PENSACOLA, Fla. -- Pensacola contractor Matthew Banks, owner of Banks Construction, will no longer be allowed to do work in Santa Rosa County.
His license was revoked Wednesday afternoon after a single case was heard. He had been accused of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in deposits from former clients in two counties. He is now also under investigation by the state.
The Santa Rosa Board cited several reasons why Banks has been banned from doing work in the county including fraud and deceit, abandonment of a construction project, and financial mismanagement violating Florida state building laws.
The Santa Rosa County Contractor Competency Board has barred Banks from doing any future work in the county.
"I think justice was served. I think Mr. Banks got what was coming to him," Pete Southerland, Santa Rosa County Contractor Competency Board member, said.
A final hearing of just one of several cases coming into Santa Rosa County about Banks was acted on. Kirk and Jennifer Anderson say they gave Banks $40,000 to remodel their kitchen. Eighteen months later, the job was never started.
The Anderson's were awarded $34,000 in restitution, but believe they'll never see it.
"In March of this year, I reached out to many victims and realized how many there were," Jennifer Anderson said. "It's been all consuming."
Banks is facing dozens of similar complaints filed with the Escambia County Contractor Competency Board claiming he took clients' money without finishing, or in some cases, not even starting the jobs.
Banks has been ordered by the board to pay two homeowners over $74,000 in restitution by the end of the day Wednesday or his license will be revoked in Escambia County.
Banks addressed the Escambia County Contractors Competency Board on June 1 about the complaints filed against him.
"I can easily walk away, claim bankruptcy, deal with criminal procedure and tuck my tail and run," he said that day. "But I'm not doing that."
Tuesday he filed for bankruptcy in federal court, naming creditors that include some of his alleged victims.
Those alleged victims continue to come forward.
Wednesday in Santa Rosa County, Tim Trowwbridge addressed the board. His family has been living in a camper for over a year. He says he gave Banks $90,000 to remodel his home after Hurricane Sally, but the job was never finished.
"Today was my 14-year-old daughter's first day going to high school," Trowwbridge said. "For the past year, she's been getting dressed in the back of the camper."
According to Escambia County officials, Banks is under investigation by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
- CHANNEL 3: "If Matthew Banks was right in front of you what would you say to him?"
- JENNIFER ANDERSON: "I would say he owes a large number of people a very sincere apology and a plan to pay them back."