The University of Central Florida has laid off 57 employees at the Florida Solar Energy Center, leaving seven remaining employees at the facility in Cocoa. The staffing reductions coincide with the Trump administration's ongoing efforts to strip back renewable energy programs previously enacted by the Biden administration.
The state legislature designated FSEC the state's energy research institute in 1975. This year is the center's 50th anniversary. A celebratory open house event originally scheduled for last month was later canceled due to "unforeseen circumstances," according to FSEC's website.
"After a thorough review, UCF has made the difficult but necessary decision to reduce staffing at the Florida Solar Energy Center to ensure responsible stewardship of university and state resources," reads a written statement from the university. "FSEC has contributed valuable energy research and outreach for 50 years, but with shifting federal priorities and external funding for traditional energy programs declining sharply, FSEC was no longer financially sustainable in its current form."
According to UCF: "In recent years, FSEC has experienced a decline in external funding, limiting its ability to sustain core research activities. This challenge was further compounded by recent shifts in federal funding priorities in energy research, including reductions and cancellations of key programs that historically supported the center's research activities."
UCF didn't immediately provide details on which key program reductions and cancellations, specifically, factored into the decision to lay off most of FSEC's staff.
Since President Donald Trump began his second presidential term earlier this year, his administration has been working to reduce or eliminate investments in clean energy programs. A slew of federal tax incentives are sunsetting under a tax-spending package enacted earlier this year, including one type of residential credit that pays back homeowners 30% of the cost of installing new solar panels, or other designated clean energy equipment. That credit expires Dec. 31.
RELATED: Judge orders Trump administration to resume distributing money for EV chargers
Heaven Campbell leads Florida's chapter of Solar United Neighbors or SUN, a national nonprofit helping people, groups and local governments to use solar energy efficiently. SUN's Florida chapter has worked closely with FSEC over the years, including on workforce development programs for young people, Campbell said.
Speaking of the recent layoffs at FSEC, Campbell called them "a huge loss for our state."
"We're devastated. … This is brain drain," Campbell said. "This is something that has such long-term ripple effects. This is just such an institution here, and it's been around for so long, and it's like, how do you rebuild that?"
FSEC helped develop the Florida Solar Energy Apprenticeship Program, which provides a pathway to certification as a state-licensed solar contractor. The program is registered with the U.S. Department of Labor.
"It's the first DOL-approved solar apprenticeship in the nation," Campbell said. "That program itself is just extremely amazing, and indicative of the type of things that come out of FSEC."
Despite big changes and challenges facing the industry, Campbell said solar energy is here to stay in Florida.
"Solar is an established industry in Florida, and resilient, and inherently has worth in how economically feasible it is and accessible it is," Campbell said. "And it's gonna continue to work for Floridians while rates rise."
Copyright 2025 Central Florida Public Media