Lightning and solar panels in Florida

Very. According to the Insurance Information Institute, Florida led the nation in lightning-related homeowners insurance claims in 2025, with payouts of about $186 million and an average claim near $36,000. Lightning season in Florida peaks from June through August, with July the busiest month, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne.

No. A lightning researcher at UNC Charlotte told a 2024 news fact-check that solar panels aren't struck more often than the roof they sit on. The bigger risk is a surge from a nearby strike traveling through wiring. Enphase notes that the surge protection built into its microinverters can be overwhelmed and recommends adding surge protection devices.

• Grounding and bonding. The National Electrical Code requires panel frames and racking to be bonded and grounded, which your installer and inspector check.
• A whole-home surge protector. Under the 2020 National Electrical Code that Florida uses, new or replaced home electrical services must include a Type 1 or Type 2 surge protective device. Ask your installer whether your panel has one, and whether a surge device at the inverter makes sense.
• Monitoring. After a storm, check your monitoring app; a sudden drop in output can point to damage.

FPL Home sells SurgeShield, a meter-based surge protector for appliances, for about $11.95 a month; check its current price and terms, and confirm with FPL whether it fits your net meter.

By most measures, yes. Vaisala Xweather's 2025 report ranked Florida first in the nation for lightning density, at 305 lightning events per square mile, ahead of Oklahoma, and named Seminole County the top county in the country. A competing network that counts only cloud-to-ground flashes put Oklahoma barely ahead, 73 flashes per square mile to Florida's 72.9, which is why some 2026 headlines said Florida lost its title.

Florida also had four of the nation's at least 21 lightning deaths in 2025, the most of any state, and 97 since 2006, far more than second-place Texas, according to National Weather Service figures reported by WGCU.

The National Electrical Code requires exposed metal on panels, racking and enclosures to be connected to the system's equipment grounding conductor (NEC 690.43), and any clips or devices that bond panel frames to racking must be listed for that job. A building with a solar system must also have a grounding electrode system (NEC 690.47). The inspector checks this before the system is approved.

Florida's 9th edition building code, scheduled to take effect December 31, 2026, moves to the 2023 National Electrical Code; which edition applies depends on when the permit is filed. See Florida's 2026 building code and solar.

Policy wording matters. Standard homeowners forms treat lightning as its own covered peril, while damage from other power surges can fall under narrower wording that limits coverage for electronic parts. If a storm caused the damage, tell your insurer it was lightning, and keep the date, photos and your monitoring data showing when production stopped.

Equipment warranties usually don't. Tesla's Powerwall warranty excludes force majeure events such as lightning, and SolarEdge's warranty excludes damage from lightning and surges. Homeowners insurance generally does: lightning is a covered peril on standard policies, and rooftop panels are typically covered as part of the dwelling. Confirm with your insurer and keep your system documents. See solar and home insurance in Florida.

Stay off the roof, check your monitoring app and inverter for error lights, and call your installer if production drops or anything looks damaged. If a fire or burning smell follows a strike, call 911. See how long solar panels last in Florida and can solar panels survive a hurricane.