She’s lived in a tree house in Florida for the past 25 years, but now Shawnee Chasser is being told she has to move out and take it down.
Chasser, a 65-year-old grandmother, moved into the house on land that once belonged to her late son, Joshua Braden Levy, in Miami. He died of a heart attack in 2009, and Chasser believes that living among the trees that he loved honours his memory, according to The Washington Post.
After the birth of her first daughter, Chasser became claustrophobic, unable to live enclosed among four walls. First, she tried moving into a teepee, but it became overrun with mosquitoes.
Then it dawned on her: the self-proclaimed “tree hugger” would live in a tree house. Her brother helped her build the first in 1992. She moved into her current home, dubbed “Shawnee’s Paradise” (it even has a Facebook page) 10 years ago.
WATCH: Shawnee Chasser’s treehouse
Of course, this is more than your typical tree house. It has a stove, camper oven, and a refrigerator. But those amenities are part of the problem.
County officials say they are concerned about her safety. The electricity violates local building codes. As well, they say Chasser has never applied for a permit for the home.
Chasser used to list part of her property on Airbnb and she believes it may have been a disgruntled former tenant who reported her to the county about a year ago.
“I’ve literally been crying for a year, and I haven’t slept nights. It’s been really horrible,” Chasser told the Post.
So far she’s paid $3,000 in fines and could face an additional $7,000.
Ricardo Roig, Miami-Dade’s code enforcement division director, told the Herald that south Florida has strict building codes, mostly because they face hurricanes each year. He said that if the building was up to code, he’d be happy to allow Chasser to live there. However, after inspectors went out to the property, they discovered that the home simply can’t be brought up to code.
But Chasser refuses to give up the fight. She’s looking for a lawyer and has started a GoFundMe campaign.
“I’m not taking down anything,” Chasser told the Miami Herald. “I’ll chain myself to that tree house.”