Credit: Leonardo DaSilva, FlickrThe saga around the closure of the Miami Seaquarium continues, with the park now insisting that it has the right to remain open – and it could, in fact, do so until 2044.
After years of critical inspection reports from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – in which it was repeatedly called out for failing to provide its animals with satisfactory levels of care – Miami Seaquarium was officially evicted by Miami-Dade County in March.
The county declared that the park had violated the terms of its lease by neglecting its animals, with some of the most damning details from reports including an Atlantic Bottlenose dolphin found with a two-inch nail in its throat, bacteria-ridden waters, and a single veterinarian left in charge of the entire park’s residents.
But while its eviction notice gave Miami Seaquarium a deadline of April 21 to vacate the premises, the park continues to operate. Its owner, The Dolphin Company, filed a lawsuit last week in which it argued that Miami-Dade County has, in fact, violated the lease by trying to evict them in the first place.
Now, the park has released another statement signed by The Dolphin Company’s CEO, Eduardo Albor, who argues that the Mayor of Miami-Dade County, Daniella Levine Cava, has “violated the civil rights of [their] Company.”
— Miami Seaquarium (@MiamiSeaquarium) April 24, 2024
The full statement claims that Miami Seaquarium sought several meetings with the Mayor and her office but was denied the opportunity to defend themselves. It also claims that “fair treatment and due process” are owed not just to the park but its residents, too.
“Our staff, who are deeply committed to the welfare of the animals under their care, have been totally unfairly placed in an uncomfortable position,” it wrote, “due to unexpected statements and actions from the Miami Dade County, discrediting and disrespecting their work on what we consider completely baseless and without merit.”
The park adds that it is operating with a federal license issued by the USDA, “affirming [its] strict compliance with animal welfare standards.”
In a separate social media post, Albor declared how proud he is to work with Miami Seaquarium and claimed that “the truth shall always prevail,” something that was later echoed by the park’s X (formerly known as Twitter) account, too.
Very proud to lead an outstanding team at @MiamiSeaquarium. Very proud to be part of Miami community. Very proud to lead @TheDolphinCo_, where more than 1,000,000 animal lovers are hosted to live the experience of a lifetime. The truth shall always prevail
Very proud to lead an outstanding team at @MiamiSeaquarium . Very proud to be part of Miami community. Very proud to lead @TheDolphinCo_ , where more than 1,000,000 animal lovers are hosted to live the experience of a lifetime. The truth shall always prevail pic.twitter.com/l3ougwYTj8
— Eduardo Albor (@eduardoalbor) April 20, 2024
Miami Seaquarium’s lease with Miami-Dade County has an expiry date of 2044, meaning that, theoretically, the park could continue to operate for another 20 years. However, Miami-Dade County has doubled down on its efforts to remove the park from the premises ASAP.
“The County continues to believe that the grounds to terminate the lease are still present in order to ensure the safety and well-being of the animals currently under their care,” a joint statement from Mayor Levine Cava and County Commissioner Raquel Regalado said.
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“It is our hope that The Dolphin Company takes the necessary steps to vacate the premises, and to ensure that the transition is done in a safe and orderly manner, especially for the animals under their care. If they fail to do so, the County will move forward with the eviction process in court.”
Have you ever visited the Miami Seaquarium? Share your thoughts on the park in the comments!