Right to cancel3 business daysAfter signing at home, under Florida law and the FTC rule
Required disclosuresA separate signed formFlorida Statute 520.23, on the books since 2017
License to look forStarts with CVC or ECVerify it yourself at myfloridalicense.com
AG complaints~750 against 3 firmsFlorida AG records obtained by WPTV, 2026

The short answer

Before you sign with any solar company in Florida, do three things: look up its contractor license yourself at myfloridalicense.com, make sure you get Florida's separate solar disclosure form, and know that you can cancel a contract signed at your home within three business days. Most of the bad outcomes in Florida's solar complaint files, from bills that never dropped to 25-year payments on systems that stopped working, trace back to a sale where at least one of those steps was skipped.

Florida's Attorney General's office said in March 2024 that complaints about solar installation had risen about 700 percent since 2019. In 2026, Florida AG records obtained by WPTV showed nearly 750 complaints against just three solar companies. Most companies are legitimate. The checks below take about ten minutes and filter out the ones that aren't.

Check the company in ten minutes

  1. Get the license number and look it up yourself. Florida requires a state contractor license to contract with a homeowner for solar work. The Florida Solar Energy Industries Association says to look for a license beginning with CVC or EC, and to verify it at myfloridalicense.com. Don't rely on a number printed on a flyer or shown on the salesperson's screen.
  2. Match the names. The business name on the license should match the company name on the contract. FlaSEIA calls a mismatch between the salesperson's card and the contract a red flag.
  3. Check the company's history. Look it up at sunbiz.org, Florida's business registry, for when it was formed and whether it's active. A company formed a few months ago with a 25-year warranty deserves extra questions.
  4. Look for complaints. The Attorney General's office suggests checking the Better Business Bureau and reading reviews. Search the company name with "complaint" and "lawsuit".
  5. Ask who actually installs and services it. Is it the company's own crew or a subcontractor? Ask for proof of liability and workers' compensation insurance, and a Florida office address.
  6. Get more than one quote. Comparing two or three quotes is the simplest way to spot an inflated price or an unrealistic savings estimate.

Door-to-door red flags

These are the pitches that show up again and again in Florida complaints, Attorney General warnings and consumer guidance:

What you may hearWhat is actually true
"We're working with FPL" or "with the state program."The Attorney General's office warns specifically about solar companies presenting themselves as government-affiliated. Private companies sell solar. Your utility only connects a finished system.
"You'll never pay an electric bill again."Most solar homes still get a utility bill, and with a loan or lease you add a monthly payment on top. How much solar saves depends heavily on what your utility credits for exported power.
"It's free solar, no cost to you.""No cost" almost always means $0 down on a loan, lease or PACE assessment you repay for years. Florida does not allow power purchase agreements for rooftop solar. Our guide to free solar panels in Florida explains what these offers really are.
"Your 30 percent tax credit covers a big chunk."The federal residential credit ended for systems installed after December 31, 2025. A 2026 price built on it is wrong.
"This price is only good if you sign today."Legitimate installers give you time and a written copy to review. The Attorney General's office advises getting written copies of contracts before signing.
"Just sign here on the tablet, I'll send you the paperwork."Florida requires a separate disclosure statement you sign separately. If you can't read the whole contract and that form before signing, don't sign.
"We need a large deposit to lock your spot."The Attorney General's office warns about large upfront payments. FlaSEIA notes that a contractor who collects more than 10 percent upfront must apply for permits within 30 days and start work within 90 days.

If the pitch was in Spanish or another language but the contract and disclosure form are only in English, don't sign until you fully understand every page. Ask for the documents in your language, or take them to someone you trust first.

What Florida law says must be in your contract

Florida has a solar-specific consumer protection law that many homeowners have never heard of. Florida Statute 520.23, enacted in 2017, requires every agreement to sell or lease a home solar system to include a written statement that is separate from the contract, printed in at least 12-point type and separately acknowledged by you. Depending on the deal, it has to cover up to 32 items. The ones worth reading line by line:

  • The installer's name and valid state contractor license number, plus the maintenance provider's, if different.
  • Whether you are buying or leasing, in plain words: you will own the system, or you will lease it and not own it.
  • The total cost, including interest, installation, document, service and other fees, plus a payment schedule. For a lease, the payment amount, frequency and the total over the full term.
  • Every state or federal tax incentive or rebate the seller relied on in setting your price. In 2026 that list should not include the expired 30 percent federal credit.
  • The assumptions behind any savings estimate, with a statement that future utility rates are estimates and may vary.
  • Whether a lien will be placed on your home, and whether a UCC-1 financing statement or fixture filing will be recorded on the system.
  • Whether the contract can be sold or transferred to a third party without your consent, and whether a lease can be transferred to a buyer if you sell your home.
  • Your right to rescind the agreement for at least 3 business days after signing.

If you were never given a separate disclosure statement, that is a serious problem, not a technicality. A 2026 WPTV investigation found Florida contracts that were missing a key consumer disclosure. Ask for the form before you sign, and keep your copy.

Solar contract on a kitchen table with a magnifying glass, pen and reading glasses
Florida requires a separate solar disclosure statement that you sign on its own. Read it before the contract, not after.

Your right to cancel, and how to use it

If you signed at your home, you have more than one layer of protection:

  • Florida's home solicitation law (Statute 501.025) lets you cancel until midnight of the third business day after the day you signed.
  • The FTC's Cooling-Off Rule gives three business days to cancel sales of $25 or more made at your home, and requires the seller to tell you about that right. Under the federal rule, Saturdays count as business days; Sundays and federal holidays don't.
  • Florida's solar disclosure law separately requires the contract to give you a right to rescind for at least three business days.

How to cancel:

  1. Write a short, dated letter saying you are cancelling the agreement. Florida law says it doesn't need any particular form.
  2. Send it to the seller's address listed in the agreement. A notice sent by mail counts as of its postmark, but send it by certified mail with a return receipt so you can prove the date.
  3. Keep a copy of the letter, the receipt and the contract.
  4. If a lender or leasing company is involved, notify it in writing too.

Don't wait until the last day, and don't rely on a phone call or a salesperson's promise to "take care of it." Our guide to canceling a solar contract in Florida has a deadline calendar and a sample letter. If the deadline has passed or a company refuses to honor your cancellation, talk to a consumer attorney or contact the Attorney General's office.

Liens, leases and PACE: the parts that follow you

How a system is paid for decides what is attached to your home, sometimes for decades:

  • Leases and financed systems often come with a UCC-1 filing, a public notice that someone else owns or holds an interest in the equipment. It isn't a mortgage on your house, but title companies flag it when you sell, and buyers don't always want to take over a long lease. Our guide to selling or buying a house with solar covers how that plays out at closing. Florida's disclosure form must tell you whether one will be filed.
  • PACE financing is repaid through your property tax bill. Under a 2024 Florida law, SB 770, a PACE assessment takes priority over your existing mortgage. FHA won't insure a mortgage on a home that still carries a PACE obligation, so it has to be paid off before an FHA refinance or an FHA-financed sale. The same law added new consumer protections and requires your county to have a local PACE ordinance.
  • Lease escalators raise your payment every year. Make sure the disclosure statement shows the total you will pay over the whole term, not just the first payment. Our solar lease guide shows what common escalators add up to.

Our financing guide compares cash, loans, leases and PACE side by side.

If the company disappears

Installers going out of business is not a rare event. SunPower filed for Chapter 11 in 2024 and Sunnova in 2025, and a WPTV review of court records found at least 15 solar installation companies have filed for bankruptcy since 2022. In SunPower's and Sunnova's cases, existing leases didn't vanish: a successor firm, SunStrong Management, took over servicing both companies' customers. When that happens, your loan or lease payments usually keep going, because they are owed to the lender or leasing company. What can disappear is the installer's workmanship warranty and anyone to call for repairs.

One Treasure Coast homeowner featured in an August 2026 WFLX report leased a system for about $40,000 in 2021. Her FPL bill first dropped from about $100 to about $30. In 2026 the system stopped working without her noticing, the installer had gone out of business, and by that July she was paying nearly $300 a month: about $150 to FPL plus $150 for the lease.

Two habits protect you: ask before signing who services the system if the installer closes, and check your monitoring app every month so a failure doesn't go unnoticed for months. If your installer has already closed, see what to do when a solar company goes out of business.

Where to report a problem

  • Florida Attorney General's office: 1-866-966-7226, or file a complaint at myfloridalegal.com.
  • Department of Business and Professional Regulation: report unlicensed contractor activity.
  • Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: 1-800-HELP-FLA.
  • Florida Senior Legal Helpline: (888) 895-7873, for free legal advice for eligible seniors.

If you are 60 or older, have a disability, or are a military servicemember or veteran, Florida Statute 501.2077 allows a civil penalty of up to $15,000 per violation when a deceptive practice targets you, on top of other remedies. Florida's Seniors vs. Crime program has also taken solar complaints.

How it works

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  3. Choose what's nextAsk for a quote call if you want real pricing, or just keep the number.

See what solar could save you

It takes about a minute. You don't need a site visit, a commitment or a sales call to see your number.

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Common questions

How do I check if a solar company is licensed in Florida?

Ask for the company's Florida contractor license number and look it up yourself at myfloridalicense.com. For solar, FlaSEIA says to look for a license beginning with CVC or EC. Then check that the business name on that license matches the company name on your contract, and look up the company's filing history at sunbiz.org.

How long do I have to cancel a solar contract in Florida?

If you signed at your home, Florida law gives you until midnight of the third business day after the day you signed to cancel a home solicitation sale, and the federal Cooling-Off Rule gives a similar three business days. Florida's solar disclosure law also requires the contract to give you a right to rescind for at least three business days. Cancel in writing, and don't wait until the last day.

How do I cancel a solar contract I signed at home?

Send a written notice saying you are cancelling to the seller's address listed in the contract, before the deadline. Florida law says the notice doesn't need any special form, and a notice sent by mail counts from its postmark. Send it by certified mail with a return receipt, keep a copy, and tell any lender or leasing company in writing too.

What disclosures does Florida require in a solar contract?

Florida Statute 520.23 requires a separate written statement, in at least 12-point type and separately acknowledged by you, covering up to 32 items. These include the installer's license number, whether you are buying or leasing, the total cost including interest and fees, every tax incentive the price relied on, how savings were estimated, and whether a lien or UCC-1 filing will be placed.

Is the 30 percent federal solar tax credit still available in Florida?

No. The federal residential credit ended for systems installed after December 31, 2025. A salesperson who still counts it in your price in 2026 is either out of date or misleading you, and Florida law requires the disclosure form to list every tax incentive the seller relied on in setting the price.

Does FPL or the government send solar salespeople door to door?

Treat any salesperson who says they are with your utility or the government as a red flag. The Florida Attorney General's office specifically warns consumers to beware of solar companies advertising as government-affiliated. Private solar companies sell solar; your utility only handles the interconnection once a system is installed.

What happens if my solar company goes out of business?

Your loan or lease payments usually continue, because they are owed to the lender or leasing company, not the installer. What you can lose is the installer's workmanship warranty and service. Equipment manufacturer warranties may still apply. Ask before you sign who services the system if the installer closes.

Where do I report a solar scam in Florida?

You can file a complaint with the Florida Attorney General's office at 1-866-966-7226, report unlicensed contractor activity to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and contact the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services at 1-800-HELP-FLA. Florida law allows higher civil penalties when deceptive practices target seniors, people with disabilities or military servicemembers.

This page is general information, not legal advice. If you have a dispute over a contract you already signed, talk to a Florida consumer attorney. Sources: Florida Statute 520.23 · Florida Statute 501.025 · Florida Statute 501.2077 · FTC Cooling-Off Rule, 16 CFR 429 · Florida AG: The Dark Side of Solar, March 2024 · FlaSEIA: Going Solar · WPTV, June 2026 · WFLX, August 2026 · Florida Senate: SB 770 (2024) · HUD Mortgagee Letter 2017-18

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