Florida's Most Controversial Theme Park Officially Files For Bankruptcy, Update Given

After years of backlash against its use of animals for entertainment, the owner of Florida’s most controversial theme park has officially filed for bankruptcy.

Miami Seaquarium opened in 1955 on Virginia Key and quickly became a kitschy Miami mainstay for visitors of all ages. The marine park served as the backdrop for the original Flipper series and once drew crowds with daily dolphin shows and sea lion antics.

But over the decades, the shine faded. The park’s most infamous resident, an orca named Lolita, spent more than 50 years in a tank widely criticized as too small, becoming a flashpoint for animal rights protests.

Dolphins perform at Miami Seaquarium — Credit: Leonardo Dasilva, Flickr

Lolita, also known as Tokitae, was captured in 1970 and lived in what experts called one of the tiniest enclosures for killer whales in the world. Activists and celebrities alike pushed for her release, citing chronic health issues and psychological distress. Lolita remained in her tank until her death in 2023, just months after plans were announced to finally move her to the ocean via a seaside sanctuary.

But that wasn’t the end of the backlash. In early 2024, the park seemingly lost its American Humane Association certification, with its website suddenly only listing its equivalent from the Alliance of Marine Mammals Parks and Aquariums (AMMPA).

“American Humane is generally a rubber stamp from the industry, with incredibly low standards, so the conditions at Miami Seaquarium must be abysmal to lose that certification,” said Chris Carraway, staff attorney at the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project (via Key Biscayne Independent).

This was seemingly in violation of the park’s lease with Miami-Dade County. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s office requested evidence of the certifications required in its agreement. “The safety and well-being of all the animals that are currently under the care of the Miami Seaquarium continue to be of utmost importance for my administration,” Levine Canva said.

Sea lion jumps through hoop — Credit: Kenneth Cole Schneider, Flickr

A few months prior, the county also issued a notice that the Seaquarium owed nearly $88,000 in back rent.

Unsurprisingly, in March of that same year, Miami-Dade County officially pulled the plug on Seaquarium’s lease. This followed a string of federal inspectors flagging repeated violations, including an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin found with a two-inch nail lodged in its mouth, and mold and peeling paint in the penguin and parrot enclosures.

Additionally, the park’s pools were teeming with harmful bacteria, while at one point just one veterinarian was reportedly responsible for the care of its marine life, which includes sea turtles, tropical fish, manatees, and sharks, plus penguins.

The Dolphin Company Files For Bankruptcy

Now, a year later, the owner of the Miami Seaquarium, The Dolphin Company, has officially filed for bankruptcy.

Trainer on orca at Florida theme park Miami Seaquarium — Credit: Isabelle Puaut, Flickr

The group – which owns 30 parks and dolphin experiences – filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. and plans to restructure its finances. It plans to continue operating its parks, and claims that the bankruptcy proceeding will enable it to improve the guest experience and animal welfare.

Independent director Steven Strom of Odinbrook Global Advisors and chief restructuring officer Robert Wagstaff of Riveron Management Services will now take the lead in overseeing operations.

“This restructuring will best enable the company to restructure under Chapter 11, a well-recognized court-approved process, while improving the welfare of our animals, ensuring a seamless experience for employees, and delivering an enhanced guest experience,” said Strom (via Blooloop).

Wagstaff added: “We’re focused on achieving the best possible outcomes for the company, including striving to provide best-in-class habitats and living conditions for its animals. To that end, we plan to enlist the help of marine biology and veterinary experts while also fully cooperating with the appropriate regulatory bodies.”

Tokitae performing as Lolita at Miami Seaquarium — Credit: Leonardo DaSilva, Flickr

Recent Drama for The Dolphin Company

The news of The Dolphin Company’s bankruptcy follows a dramatic few weeks in which one of its parks – Gulf World Marine Park in Panama City Beach, Florida – was raided by U.S. law enforcement and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) officials.

After the FWC was refused access to the theme park last month, it returned with police and a search warrant following reports of three bottlenose dolphins dying at the park in late 2024.

A fourth dolphin died in March when it crashed head-first into the shallow end of the pool during a public performance. Concerned about the wellbeing of the animals, activists had captured secret footage of the conditions in the park, including dolphins swimming in tiny pools filled with murky green water.

Three dolphins leap in unison above a pool in front of a "Gulf World Marine Park" sign at the Florida theme park — Credit: Gulf World Marine Park

Phil Demers, executive director of Urgent Seas, told The Guardian: “The conditions at Gulf World are among the worst we’ve ever observed. The sheer number of dead dolphins over such a short period of time is shocking and inexcusable, yet Gulf World continues to operate without repercussions. You can’t unsee those conditions once you’ve seen them. Hopefully, authorities will act with some sense of urgency, and unless those dolphins and other animals are removed as soon as possible, we can assume more will die.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) told reporters it had issued multiple citations to Gulf World dating back to 2014. The latest citation came in January, when inspectors reported rusted, deteriorating sea lion pools with peeling paint in the water, cracked concrete around a dolphin pool shedding powdered debris, and a lack of shade structures for the dolphins.

Miami Seaquarium Fights Theme Park Eviction

Meanwhile, Miami Seaquarium has spent the last year pushing back against its eviction notice. The original notice ordered the park to vacate its 38-acre site on Key Biscayne by April 21, but that deadline passed with the Miami Seaquarium still open.

In a statement to Inside the Magic, the park said it planned to “deliver proof to the landlord that none of the defaults or violations occurred, have been cured, or are in the process of being cured during the period specified in the contract.”

A dolphin trainer in a wetsuit interacts with performing dolphins in a large pool at a Florida theme park. The dolphins are performing tricks, splashing water around. A crowd of spectators watches attentively from the stands behind a clear barrier. — Credit: Isabelle Puaut, Flickr

The Dolphin Company, the parent company that took over the Seaquarium in 2022, later filed a lawsuit claiming the county breached its lease by attempting to evict the park before its 2044 expiration. It also argued many of the park’s issues predated its ownership. Although the company initially sought a temporary restraining order to block the eviction, it withdrew that request in May.

The ensuing legal battle led to more revelations about the park, such as the fact that a USDA confiscation notice was sent to MS Leisure Company (a subsidiary of the Dolphin Company) for four of its animals in January but neglected to so after the park corrected the issues listed by the confiscation notice.

In June 2024, NBC Miami was provided an inside look at the Florida theme park, showing major improvements to its facilities.

In December, however, federal inspectors visited the Miami Seaquarium following reports from two whistleblowers who alleged that the head veterinarian had left for another facility, leaving just one vet reportedly unlicensed to practice in the United States. Two veterinary staff members allegedly resigned in protest over the quality of animal care.

Tokitae killer whale and trainer at Miami Seaquarium — Credit: Isabelle Puaut, Flickr

Whistleblowers also alleged that the park hadn’t paid staff in over a month and was struggling to afford basic necessities, including food for the animals. The claims prompted county officials to attempt an unannounced inspection of the Virginia Key facility, but they were reportedly turned away at the gate.

That same day, federal inspectors arrived—and so did two employees from the Miami-Dade County Water and Sewer Department, delivering a notice that water service could be cut off within seven days due to non-payment. The warning stated that “if payment is not received within seven days, the service may be terminated.”

Local 10 News sent a crew to the park, where security quickly intervened. County workers were eventually let into the locked management office. A representative from the water department later confirmed the park had paid its $1,263.12 overdue bill, narrowly avoiding a shutdown of its water supply.

For now, it seems like Miami Seaquarium will remain in operation during the bankruptcy process. Watch this space for further updates.

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