MIAMI – One day after a deadline to vacate the Virginia Key property came and went, Miami-Dade County sent an eviction notice to the owners of the Miami Seaquarium on Monday.
The notice, addressed to Eduardo Albor, the president of the Dolphin Company, states that because of the company’s “failure and refusal to surrender and deliver possession of the Property in a timely manner, (the county) hereby provides notice of its intention to promptly pursue an eviction action to remove Tenant from the Property.”
“GOVERN YOURSELF ACCORDINGLY,” the brief notice concludes, in bolded, all-caps text.
The county moved to eject the Dolphin Company from the property amid officials’ concerns over documented animal welfare issues at the park, among other things.
Related: Amid possible eviction, what will happen to animals at Miami Seaquarium?
It issued a lease termination notice March 7. During a news conference afterward, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava called the Seaquarium’s current state “unsustainable and unsafe” and said the situation at the marine park was “dire.”
The Dolphin Company, which has defended its stewardship of the marine park, announced plans to defy an eviction Friday with a federal lawsuit. It seeks $35 million in damages while claiming an eviction is being forced without a “lawful plan” for the animals.
The park was operating as usual Monday. The company is seeking a temporary restraining order pausing the eviction process.
“We are going to have dueling court processes going on here,” legal analyst David Weinstein, who’s not involved in the case, told Local 10 News on Monday. “Will that judge issue a restraining order to stop the county from the formal eviction process? A judge will ultimately decide something here and it may allow for the Dolphin Company to remain while they proceed through the process and litigate this out.”
A woman by the name of Holly, with the group “SoFlo Animal Rights,” called the eviction process a “start of a new era.”
“It is immensely frustrating and this is why we held a funeral yesterday and we are not celebrating we will be happy when the animals are out and in appropriate locations and their doors are closed for good, that is when we can celebrate,” she said.
Levine Cava and County Commissioner Raquel Regalado, whose district includes the Seaquarium, issued a joint statement through the county Monday reiterating their reasons for ending the lease, saying the grounds to terminate it were “still present” and that the county is proceeding “to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the animals currently under (the Seaquarium)’s care.”
“It is our hope that the Dolphin Company takes the necessary steps to vacate the premises, and to ensure that the transition is done in a safe and orderly manner, especially for the animals under their care,” the statement reads. “If they fail to do so, the County will move forward with the eviction process in court.”
Local 10 News contacted the Miami Seaquarium seeking comment on the eviction notice. They referred us to their latest statement issued last Friday, which can be viewed below.
Read the notice:
Read latest statement from Miami Seaquarium: