VENCIE, Fla. — Signing a contract can leave consumers wondering if they understood everything in the fine print. Now, a Florida lawmaker has a plan to help protect elderly and vulnerable adults from being misled by requiring part of the contract process to be videotaped.
Barbara Kopp said she never planned on installing solar panels at her house until a door-to-door salesman with Sunnova knocked on her door.
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"The system doesn't work. Why should I be paying for it?" Kopp said.
Tampa Bay 28 spoke to 84-year-old Kopp last year after she admitted she had questions about the contract she signed.
"I find it very confusing," Kopp said.
The contract was pages long and spelled out how Kopp would pay more than $47,000 over 25 years, but Kopp claimed the salesman gave her less than 24 hours to read it over.
"He told me here is the paperwork that was at dinner time I finally got the paperwork I'll be here in the morning, well how do have enough time to read the whole contract and I believed what he told me before," Kopp said.
When asked how she made the decision to put in a solar system, Kopp answered, "Well, I thought it would save money."
Instead, Kopp said she found herself paying double because the panels didn’t work for several months, and her electric bills didn’t drop.
"As soon as I got my electric bill I knew that wasn't right," Kopp said.
Tampa Bay 28 reached out to Sunnova, the company chose not to talk on camera but sent a timeline showing all the dates Kopp's system wasn't working. Shortly after that phone call, a spokesperson said Kopp's panels were fixed, and she'd get a $300 credit.
"I tried to cancel in the very beginning but they told me I couldn't," Kopp said.
Now, a Florida lawmaker wants to make sure vulnerable adults understand what they’re signing up for.
Senator Ileana Garcia (R-Miami-Dade County) proposed a bill entitled the "Elderly and Disabled Adult Contract Protection Act." If passed, the bill would require videotaping contract reviews and signings with elderly and disabled adults. That video would have to be saved for 5 years in case a consumer felt misled.
Attorney Charles Gallagher III specializes in consumer and contract disputes.
"Out of the blue I thought what a great idea, so many agreements are signed under cover of dark," Gallagher said.
When asked how often he has clients come in saying they didn't understand the terms of a contract, Gallagher said, "Multiple times a week and the law in Florida doesn't really help folks in that context. The law in Florida presumes if you signed the contract you understand it."
Gallagher does have some questions, starting with what the bill spells out as a contract. It would require a video review for "any agreement that affects an individual's legal rights or property."
"In theory every interaction between folks and contract parlance could be required to be recorded, lawn guy, pest control, you're buying a washer at the store these are all written contracts. Do these all require a video?" Gallagher questioned.
When asked if this would change things for his law practice, Gallagher responded, "It would."
"It would slow down the practice of law firms, of real estate agencies, of insurance companies. It would slow down a lot of business in the state of Florida," Gallagher said.
Then there's also the question of what's defined as elderly. By the bill's standards, that's anyone 60 or older.
"It's going to be an impediment if it's not reworked properly. Yes, there are places where this will be very helpful and prevent some elder abuse and some targeting of folks who are very vulnerable," Gallagher added.
Since there's no video which shows what Kopp was told, she has no evidence to back up what she said happened, leaving her with regrets.
"I'd just like to get out of this contract," Kopp said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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