Man charged with unlicensed contracting after Hurricane Michael. Now he's been sentenced.

PANAMA CITY — A central Florida man who took advantage of a local homeowner following Hurricane Michael has been sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay restitution.

According to a press release from the State Attorney's Office of the 14th Judicial Circuit, 43-year-old Jack Yandle of central Florida was found guilty on March 5 of performing local repairs after the Category 5 storm of October 2018 while falsely claiming to be a licensed contractor.

Yandle was ordered to serve five years of probation and pay more than $42,470 in restitution to the victim.

"When people come into our community and take advantage of our residents by performing work without a license, we are going to hold them accountable," prosecutor Morgan McAfee said in the release. "We take contracting without a license seriously, particularly in the wake of Hurricane Michael."

The release notes that after Yandle made the false claims, he was hired by a Callaway resident to repair a roof, as well as replace doors and windows. These all require a legitimate contractor's license.

The Callaway resident who was taken advantage of later contracted the Bay County Sheriff's Office, notifying law enforcement officials that Yandle not only improperly performed some work, but that he left before the job was complete.

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State Attorney Larry Basford said in the release that "the case is a reminder that anyone hiring someone to do work that requires a contractor's license should verify they hold a license."

Such licenses can be verified by visiting the Department of Business and Professional Regulation's website at www.myfloridalicense.com.

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Central Florida man punished for unlicensed contracting