There’s a secret proposal to develop the Seaquarium land. What we know

Developers in Miami are pursuing the chance to build something new on the Miami Seaquarium property owned by Miami-Dade County while the parent company of the struggling theme park seeks to raise cash in bankruptcy court.

Integra, a Miami-based marina operator and developer, submitted a proposal to the county for the 38-acre site, which sits on Miami’s Virginia Key and fronts Biscayne Bay. The contents of that proposal remain a secret — the Miami Herald was only able to obtain a heavily redacted version of the 28-page presentation through a county records request.

Even so, the document reveals the latest phase in the ongoing saga of the Seaquarium, an iconic tourist attraction in South Florida that opened in 1955. With its Mexico-based owner, the Dolphin Company, in bankruptcy, the Seaquarium may be nearing its final chapter as county leaders contemplate use of the land beyond a marine-mammal theme park.

“A marina has always been a discussed use there,” said Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado, the board’s representative for any lease talks with the Dolphin Company during the bankruptcy proceedings.

The Dolphin Company is seeking offers for its Seaquarium lease and stakes in two other dolphin-themed parks in Florida: Marineland Dolphin Adventure in St. Augustine and Gulf World in Panama Beach. A “distress sale” listing for the Seaquarium lease is live on the commercial website LoopNet. “The property consists of 38 acres located southeast of Downtown Miami on an island in Biscayne Bay,” reads the offering, which does not include an asking price.

Regalado wouldn’t lay out exactly what kind of a future she sees for the Seaquarium property, which is part of her commission district. But she said she’s met with Dolphin Company representatives about how they might win commission approval for transferring its lease to another business as part of a deal that could raise millions of dollars for the bankrupt chain of dolphin-themed attractions.

In a statement Monday, Integra confirmed its interest in taking over the Seaquarium property. “The Seaquarium site is a treasured place that should benefit our community for generations to come, and we are excited to propose a thoughtful project to achieve that goal,” the statement said. “We look forward to sharing our proposal with the community when we are permitted to do so.”

While the Dolphin Company and developers like Integra could hammer out a potential sale of the lease, no change could take place without a County Commission vote — likely with the endorsement of Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.

It’s possible a new operator could try to reproduce the marine theme park that exists there now, but Regalado said she’s expecting something different for a spot that’s long been the target of criticism from animal-rights activists. “I don’t think they’re going to do marine mammals, because marine mammals are like circuses,” she said.

That could mean preserving the Seaquarium’s aquarium as an attraction while the Dolphin Company relocates or sells to competitors the dolphins, sea lions and other mammals that have long been the stars of the park. A new operator could also create new revenue-producing operations like restaurants and boat slips.

One obstacle is the rules limiting commercial uses at a property that’s officially part of the county parks system. While condominiums and apartments seem off the table, multiple county parks already operate the kind of marinas that are at the heart of Integra’s business operations.

“On the county’s side, there has always been a desire to expand marinas and to expand dry-dock storage,” Regalado said. “That’s a big need for the county.”

It’s not known how many developers have initiated communications with the Dolphin Company or Miami-Dade about a potential bid for the Seaquarium lease.

David Martin, a prominent Miami developer, has also stepped forward for talks with the Dolphin Company, according to a source familiar with the situation. Martin signed a non-disclosure agreement to begin the process, according to the source. A Martin spokesperson declined to comment, and it’s not known if talks actually began or if the developer has submitted a proposal.

Talks of a potential lease sale come as Miami-Dade continues court proceedings to try and evict the Seaquarium from the county land. The county filed an eviction lawsuit last year, citing allegations of subpar care of the dolphins, manatees and sea lions that are the star attractions there. Seaquarium representatives denied the allegations, saying they misrepresented reports by federal animal regulators, and accused Miami-Dade of a witch hunt to shut down their business.

Regalado said she’s offering the Dolphin Company representatives insight into how long it would take to get a proposed deal before the County Commission, as well as floating elements of a development plan that might win her support. Those include preserving the iconic bayfront dome that surrounds the performance space for sea lions — even if the dome gets moved under a future development plan — and preserving some vestige of an attraction that dates back to the days of “Flipper” being filmed in Miami.

“I did ask them to give me a nod to the nostalgia of the place,” said Regalado, 51. “We don’t love it in its current state. But it does bring nostalgia to those of us who grew up here.”

This story was originally published September 11, 2025 at 4:17 PM.