Miami-Dade County, Florida Since Miami-Dade County told tenant Miami Aquarium operator The Dolphin Company it must vacate its Virginia Key property by April 21 amid growing animal welfare concerns. For the first time, Local 10 News is taking a peek inside.
Edwin Gonzalez, the company’s executive director of U.S. parks, gave reporter Cristina Vasquez a tour of the park on Friday.
“You’ll see some of the investments we’ve made,” he said.
He pointed to improvements the company has been making to things like floating decks and cages.
“All the decks here, all the floating decks, are about a $200,000 investment that we made,” Gonzalez said.
He said the ongoing restoration work will take time, given the dilapidated state of the facility, which was in a state of disrepair when the Dolphin Company took over the lease a little more than two years ago.
For example, let’s take Kujiradon.
“The county says this is a dangerous structure,” Vasquez told Gonzalez.
“That’s right,” Gonzalez said. “We’ve already applied for a demolition permit. It starts with fencing it, and from there we get the demolition permit and they tear it down.”
Gonzalez said the whale enclosure was in a state of disrepair when the company acquired the facility.
“We ended up investing close to $2 million in this whale bowl, and when we put it in place, we installed a new water system and filtration system (while caring for the famous killer whale Lolita). We had to implement it,” Gonzalez said. “You go to the famous Whale Bowl where Lolita was, but you realize it’s old and closed and no one can go in. One of the concerns in Dade County is that the building is unsafe. Because it is.”
The county is in the process of terminating the lease, citing a U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection report that documented a series of repeated violations.
Miami-Dade Chief Operations Officer Jimmy Morales said if the company is still on the premises as of April 21, the county will evict it.
“Residents can take comfort in the mayor and administration’s commitment to doing the right thing for the animals and the community,” Morales said. “We will comply with the law and hopefully evict the animals and plan a new future for what happens there, but most importantly, whether it is there or elsewhere, the animals It’s about making sure they’re being taken care of properly.’ Other than that. “
Gonzalez said Dolphin Company executives are working to meet with county officials to “show them all the work we’re doing to restore the park.”
Rick O’Barry, a former trainer at the park and a self-described “dolphin advocate,” plans to hold a demonstration in support of county leaders at the park on Sunday to celebrate Miami-Dade’s “no animal cruelty” policy. is.
He said the industry was “completely out of control.”
“Knowing that SEA Aquarium is finally closing means a lot to me,” O’Barry said.
Gonzalez said the company will maintain its status quo.
“We’re going to fight to stay here because we love it here and we love the animals,” he said.
SEA Aquarium plans to hold an Earth Day event on April 22, the day after the facility is scheduled to be vacated.
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