RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — Boaters at the Riviera Beach City Marina are concerned about a strange film that appeared this week on their vessels.
According to Riley Bell, first mate for Peanut Island Shuttle Boat, and Tom Smith, a trainee diver for Narcosis Dive Company they arrived to work only to notice an “orange residue” on many of the boats in the marina.
“Just about all of the boats in the marina are covered with it,” said Bell.
Even the Riviera Beach Police Department’s vessel has traces of the hard to clean off residue. Smith says it’s costing the Narcosis Dive Company money and time.
“This is beyond a headache,” said Smith. “And you know the owner of the boat that I work for has got to pay me to be out here instead of being out on the water and taking people on dive trips. We got to be here scrubbing the boat.”
But Bell is more concerned about the people who live in the marina.
”There are several people who live on their boats here who could have been impacted from a health perspective and until you know exactly what the chemical is – you’re just not sure,” said Bell.
The U.S. Coast Guard’s 7th District is not actively investigating the incident. But a city spokesperson said she has reached out to Marina management about the incident.