65-year-old grandmother Shawnee Chasser refers to herself as a “tree hugger.” And she means that quite literally because she’s not planning on coming down from her treehouse residence anytime soon. The Florida native once lived in her late son’s home (on land) when he passed away from a heart attack in 2009. Global News and The Washington Post report that the distraught mother felt that living in the trees—which her son loved—would honour his memory. Always drawn to the idea of living among the treetops as a way to escape her claustrophobia, her brother helped build her first treehouse in 1992. Then, 10 years ago she relocated to her new home called “Shawnee’s Paradise” in Biscayne Gardens in North Miami, Florida, where she’s been living for the last 25 years. The famous treehouse even has its own Facebook page — oh, and an office, kitchen, bedroom, stove, and carrot juicer. She even rents it out on Airbnb. That’s one advanced treehouse!
Everything might have worked out fine except for the fact that Miami-Dade County never gave permission for her high-in-the-sky home. She not only risks losing the treehouse and the land it’s on, but she’s been fined $3,000 and possibly an additional $7,000 and she’s also been given a list of renovations she must appease to bring the structure up to code.
We wish Shawnee lots of luck in keeping her amazing home. (We hope it works out so that we can rent it out ourselves for the perfect nature getaway!).
Photo courtesy of Shawnee Chasser
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