Ramola Motwani
Ft. Lauderdale

Commissioner Ramola Motwani was appointed to the Commission in 2010 by CFO Alex Sink. She is the Chairwoman and CEO of Merrimac Ventures, a real estate management, investment and development company with interests all over the US and India.Current projects include the Trump International Hotel and Tower on the Fort Lauderdale Beach.

Ms. Motwani began her career in the US with an import/export business she started with her late husband Bob Motwani in St. Charles, MO.  In the mid-1980’s, they expanded the business into hotels by purchasing numerous properties on the Fort Lauderdale Beach.  They owned and operated (among others) the Merrimac and Gold Coast Beach Resort Hotels on the Fort Lauderdale Beach from December 1986-October 2004, at which point she partnered with Donald Trump to make way for the five-star Trump International Hotel and Tower on the Fort Lauderdale Beach (currently under construction).  As a Development Partner in the 298 – unit condominium hotel, Ramola handled the acquisition, design and entitlement process, and is currently active in managing local representation and public relations.

Ms. Motwani is very active in the Fort Lauderdale community and has been a major component in beach development and re-development issues.  She was instrumental in securing major sponsors to assist with the cost of updating the wave-wall fiber optic lights, secured funding for fireworks on the beach and spearheads the annual holiday lights on the beach effort. 

She currently sits on the Advisory Committee for the Business Improvement District on the Fort Lauderdale Beach, is an appointed member of the Beach Redevelopment Advisory Board which advises the Fort Lauderdale City Commission, and is the Former Chair of the Beach Council, a group she has actively participated in as a Chamber of Commerce Trustee for over 20 years.