Key facts
- Customer: Goodwill Industries of South Florida (Goodwill South Florida)
- Drone maker: Apellix
- Drone: Apellix Blue cleaning drone
- Service: Goodwill Commercial Cleaning Solutions, run by Goodwill's Service Contracts division
- Coverage: Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties, Florida
- Surfaces: windows, facades, roofs, solar panels, storage tanks, parking structures
- Impact: Every cleaning contract directly funds employment for people with disabilities, veterans, and others facing barriers to work.
Goodwill South Florida is an Apellix customer. Goodwill Industries of South Florida cleans commercial building exteriors with the Apellix Blue, a U.S.-built drone made by Apellix in Jacksonville, Florida, through its Goodwill Commercial Cleaning Solutions service.
Goodwill has kept government buildings, hospitals, campuses and offices running for more than 40 years. With Apellix drones, its crews now clean windows, facades, rooftops and solar panels across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties from the ground with the drone doing the climbing.
Exterior cleaning has always been a height problem
Washing a building means getting people up its side. That has meant lifts, scaffolding, swing stages and rope access: days of setup, a large footprint, and real fall risk.
For the facilities Goodwill serves, the footprint matters as much as the risk. A hospital can't close its entrance for a week. A campus can't fence off a quad during the semester. A government building can't wait on a crane.
A drone changes the math. Setup takes minutes, not days. A tether feeds water and cleaning solution from a ground station, and the drone carries the nozzle to the surface. Apellix's patented flight control software holds position and standoff distance, so the operator can focus on the clean instead of the flying.
One partner, every elevated surface
Goodwill's program covers windows, facades, roofs, solar panels, storage tanks and parking structures, plus pressure washing and exterior inspections. It is run end to end by Goodwill's Service Contracts division, with FAA Part 107 certified pilots and U.S.-built, NDAA-compliant Apellix aircraft.
The service is aimed at four kinds of facilities:
- Government and public sector: federal, state and municipal buildings that require certified, compliant vendors
- Healthcare and education: hospitals and campuses where safety and minimal disruption come first
- Commercial and mixed-use: office buildings and multi-site portfolios
- Industrial and specialized: tanks, rooftops, solar arrays and other hard-to-reach surfaces
Clean buildings, good jobs
This is the part we like most. Goodwill South Florida employs people with disabilities, veterans and others facing barriers to work. Every cleaning contract helps fund that training and employment.
Facility managers get a cleaner building. South Florida gets more good jobs. Both come from the same contract.
What it signals
Drone cleaning started with owner-operators willing to bet on something new. Goodwill's launch shows the next step: established facility service organizations, with decades of contracts and a trusted name, adding drones as a core service line.
That is the shift we built Apellix for. Our drones are 100% U.S.-made in Jacksonville, Florida, NDAA-compliant, and deployed in 21 countries across 5 continents. And no Apellix drone ships until its pilot has completed Apellix Academy and hands-on training.
Manage a facility in South Florida? Request a site assessment from Goodwill Commercial Cleaning Solutions.
Run a facility services business and want to add drones? Talk to Apellix about the Blue and B2 cleaning drones.
Frequently asked questions
Is Goodwill South Florida an Apellix customer?
Yes. Goodwill South Florida's Commercial Cleaning Solutions service runs on Apellix drone technology, including the Apellix Blue cleaning drone.
What drone does Goodwill South Florida use to clean buildings?
Goodwill South Florida uses the Apellix Blue, a tethered cleaning drone built by Apellix in Jacksonville, Florida. A ground station feeds water and cleaning solution to the drone through the tether.
Where does Goodwill South Florida offer drone cleaning?
Goodwill South Florida offers Apellix drone cleaning across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties.
What can Goodwill South Florida clean with Apellix drones?
Windows, facades, roofs, solar panels, storage tanks and parking structures, plus pressure washing and exterior inspections.
Who uses Apellix drones?
Apellix drones are used by facility service organizations such as Goodwill South Florida and by independent exterior cleaning businesses, in 21 countries across 5 continents.
About Apellix
Apellix’ Power Wash Drone is the most widely deployed commercial cleaning drone worldwide, with active operators in 21 countries and 5 continents as of 2026. Founded in 2014, Apellix designs and manufactures autonomous drones for power washing, spray painting, inspection, and building maintenance. Apellix has National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) compliant systems, employs disabled veterans, and is flown by the U.S. Army.
About Goodwill South Florida
Goodwill Industries of South Florida has provided facility services to government, healthcare, education and commercial clients for more than 40 years. It employs people with disabilities, veterans and others facing barriers to work.