For some Treasure Coast homeowners, the promise of lower electric bills came with a far less sunny outcome: decades of payments, broken systems and utility bills that never vanished. Several residents say door-to-door solar pitches convinced them they were making a smart investment, only to leave them owing between $40,000 and $60,000 over terms lasting as long as 25 years.
A new WPTV investigation found that some salespeople listed in contracts may not have held licenses required under Florida law. The station also reviewed agreements that lacked a required consumer disclosure intended to spell out the system’s cost, financing, warranty terms, expected energy production and potential liens.
The contracts reviewed by the station also said the homeowners were not guaranteed lower electric bills or a specific level of solar output. If the panels produced less power than expected, the agreements said customers could remain responsible for paying the difference to their utility companies.
What Florida Law Requires
Florida law requires a separate written disclosure for many residential solar sales, and the Florida Senate statute lists the information it must contain. That includes the total cost, payment schedule, financing details, contractor license number, estimated energy production, maintenance responsibilities, transfer rules and whether a lien or UCC filing could be placed on the system.
The law also requires buyers or lessees to receive a statement explaining whether they are purchasing or leasing the equipment, along with a right to rescind the agreement for at least three business days. The statute’s history traces the disclosure requirement to 2017, with later amendments adding more detailed information for consumers.
Florida’s licensing rules add another layer to the dispute. The state’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation lists solar among the contractor categories requiring state registration or certification, while WPTV reported that only one of four individual salespeople named in the contracts appeared in the state contractor licensing database.
Homeowners Say The Savings Never Arrived
One homeowner profiled in the investigation, Ana Perez, leased a roughly $40,000 system in November 2021 and initially saw her Florida Power & Light bill fall from about $100 to approximately $30 a month. After the system stopped working in early 2026, her utility bill climbed as high as $131, while she continued making a separate solar payment of about $150 per month.
When Perez sought warranty repairs, she learned the original installer had gone out of business. A contractor eventually restored the system, but her experience reflects a broader problem identified by WPTV’s reporting: homeowners can be left paying for equipment, utility service and repairs at the same time.
Records obtained from the Florida attorney general’s office showed nearly 750 consumer complaints involving three solar companies featured in the investigation. The complaints covered more than licensing or missing disclosures, including unfinished work, malfunctioning systems and companies that later dissolved or filed for bankruptcy.
What Homeowners Can Do Now
Florida Attorney General guidance warns consumers to be cautious about large upfront payments, verify permits and inspections, compare multiple companies and read every financing and warranty term before signing. The office’s solar scam guide also advises homeowners to obtain written copies of all contracts and research whether a company has generated complaints.
Homeowners who believe they were misled should preserve contracts, financing documents, sales materials, utility bills, repair records and emails or text messages with the company. Those records can help support complaints to the Florida attorney general’s office or the state’s Seniors vs. Crime program, but the missing fine print may not automatically cancel an entire solar agreement.
