In July we sat down and pulled the license record for every electrical contractor we work with, so the numbers on our paperwork would be correct. One of those numbers we also ran through a contractor rating site. The site handed back two records. One was a construction company. The other was a man's name with no connection to our contractor. The state's own database shows neither of them against that number.
That kind of site is one search away when a stranger knocks with a clipboard and a story about a program in the neighborhood. It is not where the answer lives.
Our end of it
Ape Solar has never bought a lead. Orders here come off Facebook, off Marketplace, and off people telling their neighbors. 89 customers bought from us more than once last year. That is the whole engine, which is why nobody here has to talk you into anything on a Tuesday evening.
What we cannot tell you is where the man on your porch came from. He might work for the company on his shirt. He might not. The shirt is not evidence, and neither is the clipboard.
You do have a way to check one thing.
The license
Every contractor we work with holds a Florida certified electrical contractor license, and every one of those is a record you can pull up yourself. We checked all three against the state on 2026-07-23 rather than taking anybody's word for it, which is why the contractor's license number gets printed on our quotes. Our primary partner, Advanced Wire Pros, holds EC13005911, and the qualifier on it is Eric Dallas Collins, which is how the state lists him. They carry a second license as well, RB 29003804, as a residential building contractor.
Look the number up at the state's own license database. Not at a contractor rating site, and not through the link in his brochure. The rating site is where one real license number came back attached to two records the state does not show.
Four questions at the door
Whose name is on the license? The qualifier is the licensed individual legally responsible for the work under that license. The person who owns the company and signs your contract can be somebody else. We work with one contractor set up that way, one man qualifying the license and another signing for the company, and there is nothing wrong with it. You just want to know which is which, so ask for both names.
When does it expire? Florida certified electrical licenses renew every two years, on August 31 of even-numbered years. Two of the three we work with come up on 2026-08-31, and our rule is simple: both renewals get confirmed before any job is contracted or permitted past that date.
Who is the contractor of record? Sometimes the company selling the system and the company doing the electrical work are two separate businesses. Ours are, on purpose. Ape Solar designs the system, buys the gear and runs the job. A state-licensed electrical contractor does the electrical work and carries the license and the liability for it. Ask which company is which on your job, and get the license number of the one doing the wiring.
Can I have that in writing? Ask before you sign anything. If the answer is anything other than yes, you have your answer.
One more thing, about us
The footer of our website carries the Made By Apes license #00517-1-03155. That is a Bored Ape brand license. It is not a contractor license, and we will never let it sit anywhere it could be mistaken for one. A license that sounds official and covers something else is the whole trick this post is about.
You should not have to be an expert to hire one. You need a number, a state website, and four questions.
Ask for the license number. Look it up yourself. Ask who the qualifier is. Ask who the contractor of record is. Get it in writing.
And if you would rather skip the porch conversation altogether, let the builder at apesolar.com/build pick your parts instead.
Ready for Anything.