Escambia County panel revokes M and H Construction license after owner fails to satisfy judgment

The Escambia County Contractor Competency Board voted to revoke the local contractor license of M and H Construction Services LLC on Tuesday after the board determined the company failed to comply with a prior final order and an outstanding civil judgment.

The board’s action followed a multihour disciplinary hearing in which the complainant, Ling Yang Lee, described unpaid bills and said she had lost her restaurant and other assets after the contractor did not complete work or pay required restitution. "I lose my restaurant. I lose my wife. I lose my case," Lee said during public remarks to the board.

Why it matters: The board said the case involved both the county’s consumer-protection mandate and license-holder discipline. Members said the scale of unpaid restitution and repeated noncompliance with a prior settlement and final order created a public-safety and consumer-protection concern that required license revocation rather than a lesser penalty.

What the board heard and decided

Ryan Hatler, attorney for the licensee M and H Construction, asked the board to continue the matter for 30 days so the parties could finish negotiating a confidential settlement. Hatler told the board he had…