Celestial Home Care LLC operates a residential facility for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Land O'Lakes, Florida. The home houses four residents who live together like a family in a single-family dwelling that is indistinguishable from surrounding homes. In February 2024, Pasco County's fire marshal suddenly required the facility to install an automatic sprinkler system within 12 months or face closure, despite the home operating without such requirements since 2013.
Judge James Barton found that Celestial suffered actual damages when county officials created an 'existential threat to her livelihood' by mandating the sprinkler installation. The court noted that owner Florilanny Castillo 'immediately sought assistant from a consultant' and retained legal counsel after being told she had 12 months to install the system. Pasco County ultimately waived the requirement in February 2025, approximately two weeks before the deadline.
The case was initially dismissed as moot after the county rescinded its sprinkler requirement, but Judge Merryday reopened the matter in June 2025 after finding that Celestial's damage claims were 'not so insubstantial or so clearly foreclosed by prior decisions' that they could not proceed. Celestial had argued the facility faced closure and potential relocation to neighboring counties that don't require sprinkler systems in similar homes.
Celestial now seeks $3,295 in summary judgment for documented expenses, including $2,620 for owner time spent researching sprinkler installation and seeking alternative housing, plus $675 in consultant fees. The company also plans to pursue $60,000 in emotional distress damages before a jury, claiming violations of the Fair Housing Act and Americans with Disabilities Act through discriminatory treatment of disabled residents.