Save the Treehouse! @Shawneesparadise

notableartwork (50)in #nature • 7 years ago (edited)

Hi everyone! I am here to introduce Shawnee and her Treehouse to Steemit

Shawnee-

I'm the purple-haired Grandma living in a tree house, fighting to save my home!

I have been living in tree houses since August of 1992. I remember Hurricane Andrew's direct hit days after the completion of my very first treehouse. It was the only structure left standing in the yard, after Hurricane Andrew left and one of the last trees standing as well. It was a long and sad evening, watching the damage as Andrew went wiping through. Trees were falling and so were our tears, but my treehouse was left without a scratch.

My battle with Code Enforcement was never meant to be a "battle". Since the very first visit, I have complied as much as possible; in hopes to show them that I want to work with them, not against them. Every visit from Code Enforcement and the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources, has been scary for me. They both add about 5 new fines, each time they visit my property. They are claiming violation after violation, for existing structures prior to my owning the property, that may have even been here since 1948! Now they are saying, my Tree House has to come down!

Up until this point, I have $34,000 worth of fines and lawyer fees. As I fight the legitimacy of these violations, as they are very ambiguous and may not all be my responsibility. Never the less, they are there and need to be addressed and possibly paid, as I attempt to rebuild my home. According to these companies, I have 120 days until Demolition and it will take up to $100,000, to be in complete compliance/up to code.

My home provides a teaching on how to live copacetically with Nature and is a space of healing for myself and the people in my community. I am proud of the native plants and trees around me, as they produce more oxygen, then most properties in the area. My lifestyle poses no threat to myself or others around me, only enhancement, beauty, and simplicity. I live simply, so that others may simply live. -Shawnee

Thank you to everyone who has supported our movement! ♥️