Jacksonville Homeowner Stuck With $63,000 in Solar Panels That Don't Work After Installer Vanishes

A Jacksonville homeowner is still making monthly payments on a $63,000 solar installation that has never worked after the company that installed it disappeared, according to reporting by News4Jax.

Jackie May signed a contract with MC Solar, a Tampa-based installer, in August 2023 after a salesman came to her front door. Once the panels were installed, the system ran into problems, failed multiple inspections, and May ultimately lost contact with the company. MC Solar's phone lines were disconnected, its website went offline, and its physical office was vacant by the time she tried to reach them for repairs.

"I'm paying twice as much," May told News4Jax. "I'm paying JEA and I'm paying for solar panels that don't work."

May's experience is not isolated. The Florida Attorney General's Office confirmed that it had received 228 complaints against MC Solar and opened an active investigation. The company, which holds an F rating with the Better Business Bureau, was later accused by state investigators of abandoning contracts, damaging homes, forging permit applications, and placing liens on customers' properties. A separate AG announcement noted that statewide complaints about solar installers had risen roughly 700 percent since 2019.

Consumer protection experts warn that door-to-door solar sales are a recurring vector for fraud. Red flags include high-pressure tactics, rushed contract signings, and promises of immediate savings that depend on permits and utility interconnections that haven't been approved yet. Homeowners are urged to verify licensing, check BBB ratings, read financing terms carefully, and get competing bids before signing.

For Jacksonville residents already caught in the MC Solar situation, local installers and the Florida Attorney General's Office have pointed affected homeowners toward complaint channels and, in some cases, offered to evaluate abandoned systems. Formal complaints can be filed with the Florida Attorney General's Consumer Protection division.