'A family': Daytona Beach senior facing eviction desperate to find home for 100 pets
DAYTONA BEACH — At the entrance to the now-closed Compassion In Healthcare assisted-living center on Beville Road, owner Shoshannah Tempest is part of a modest welcoming committee that includes a pair of black cats, Mustacha and her brother Camelot.
“They’re a family,” said Tempest, 72, scratching the purring Mustacha on the forehead.
For Tempest, that family connection extends to each of the nearly 100 animals that now are the only residents in the 28-bed facility that served for decades as a pet-friendly assisted living option for seniors.
That all changed roughly two years ago when pandemic lockdowns followed by damages from tropical storms Ian and Nicole forced the company into bankruptcy this past fall.
Now, Tempest, her business partner Mike Lawler and their menagerie of animals are desperately facing a Tuesday deadline to find new homes after the property’s recent sale in foreclosure.
It’s a roster of pets that biblical ark-builder Noah might admire: 75 cats, 15 birds, four dogs, a chinchilla and a 250-pound tortoise named Jumanji hidden from the sun in the overgrown grass in the backyard.
Some are rescues, some were left behind by former human tenants.
'We've sacrificed everything we have'
Ideally, Tempest would like to find a way to keep everyone together, but she’s also reluctantly considering the option of adoptive homes. Either way, time is running out.
“The thing is they (the animals) are very special to us,” Tempest said. “It’s a really difficult time for us. We’ve sacrificed everything we have to keep the animals going.”
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There haven’t been any two-legged residents at Compassion in Healthcare for roughly two years, after all the senior residents relocated to other area care centers, Tempest said.
Compassion In Healthcare hasn’t accepted any new admissions since COVID, with Tempest and Lawler shifting their focus to operating an animal rescue, she said.
“For 23 months we couldn’t take admissions,” she said of the assisted-living business. “We just couldn’t survive it. A lot of places couldn’t.”
In June, the 9,000 square foot building at 700 Beville Road and two adjoining properties just east of the entrance to the Fairway Estates subdivision were sold in foreclosure to Miami-based UV Group Properties LLC, according to Volusia County Property Appraiser records.
Ideally, Tempest wants to find another building to relocate the remaining animals and relaunch as an animal rescue.
“We’re just hoping there are some people who might like a little lease money for something they aren’t using,” she said, “maybe someone has a place where we could take them even for a while, where we could work, even for free.
“We may be elderly, but we are hard workers. We’ve worked 24/7 for 30 years. We’re not unable to work.”
Tempest has received support from Poodle and Pooch Rescue in DeLand, where the nonprofit organization’s president Rebecca Lynch has helped spread the word in the community, contacted other area rescue organizations and offered to provide spay and neuter services to the cats.
“We are trying to get the word out about her situation,” Lynch said by email, “and offer help to a senior Floridian and these precious rescued animals that are in this dire situation.”
'With the gift of faith,' owner is at peace
On a tour of the building, where electric fans bolster an air-conditioning system that isn’t working at full strength, Tempest greets dozens of cats and birds by name in half a dozen different rooms.
An orange feline named Baby Cat lounges atop a cage where Judy, a lone love bird, is perched on a swing. In another room, there are more exotic birds, including Captain, a 24-year-old blue-and-yellow macaw with an 80-word vocabulary and a gift for mimicking cats, dogs and human voices.
“He should have his own show,” Tempest said.
Those interested in offering either a new building for Tempest to continue to care for the animals or in potential adoption can call or text her directly at 386-295-1798 or email her at shoshannahtempest1@gmail.com.
Tempest knows that she’s facing a formidable challenge, but it’s not reflected in her calm demeanor.
“That’s faith,” she said. “It comes from God. With the gift of faith, we just have some sort of peace that’s been given to us, that drops down to you. You just know you’re going to be all right.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona Beach senior and her pet menagerie fight to stay together
