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Downtown owner ordered to clean historic Rawson Building awnings within 30 days
Summary
The owner of the Rawson Building in downtown Fort Pierce was ordered to clean awnings cited under protective‑treatment code; magistrate gave 30 days for reinspection or face $250/day fines. Owner warned removal would harm historic aesthetics and said replacement is costly.
Christine Koch, managing partner of Richday Koch Investments LLC, told the magistrate at the April 1 code‑enforcement hearing that the Rawson Building’s custom awnings have undergone extensive cleaning and restoration work but still show some mildew; she urged the city to allow time for treatment to take effect.
Code officer testimony introduced photos taken March 30 that the city said showed mildew and staining inconsistent with IPMC 302.7 (protective treatment). "We've cleaned them," Koch said, describing multiple pressure‑washings, mildew remover treatments and $23,000 in custom hardware for the awnings. She warned that removing or replacing the custom awnings would seriously harm the building’s historic appearance.
Magistrate Jennifer Peschke said she had only the March 30 photos before her and ordered the owner to clean the awnings within 30 days. If the owner can demonstrate compliance in that period, no fines will be assessed; otherwise the owner faces $250 per‑day fines until corrected. Peschke advised the owner to stay in contact with staff and request a reinspection after additional cleaning.
Koch said specialized cleaning options are limited in the Tri‑County area and that replacement would be expensive; she said she would continue efforts to remove stains and coordinate with staff. The owner was reminded of the 30‑day appeal period following the magistrate’s order.
The magistrate’s order did not require immediate removal of the awnings; rather it set a compliance timeframe and a financial penalty for failure to meet the code standard.
