Miami-Dade County officially files to evict Seaquarium

What could be the final chapter of the Miami Seaquarium began this week as Miami-Dade County filed an eviction lawsuit to force the marine-mammal theme park off its government-owned land on the Miami waterfront.

While the county has been warning the for-profit Seaquarium of a looming eviction over alleged instances of substandard animal care and a deteriorating facility, the suit filed Tuesday in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court is the final step needed before a judge can rule on whether the park must vacate the property after nearly 70 years there. Miami-Dade owns the 38-acre site the Seaquarium’s Mexico-based parent company leases from the county after buying out the previous operator in 2022.

READ MORE: In Seaquarium eviction, county prepping to take custody of park’s animals if needed

The suit filed by the administration of Mayor Daniella Levine Cava sets up a legal showdown between the Dolphin Company, which operates Seaquarium, and the county over how the business cares for the dolphin, penguins, sea lions and other creatures that are the star attractions at an iconic location that was once home to the “Flipper” television show.

Dolphin Company lawyers have already called the county’s allegations misguided and based on faulty facts, arguments laid out in a lawsuit the business filed against Miami-Dade in federal court in April to try and block the eviction proceedings. In a statement Tuesday, the company called the new lawsuit “baseless.”

“It is clear that the County is disregarding due process and good faith negotiations. We will allow the courts to reach a resolution and refrain from litigating this in the media or political arena, as the County seems inclined to do,” the statement read.

In the lawsuit filed Tuesday, Miami-Dade cites critical inspection reports from the U..S. Department of Agriculture, which regulates animals held in captivity for entertainment purposes. The suit also blames the Seaquarium for not making needed repairs to the county-owned facility it inherited from the prior operator two years ago. The Dolphin Company claims it is being unfairly blamed for long-standing deferred maintenance that hadn’t sparked default notices in the years running up to the change in ownership.

In a joint statement with Commissioner Raquel Regalado, whose district includes the Seaquarium site, Levine Cava said the county was prioritizing the safety of the animals in escalating the fight with the facility.

“Our ultimate priority has always been to ensure the safety and well-being of the hundreds of animals in the Seaquarium’s care, and it’s critical that we proceed in a manner that best protects them,” the statement read. ”We expect the Dolphin Company to take the necessary steps to vacate the premises and ensure that the transition is done in a safe and orderly manner, especially for the animals under their care.”