OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Two people were arrested Wednesday after deputies said they ran several unlicensed assisted living facilities in Osceola and Polk counties.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said 56-year-old Marie Tarah Carenan and 60-year-old Ronald Pack were booked into the Osceola County Jail.
Deputies said the husband and wife are facing several charges, including scheme to defraud, aggravated elder abuse, elder abuse, elder neglect, elder exploitation and welfare fraud.
Sheriff Chris Blackmon said the investigation started after a 911 call to an assisted living facility led a deputy to investigate potential abuse.
According to the sheriff’s office, Detective Mangual-Barbosa worked for more than a year with the Statewide Prosecutor’s Office, deputies from Osceola and Polk counties, the Florida Department of Children and Families and other state agencies.
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Investigators said neither Carenan nor Pack had a license to run assisted living facilities in Osceola or Polk County.
The sheriff’s office said five residents were relocated to a licensed facility in May 2025 after a court order was issued.
Deputies said most of the facilities operated by the couple were rented homes.
According to the sheriff’s office, investigators documented locks on windows, doors, refrigerators and cabinets where food was stored for residents.
Deputies said there were no lifesaving equipment, fire extinguishers or licensed nurses, even though some residents were bedridden and required licensed care.
SWAT members, detectives and deputies served three search warrants Wednesday morning.
The sheriff’s office said the first warrant was served at the suspects’ home in Bellalago, where both Carenan and Pack were arrested.
Two other search warrants were served at homes deputies said were being used as assisted living facilities.
Deputies said one home had nine residents and one caregiver inside. The second had eight residents and one caregiver inside.
Both locations had bedridden residents and no licensed nurse on site, according to the sheriff’s office.
DCF workers responded to help assess residents and relocate them to licensed facilities.
Blackmon said the investigation is ongoing.
The sheriff’s office is asking anyone who knows of an unlicensed facility to contact law enforcement.
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