
Graduating from Deerfield Beach High School in 1982, Odzer received his Bachelor of Science in broadcast news with a minor in political science in 1987 from the University of Florida. He also began his broadcast career while in college, working as a reporter and anchor at WUFT-FM, in Gainesville. While in Gainesville, he also worked as a reporter and anchor at the CBS affiliate WRUF-AM and made the crossover into television by working as a reporter, anchor and photographer at the PBS affiliate WUFT-TV.
Today, Odzer lives with his wife, Dr. Shari-Lynn Odzer, in Northeast Miami-Dade County. He has two daughters, Jamie and Nicole, who are currently medical students and a son, Michael, who is currently entering his sophomore year of college. A high school basketball player, he still plays a weekly full court pickup game.
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The Latest
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Superintendent reinforces message as FBI arrests Texas man for Miami school threat
On the monthly day when the Miami-Dade County School Board approves disciplinary measures for students who commit severe infractions, the superintendent used the occasion to talk about the insidious problem of hoax threats being made against schools.
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Broward Schools' ‘Redefining Schools' plan comes into focus
Tuesday’s Broward County School Board workshop meeting produced more clarity on the direction of the district’s “Redefining Schools” process.
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2 teens in custody after 15-year-old was shot, killed during dispute in South Miami
Two teens have been detained after a 15-year-old was gunned down outside a business and apartment building in South Miami Sunday following a dispute.
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Lauderhill officer fatally shoots woman armed with knife: Police
An officer shot and killed a woman who they say was armed with a knife on Friday in Lauderhill, police confirmed.
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Man arrested months after hitting woman with car at Pembroke Park gas station: Police
A man was arrested and charged with attempted felony murder on Thursday for a hit-and-run crash in September that left a woman fighting for her life in Pembroke Park.
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They know the danger, but love what they do: A closer look at the job of a motorman
South Florida’s law enforcement community is still mourning the tragic deaths of three Palm Beach County motorcycle deputies. It was a severe blow to the tight-knit community known as motormen.
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Woman stabbed, possibly struck by suspect's car in Fort Lauderdale: Police
A woman was rushed to the hospital after she was stabbed and possibly struck by the suspect’s car in a Fort Lauderdale neighborhood Wednesday morning, police said.
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Florida universities grapple with state-mandated curriculum changes
A new state law is redefining which courses count towards required graduation credits and which ones should only be taught as electives.
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‘They're not harmless pranks': Hoax threat causes major disruption at Hialeah High
Miami-Dade Schools Police Chief Ivan Silva said if they catch the person who made the threat against Hialeah Senior High School, they will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.
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25 years after international custody battle, Elián González's lawyer still regrets outcome
South Florida history has featured many tumultuous events, but perhaps none of them sparked as much passion, and had as many ripple effects, as the sage of the little Cuban boy who caused an international tug of war.
