Complete Guide

Failed Solar in Florida: The Complete Homeowner's Guide

If your solar system never worked, your installer vanished, and the loan keeps billing — you are not alone. This is the complete guide to failed solar in Florida: what the records show, every party homeowners in this spot typically look at, and the exact steps to start building your file. (General information, not legal advice.)

Florida leads the nation in rooftop solar potential. It also leads in solar heartbreak. Between 2022 and 2025, a wave of solar installers shut down or filed for bankruptcy. Some were giants. SunPower, one of the biggest names in American solar, filed for bankruptcy in 2024. Titan Solar Power shut down the same year. ADT Solar wound down its installation business. Pink Energy collapsed back in 2022 after thousands of consumer complaints. Dozens of smaller Florida installers disappeared with far less news coverage.

Why did so many fail at once? Most grew fast on cheap borrowed money and aggressive door-to-door sales.

What's on this page

Every section in this article, and what each one covers

1.Why So Many Florida Solar Companies FailedThree paragraphs and one link to other guides, naming SunPower, Titan Solar Power and ADT Solar.
2.Failure Pattern 1: Installed but Never Turned On (No PTO)Two paragraphs and one link to other guides, naming FPL and PTO.
3.Failure Pattern 2: The System Makes Less Power Than PromisedTwo paragraphs and two links to other guides, listing panels facing the wrong direction, shade the salesperson ignored and a system sized too small for the home.
4.Failure Pattern 3: Roof Damage and LeaksTwo paragraphs and one link to other guides, opening “Rooftop solar is attached with dozens of lag bolts driven through your shingles or tile into the roof deck”.
5.Failure Pattern 4: The Orphaned WarrantyTwo paragraphs, opening “Your contract likely promised a ten-year or even twenty-five-year workmanship warranty from the installer”.
6.Failure Pattern 5: Paying for a System That Doesn't WorkTwo paragraphs and three links to other guides, naming the FTC Holder Rule, GoodLeap and Sunlight Financial.
7.Failure Pattern 6: Sales LiesThree paragraphs and four links to other guides, naming Florida Statute 163.086, Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and FDUTPA.
8.Your Installer Is Gone. These Parties Still Appear in the Paperwork.Two paragraphs, opening “Work through the list below in order”.
9.The Lender and the FTC Holder RuleFour paragraphs and one link to other guides, naming 16 C.F.R. § 433.2, FTC's Holder Rule and PACE.
10.Equipment Warranties That Survive: Magnuson-MossTwo paragraphs, naming the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act.
11.The Installer's Insurance and BondTwo paragraphs, opening “Florida contractors carry general liability insurance”.
12.The Florida Homeowners' Construction Recovery FundTwo paragraphs and a callout, naming the Homeowners' Construction Recovery Fund, PTO and $15,000.
13.Regulators, FDUTPA, and the CourtsThree paragraphs and one link to other guides, naming Small Claims Rule 7.010(b), the Florida Attorney General and the Recovery Fund.
14.If Your Financing Is PACE (Ygrene, HomeRun, Renew, FRED)Three paragraphs, a four-item list (Renew Financial payoff desk; Florida PACE Funding Agency /; ...) and three links to other guides, naming Florida Statute 163.081 and Statute 197.252.
15.Your First 30 Days, Step by StepTwo paragraphs, a five-item list (Gather every document; Take dated photos of everything; ...) and a six-item list, naming the Florida Attorney General, the Holder Rule and PACE.
16.Organizing the Records Before Any Next StepThree paragraphs, naming Statute 163.086, the Holder Rule and PACE.
17.What Realistic Outcomes Look LikeThree paragraphs, naming the Holder Rule, the Recovery Fund and $15,000.
18.Keep the System or Remove It? A Decision FrameworkTwo paragraphs, a four-item list (Remove when the roof needs; Remove when leaks trace back; ...) and three links to other guides, naming Sunnova and PACE.
19.What to Do This WeekAn eight-item list (Find your contract and loan; Take dated photos of; ...), naming GoodLeap, PACE and PTO.

Also on this page

five checklists (27 items in all)
20 links to other guides
one callout
an FAQ (2 questions)

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Frequently asked questions

My solar installer went bankrupt — am I stuck with the loan?

That's a question for a Florida attorney. In general: many consumer loans carry the FTC Holder Rule notice, equipment warranties run to the equipment owner, and Florida consumer-protection law still applies; whether any of it reaches a particular loan is a question for the attorney. Stopping payments can damage your credit, and whether to keep paying is a decision to make with a Florida attorney.

Where do I even start with a failed solar system?

Start with the file: document the system, roof, permits, and loan. Florida homeowners can file complaints with DBPR, the Florida AG, and the CFPB — and a Florida consumer-protection attorney can tell you which routes fit your facts. We handle the documentation and send you the same list of independent Florida attorneys every customer receives.

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