HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Laura and Emily de Oliveira arrived early for the big event, dressed head-to-toe in their most festive green outfits.
The two young girls and their parents were among the first to line up along the Hillsborough River at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in Tampa on Friday afternoon.
"We want to see the water, if it's green, to see if the boats are making the water green," Laura, 7, said with a smile.
Friday afternoon, Mayor Jane Castor delivered. She gave them — and thousands of others — what they wanted to see.
After Castor sounded a horn, the City of Tampa boats dyed the portion of the river between the Kennedy and Cass Street Bridges a vibrant neon green in celebration of St. Patrick's Day.
The city has been dying the river since 2012, but this was the first time Michelle Sinewe and her family got to come out and see it.
"I wanted to come down and experience it. You know, you're here — you get caught up doing other things — so we figured why not today to bring the grandkids down," said Sinewe.
For hours, the river was the source of thousands of pictures as people lined both sides of the river. Some piloted their boats and kayaks through the green, choppy water.
"The weather is nice," Sinewe said. "It's not too hot, but yet, it's not cold, so the weather is great."
However, for the thousands of people who showed up to celebrate the strikingly green river, thousands of others signed a petition against the dying.
Dustin Pack — a fishing charter captain from a marina on the river — started a Change.org petition with more than 3,600 signatures in just a few days.
"In no way am I trying to stop St. Paddy's Day or a party," he clarified. I will be celebrating St. Paddy's Day too."
Pack, however, believes the dye is unnecessary and could impact wildlife.
"We're treating the river as if it's a ditch creek on the side of the road and not a 27,000-year-old river that we get our drinking water from," he said.
In an email to ABC Action News, a city's water department spokesperson said the fluorescent dye is non-toxic, biodegradable, and safe to use in and around drinking water sources.
"The military uses this same dye to mark the location of downed pilots during search and rescue operations at sea," the spokesperson wrote.
The email also cited studies suggesting the dye is harmless when used in proper or "expected environmental concentrations."
Pack, however, worries the temporary green water could increase the river's turbidity or clarity, which might prevent fish, eagles, and ospreys from temporarily catching food.
Whether there is an environmental impact, he believes dyeing the river sets a bad example in an eco-conscious city.
"From my perspective, it's just simple enough not to do it," he said. "It's not going to stop that party."
Even though his petition did not stop the river's dyeing this year, he hopes it will continue to gain momentum and change more minds before next year.
