Motorola Solutions Deepens 50-Year Commitment to South Florida with New R&D and Customer Experience Center
Motorola Solutions has officially opened its new Research & Development and Customer Experience Center in the City of Plantation, Florida, marking a significant expansion of its long-standing presence in South Florida and reinforcing the region’s role in the future of mission-critical communications technology.
The new facility will focus on the design, development, and testing of the company’s land mobile radio (LMR) portfolio, technology that serves as the backbone of communication for first responders, public safety agencies, and enterprise security teams worldwide. These devices and systems are engineered to perform in the harshest conditions, ensuring that police, fire, emergency management, and security professionals can stay connected when it matters most.
A 50-Year Foundation in Broward County
The Plantation center is not an entry point into the region, but rather an evolution of a presence that spans nearly half a century. Motorola Solutions has maintained operations in Broward County for approximately 50 years, with roles across engineering, product design, and management historically anchored in the region.
This continuity reflects a strategic commitment to South Florida as more than a sales or satellite location, it is a sustained innovation hub tied to the company’s core mission of public safety communications.
As Broward County Commissioner Michael Udine noted, “By anchoring their new office and R&D center in Plantation, Motorola Solutions is helping us attract the next generation of talent and signals to the region that Broward County is a premier destination for companies that want to solve the world’s toughest challenges.”
Public Safety at the Core of Next-Generation Mission-Critical Technology
The importance of Motorola Solutions technology is especially visible across South Florida’s public sector ecosystem, where interoperability, resilience, and rapid response are essential. At the center of this ecosystem is the company’s continued advancement of land mobile radio (LMR) innovation, systems designed to ensure uninterrupted communication during crises, natural disasters, and high-stakes public safety events.
“Our campuses need an intelligent infrastructure that acts as a force multiplier for our teams and a seamless integration between our schools and public safety agencies,” Broward County Public Schools Chief Safety & Security Officer, Michael Gregory, emphasizing the operational significance of these systems.
This reflects a broader regional reliance on resilient communication infrastructure, not only in education, but across law enforcement, emergency services, and municipal operations throughout Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach counties.
The newly expanded Plantation center serves as the physical and strategic hub for this next phase of innovation. Rather than functioning solely as a traditional R&D facility, it is designed as a collaborative environment where customers and end users, particularly public safety agencies, play an active role in shaping product development.
As Mahesh Saptharishi, executive vice president and chief technology officer at Motorola Solutions, explained, “We are driven by a belief that safety is a shared responsibility, built upon trust, transparency and collaboration. Our new Plantation center will continue to advance our LMR innovations both by anticipating the needs and inviting the involvement of our customers and communities.”
Together, these efforts position the Plantation center not just as a technology development site, but as a co-creation platform for the next generation of mission-critical communications infrastructure, built in direct partnership with the public safety organizations it is designed to serve.
Economic Development and Workforce Development
Beyond technology, the expansion carries broader implications for South Florida’s innovation economy.
Local leadership sees Motorola Solutions’ continued investment as a signal of regional competitiveness in advanced engineering and public safety technology sectors. The presence of high-skill roles in product design, systems engineering, and software development contributes to a growing talent pipeline in Broward County, particularly in STEM-focused career pathways.
Motorola Solutions’ impact in the region extends beyond infrastructure and innovation. The company and its philanthropic arm, the Motorola Solutions Foundation, actively support local initiatives in education, public safety, and workforce development.
In South Florida, this includes:
STEM education programs such as FIRST Tech Challenge robotics initiatives
Community partnerships with organizations like Feeding South Florida and Rise Against Hunger
Fire safety education and youth engagement programs introducing careers in public safety and engineering
Over the past three years alone, the Foundation has contributed nearly $1 million to regional nonprofits supporting technology education and first responder readiness.
A Regional Platform for the Next 50 Years
The Plantation R&D and Customer Experience Center signals a long-term vision: South Florida as a sustained hub for mission-critical communications innovation.
What began decades ago as a regional engineering and manufacturing presence has evolved into a focused center for advanced R&D, public safety collaboration, and next-generation communications systems.
In an era where resilience, connectivity, and real-time coordination define public safety outcomes, Motorola Solutions’ continued investment underscores a clear message: the future of safer communities is being actively engineered in South Florida.
