Two brothers-in-law are in trouble, and their problems may extend beyond their construction companies.
Matthew Banks of Banks Construction had his contractor’s license revoked in Santa Rosa County yesterday. Santa Rosa Contractor Compentency Board also
- ordered Banks to pay $34,683 in restitution to Jennifer Anderson of Gulf Breeze for uncompleted work on her home.
The PNJ reported that more than 100 area residents throughout Escambia and Santa Rosa counties came forward on social media with allegations against Banks Construction. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service is investigating the company.
Banks’ brother-in-law Jesse LaCoste, owner of LaCoste Construction, has had similar complaints about taking people’s money and not completing the work. LaCoste has ties to ECUA board member Kevin Stephens and homebuilder Blaine Flynn.
This morning, Escambia County revoked the licenses of Banks and LaCoste. The Escambia Contractor Competency Board ordered Banks to pay $74,000 in restitution to two homeowners. LaCoste must pay $90,000 in restitution to a homeowner.
I spoke with Taylor Hozey this morning. She and her husband went to high school with Jesse LaCoste. The home that they had bought four months before Hurricane Sally was badly damaged by the hurricane in September 2020.
LaCoste told them he would do the repair if they endorsed the insurance claim over to his company. The insurance company paid him $93,409. Lacoste Construction gutted the house and then stopped working on it. The couple and their two children have been in living in a two-bedroom apartment waiting for the company to finish the job.
At one point, LaCoste told the couple that he had run out of insurance money and was fighting with the insurer to get more money to complete the work. Another time, he told them that he had to special order the trusses for the new roof. The house still doesn’t have a roof. LaCoste has stopped all communications.
According to the Florida Secretary of State, LaCoste amended his corporate filing in April 2022 to remove Genesis Properties & Development as a manager. LaCoste Amended Report.
The managers of ECUA board member Kevin Stephens and homebuilder Blaine Flynn. Genesis Properties.
If you want to share your experiences with Banks and LaCoste, please email me at rick@inweekly.net.
Note: I mistakenly reported that Genesis was added as a manager in the amended filing. Actually, the amendment removed Geneses as a manager, which means Stephens and Flynn were involved with LaCoste Construction when jobs weren’t being done but huge deposits were pocketed. Articles_LaCoste