Miami-Dade County is looking to terminate its lease with the Miami Seaquarium, citing a federal report that documented continuous violations and poor quality of animal care.
In a Jan. 21 letter to Eduardo Albor, the president of park operator The Dolphin Company, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava expressed "profound frustration" over the Seaquarium's "multiple and repeated" instances of animal welfare violations found by the United States Department of Agriculture during a routine inspection last November.
"Miami-Dade County has also taken action by issuing several Notices of Default, as these violations are a breach of the terms and conditions outlined in our joint Lease Agreement. However, in light of these distressing circumstances, the County is reviewing all necessary actions to pursue the termination of the Amended and Restated Lease Agreement," read a statement from Levine Cava and Commissioner Raquel Regalado. "We believe it is imperative to address these serious violations decisively and with urgency."
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The Nov. 28 USDA report found dolphin pools in disrepair, high counts of bacteria in the water where marine mammals are kept, and numerous areas of black mold growth along with bubbling paint within the penguin enclosure.
The USDA also found the facility continues to have an inadequate number of trained employees in the veterinary care department, employing just one veterinarian to care for 46 marine mammals, 50 birds, and hundreds of fish, the report said.
The violations prompted the county to give the Seaquarium less than two months to get things in order.
The county also notified the Seaquarium of its intent to confiscate four animals by the USDA.
"I’ve been informed that this confiscation is the first time in 30 years that the USDA has taken such a measure with marine mammals," the mayor wrote.
Levine Cava's letter called these violations a breach of the terms and conditions of the aquarium's lease and "a failure to uphold the requirement to maintain the animals in accordance with federal laws."
The county said it will work with the USDA to prioritize the best interests of the animals at the aquarium.
"I'm not surprised by the letter from the mayor. I do think it's a little late," said Dr. Jenna Wallace, who used to work at the Seaquarium.
She was there only six months in 2021 but left due to the conditions.
"The water for the manatees was filthy," Dr. Wallace said. "You could smell it in the vet lab."
Regalado told NBC6 that the Seaquarium was put on notice and still has a chance to make improvements.
“We hope that they will do right by the animals, and we can work together and figure this out; it’ll be a new day for the Seaquarium," she said. "That’s what we’ve always wanted but we’re reserving our right to move forward should that not be the case.”
NBC6 has reached out to the owners and executive director of the Seaquarium and has not received an official comment on the situation.
“We’re waiting for their response. It’s going to be a legal response to see what they’re doing in order to mitigate and what their plans are to make capital improvements," Regalado said. "A lot of the issues raised by the USDA were issues with the site itself and then issues with staffing. So we want a response to those concerns because those have been underlying concerns in all the violations we’ve seen in the last year and a half.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for PETA said the organization is celebrating the move.
"PETA has champagne on ice and is preparing to celebrate the day the animals are finally freed from the dilapidated concrete tanks where Lolita and so many others lived and died in misery," the statement read in part. "We urge Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and the county commissioners to act swiftly to shut the Miami Seaquarium down. The animals are ready!"
This comes nearly a month after one of Miami Seaquarium's dolphins, Sundance, died due to an illness. Months before, beloved killer whale Lolita died after a sudden illness.
