TAMPA, Fla. — From selling avocados on the side of the highway just to survive, to now running four assisted living facilities, Latonia Boykins never gave up on her dreams of being a business owner.
Boykins treats every resident like they are her own grandmother because that’s who inspired her to pursue the business.
“She was always just giving me wisdom and that’s something that has carried me,” said Boykins.
Boykins doesn’t know where she would be without her grandmother Annie, who raised her and her four siblings after Latonia’s mother died when she was only 16.
“She just said, ‘guys you come with me, I don’t have money, I got a lot of love, I got a clean house, a few mice running around but the cats will get them,’” said Boykins.
Growing up poor, Latonia said she didn’t have time to dream, she was too busy trying to survive, but she always knew she wanted to honor her grandmother for taking such good care of her.
“And I told her I was going to get a facility one day, I said, ‘grandma I’m going to get a facility and you are going to stay in it,’ and she’s like, ‘I’m not that old,’” said Boykins.
Annie died in 2013, but that didn’t stop Latonia, in 2020 she opened Annie’s Assisted Living Facility.
“Everything reminds me of my grandmother in doing this business, everything, laughing with my residents, taking care of them, and sometimes they’ll say stuff, I just laugh, cause I’ll think about her” said Boykins.
Latonia has gone on to open three more facilities. Her grandmother may have inspired the business but she said it was BayFirst Bank that made it a reality.
“They didn’t ask what prestigious college you went to, what this, what that, they wanted to know about my grandmother,” said Boykins.
So far this year, BayFirst has distributed more than $160 million dollars in loans through their new Minority Lending Program.
“I would not have been able to do this without someone on the other end seeing and believing in my story,” said Boykins.
“Don’t squash your own dream, bring it forward and let someone that can see it and help you advance it because it’s maybe a lot easier than you think,” said Valerie Fulbright with BayFirst.
Latonia said her grandmother may have missed out on living at one of her facilities, but every resident who does, will know her story.
“My grandma, trust me, she’s up there kicking and jumping and screaming, she’s truly, truly, proud,” said Boykins.
