The Miami Seaquarium’s lease has been terminated and its owner ordered to move out next month following a series of federal inspection reports that found the facility was in disrepair and that the safety of its animals was jeopardized.
The Office of Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava sent a “Notice of Termination” lease letter Thursday to Eduardo Albor, the CEO of the aquarium’s operator, The Dolphin Company.
The owner must vacate the property by April 21, the letter said.
The letter cited numerous instances in which the Seaquarium’s ownership failed to properly upkeep its facilities, had staffing problems and placed animals in harm’s way, which were documented in multiple reports from the U.S. Agriculture Department.
“For example, between July 6, 2022, and January 9, 2024, Lessee has been cited by the USDA seven times for failing to adequately maintain facilities, seven times related to inadequate veterinary care, two times for inadequate handling of animals (in one instance resulting in a patron being bitten during a dolphin encounter), three times for failure to maintain outdoor facilities, three times for failing to have adequate staff, two times for failure to maintain indoor facilities, and three times for inadequate water quality,” according to the letter.
No one with The Dolphin Company could immediately be reached for comment Thursday afternoon. Representatives with the Seaquarium were also not reached.
NBC South Florida reported there’s been a yearslong battle by animal activists to close the facility.
A report in January by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service found troubling conditions at the Seaquarium during an inspection Oct. 16.
The report noted that a dolphin named Ripley was found with a 2-inch nail, mangrove pods and small pieces of shell in his throat, NBC South Florida reported.
Another dolphin, Bimini, was found with a broken bolt in her mouth.
Weeks before the inspection, it had been discovered that an adult female California sea lion named Sushi had been holding her right eye closed and rubbing both eyes because she needed cataract surgery, the report said.
The sea lion started refusing food because of eye pain, and at the time of the inspection the cataract surgery had still not been scheduled, the report said, according to NBC South Florida.
Levine Cava said the Seaquarium's condition were "unsustainable and unsafe" at a news conference Thursday.
Albor showed up at the news conference and told reporters he doesn’t understand why the mayor has refused invitations.
“How can she say that she’s concerned about the animals when she has never come to the Miami Seaquarium in two years?” he asked.
Levine Cava said during the briefing that representatives of the county’s parks department have made regular visits to the park.
Albor said Thursday that he plans to let his lawyers respond to the eviction notice.
The Seaquarium could fight the eviction. A judge would need to declare the park in compliance with its lease.
Last month, PETA held two protests in Miami calling for the Seaquarium’s lease to be terminated, according to NBC South Florida.
The park also garnered headlines last year when an orca named Lolita, which was captured in 1970, died in captivity from a health ailment.
Last month, the Seaquarium’s head veterinarian resigned, NBC South Florida reported.
PETA’s Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said in a statement Thursday: “After more than 50 years of miserable animals and false promises to clean up its act, the Seaquarium’s impending shutdown is overdue, and PETA looks to Miami-Dade County authorities to keep up the good work by ensuring that these animals are sent to reputable facilities where they’ll get the care they so desperately need.”
