{"id":2021,"date":"2020-07-19T08:52:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-19T12:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/?p=2021"},"modified":"2020-07-23T08:53:54","modified_gmt":"2020-07-23T12:53:54","slug":"grandma-living-in-treehouse-got-kicked-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/grandma-living-in-treehouse-got-kicked-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Grandma Living in Treehouse Got Kicked Out"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>If I told you that my lifelong dream is to live in a treehouse, you\u2019d probably think one of three things about me: I\u2019m a little crazy, I\u2019m ten years old with an overactive imagination, or I\u2019m a Keebler elf hiding away from the rest of the world while I bake cookies all day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And you\u2019d be right! Well, at least about one of them. I\u2019ll let you decide which.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It takes a special kind of soul to live your life in a treehouse \u2014 just you and the Florida elements. The kind of soul that Shawnee Chasser possesses which can only be found in <a href=\"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/property_search\/Miami-Dade-County\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Miami-Dade County<\/a> of course!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">In this Article:<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/grandma-living-in-treehouse-got-kicked-out\/#The_Woman_Who_Lived_in_a_Tree\" >The Woman Who Lived in a Tree<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/grandma-living-in-treehouse-got-kicked-out\/#Is_It_Illegal_to_Live_in_a_Tree_House_in_Florida\" >Is It Illegal to Live in a Tree House in Florida?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/grandma-living-in-treehouse-got-kicked-out\/#If_Youre_Dying_to_Know_What_Happens_Next_I_Have_Bad_News\" >If You\u2019re Dying to Know What Happens Next, I Have Bad News<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/grandma-living-in-treehouse-got-kicked-out\/#Where_Does_the_Trail_Lead\" >Where Does the Trail Lead?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Woman_Who_Lived_in_a_Tree\"><\/span>The Woman Who Lived in a Tree<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure><figcaption>One of many stories on the Grandmother Living in Tree House<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When this story hit the internet in 2016, Chasser was a 65-year-old grandmother with blue hair who had been living in a treehouse on her deceased son\u2019s Miami-Dade County lot for the past ten (some reports say 25) years. To help ends meet, she sold her own brand of organic popcorn at Whole Foods call <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenthumbpopcorn.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Green Thumb Popcorn<\/a>, and rented out the main house and accompanying grounds to weary travelers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you ever built a treehouse as a kid (or are a fellow Keebler elf!), then you probably think you know what this home looked like. Chances are you\u2019re wrong!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chasser\u2019s open-air chateau was not without basic amenities; electricity and running water provided her with everything she needed to live happily outdoors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Everything, that is, except the proper building permits and a structure built to safety codes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The county instructed her to tear down the treehouse. When she refused, she was issued $3,000 worth of fines and threatened with more than $7,000 worth in additional <a href=\"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/how-liens-work-how-to-profit-with-them\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">liens<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Was all of this because someone called 311 to complain about a treehouse? Well, in addition to the aerial abode, the call included the complaint that Chasser was running the property like an apartment complex and campground in the middle of a single-family neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you can expect, Chasser was surprised by the whole thing. It\u2019s not like she was hiding anything from the county. Her <a href=\"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/property_search\/Miami-Dade-County-Miami-FL\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Miami<\/a> treehouse had always been treated like a landmark and was included in official marketing material from the county\u2019s tourism bureau. It was featured on tiny home websites and shows such as<em> <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/tiny-house-market-florida\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"What the Tiny House Market in Southwest FL is All About\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"132735\">Tiny House<\/a> Giant Journey<\/em>. It even survived Hurricane Andrew, which is no small feat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_It_Illegal_to_Live_in_a_Tree_House_in_Florida\"><\/span>Is It Illegal to Live in a Tree House in Florida?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure><figcaption>Tiny House Giant Journey on the Treehouse<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Not at all! Anyone, even you, can choose to live with a front-row view of Florida\u2019s nature \u2014 and no glass window separating you from the mosquitos. The problem wasn\u2019t that the house was in a tree. It all came down to how the structure got there in the first place, and whether it was deemed safe by an inspector. Hint: It wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ricardo Roig, Miami-Dade\u2019s code enforcement division director and a 26-year county employee at the time, had this to say about the treehouse:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The county\u2019s issue with Chasser\u2019s abode isn&#8217;t specifically that she lives there, but that it\u2019s unsafe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Roig said South Florida has strict rules about building code due to the frequency of hurricanes. Additionally, running water and electricity must be installed with permits and inspections. He said Chasser is welcome to live in a legal treehouse, but code and unsafe-structure inspectors looked at the cottage and found it was constructed in a way that couldn\u2019t be brought up to county standards. The county\u2019s unsafe structures board agreed and gave her three months to tear the treehouse down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"If_Youre_Dying_to_Know_What_Happens_Next_I_Have_Bad_News\"><\/span>If You\u2019re Dying to Know What Happens Next, I Have Bad News<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>At this point, the story starts to get a little fuzzy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chasser hired a lawyer to fight the county\u2019s teardown notice, and the legal back and forth lasted for another year or more. During that time a GoFundMe account was created, titled \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/save-shawnee-s-tree-house\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Save Shawnees&#8217;s Treehome<\/a>.\u201d Despite the fact that her story had been carried in major national news outlets, Chasser\u2019s failed fundraising effort was terminated after raising only $240.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Local news station 10 WPLG posted the story on YouTube in 2018 (see video below) and ended their coverage by vowing to stay on top of the story as it developed, although it felt like the story was actually filmed prior to 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure><figcaption>Tiny House Giant Journey on the Treehouse<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Where_Does_the_Trail_Lead\"><\/span>Where Does the Trail Lead?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You know I find a story interesting when I tell you that I read the first four pages of Google results looking for a definitive outcome. That\u2019s Google\u2019s top 40 results, each pointing to the original 2016 story without so much as a simple follow up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve scoured Shawnee Chasser\u2019s social media accounts for any mention of the treehouse or recent activity. Other than a couple of Facebook pictures from September 2017 that appear to show a tree lying on the ground, I\u2019ve been unable to locate anything new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Engulfed in burning curiosity, I reached out directly to Shawnee Chasser and the WPLG reporter who covered the story, looking for an update of any sort. I\u2019m still waiting. Was there a legal settlement that prohibits Chasser from commenting publicly about the incident? Maybe. We may never know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But we do know that the address for Green Thumb Popcorn is not the same address that was listed for the treehouse, and their packaging was updated. Chasser had once stated that she couldn\u2019t move from the treehouse because her popcorn packaging is branded as coming from someone living in a tree, and she didn\u2019t want to falsely advertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It sure seems like Shawnee Chasser\u2019s dream home in the trees finally met with a county employee\u2019s axe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To all of the free spirits out there who would rather sleep under the stars than within the safe confines of four walls, I envy you. Keep doing what makes you happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just, please, make sure you have a legal building permit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If I told you that my lifelong dream is to live in a treehouse, you\u2019d probably think one of three things about me: I\u2019m a little crazy, I\u2019m ten years old with an overactive imagination,&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":2023,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[185],"tags":[134,11,237,23,74,20,48],"class_list":["post-2021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-article","tag-eviction","tag-foreclosure","tag-liens","tag-miami-dade","tag-news","tag-south-florida","tag-tiny-house"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2021"}],"version-history":[{"count":64,"href":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2021\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12240,"href":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2021\/revisions\/12240"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2023"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertyonion.com\/education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}