DCF report reveals Department’s response to conditions inside unlicensed assisted living facilities
DCF reports raise questions after arrests in unlicensed care home case
Newly obtained Florida Department of Children and Families records are raising questions about why unlicensed care homes in Osceola County remained open despite repeated allegations of abuse and neglect before their owners were arrested.
ORLANDO, Fla. - After a visit from sheriff's deputies and healthcare professionals, five residents at unlicensed assisted living homes – operated by Cherish Home Care – were removed due to poor conditions, records show.
The owners of Cherish Home Care are now accused of multiple felony charges concerning elder and disabled adult abuse.
What we know:
In May 2025, representatives from multiple state and local agencies visited Cherish Home Care facilities. The joint operation included the Osceola County Sheriff's Office, the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration (AHCA), and the Florida Department of Children and Families' Adult Protective Services Program.
Inspectors with those three agencies found conditions in the unlicensed facilities to be so bad, they wound up removing 5 residents.
Records show at least two people died in a Cherish Home facility after that, at 958 Louvre Court and 716 Swan Way.
DCF was called back to those facilities in April 2026, while deputies were still investigating the owners.
However, in its report from April 2026, DCF repeatedly concluded, "There are no implications for vulnerable adult safety," and "There are no recommended services for the vulnerable adults."
The 2026 report
In its April 2026 report, DCF called the Cherish Home Care facility a "group home" and "independent living facility" – but also refers to the people living there as "vulnerable adults" with neurocognitive disorders, physical limitations, and mental illnesses, some of whom need assistance with shopping, transportation, and money handling… and the report calls the staff "caregivers."
Cherish Home Care and its owners had already been cited at this point for operating without a license, and were being fined a thousand dollars a day.
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Resident allegations: Stolen EBT cards, not licensed to give meds
DCF took reports from residents about, quote, "downright despicable things." – the owner allegedly hitting residents, taking their EBT cards, administering medication without licenses to do so.
DCF’s investigators said they toured the facility with deputies, and found the bedroom furniture dirty and stained, with two beds per makeshift room, ceiling fans with no lights, and bedroom windows screwed shut with planks nailed to the outside. They found the refrigerator locked. They found the garage full of trash, dirty mattresses, broken furniture, and a basket of medications.
But for the allegations of exploitation, the report said, "No implication for vulnerable adult safety." The case was closed.
As for the allegation of maltreatment with medical neglect, the case was also closed as no substantiated findings or implications for vulnerable adult safety were found, DCF reports said. An investigation into physical injury was also closed.
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In court, witness after witness said that wasn’t true.
Family ‘disgusted’ by treatment
The April report includes details about Ashley Griffin’s father, who said she was disgusted by reading it.
"Just wow," she said. "I don't understand what's going on. I don't know. I'm in the complete shock."
Griffin removed her father from Cherish Home Care the day after DCF toured the facilities. She told the State Attorney’s Office and FOX 35 News that she took him to the hospital for treatment of malnourishment, dehydration, and complications with his diabetes. He stayed there for weeks, she said.
"You see that and you say no abuse? So what will it take? Someone dead?" said Griffin. "I've reached out [to DCF] so many times. I've called the 407 number numerous times, at least ten times. I've emailed. Nothing."
DCF’s response
What they're saying:
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office says DCF and FACT (a team overseen by DCF) both placed vulnerable adults in Cherish Home Care’s facilities, despite the facilities, owners, and caretakers not having licenses to care for disabled adults.
A DCF spokesperson told FOX 35 in a statement on June 30th, "Department Adult Protective Investigators did not refer or place vulnerable adults in the care of Cherish Home LLC or any of its related entities as they were not licensed facilities. If an individual is in need of placement assistance for an assisted living facility, Adult Protective Investigators use AHCA’s database to identify licensed placement options."
That directly contradicts testimony provided under oath by multiple people who say DCF in fact did refer disabled adults to Cherish Home Care. Further, a search of AHCA’s database shows Cherish Home Care is not licensed, and was fined for operating without a license.
AHCA’s response
FOX 35 has reached out to the Agency for Healthcare Administration multiple times and has not received a response.
FOX 35 Investigative Reporter Marie Edinger called AHCA’s records division on July 15, several times. Each time, she was immediately placed on hold and then the line disconnected after three minutes.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Osceola County Sheriff's Office; the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration, and the Florida Department of Children and Families.