miami seaquarium

In an application review, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said the number of slips should be reduced to just 250.

The two longtime county residents say without a vote, the marina violates a 1993 charter amendment to better protect public land.

Facing a potential lawsuit over a planned marina, the draft lease lets developer David Martin renegotiate a deal to spend $100 million revamping the Seaquarium if the marina fails to get permitted.

In 1993, residents amended the county charter to require approval by two-thirds of voters for commercial operations on park land and in aquatic preserves. Now, two longtime county residents say they intend to sue the county to push for voters to decide whether a new privately operated marina should be built at the shuttered Seaquarium.

A Coconut Grove resident argues the proposed 877-berth marina — and possibly more — must go before voters, raising new questions about the sweeping redevelopment plan for the iconic waterfront property on Virginia Key.

Miami-Dade County has quietly submitted plans for a new marina at the Seaquarium site on Virginia Key that could bring a fleet of new luxury boats to the shallow bay.

Boomer, a 10-year-old bottlenose dolphin, arrived at the troubled facility in June, the company said. A cause of death was not yet known

Three black-footed penguins named Daisy, Blueberry and Tinker wobbled outside their enclosure Sunday and found an unusually robust crowd of several dozen people waiting. It was the last day of the Miami Seaquarium, a South Florida landmark for 70 years, and residents came for a final glimpse of the beloved animals that reminded them of childhood

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA supporters and allies from SoFlo Animal Rights said they will gather outside the marine park at noon Sunday to serve champagne and mark the closure of what PETA has labeled an "abusement park." The marine theme park first opened in 1955.

One magazine called developer David Martin the “King of Miami.” Now, a deal in front of a bankruptcy judge might grant him another title of nobility: ‘King of the Rickenbacker.” For some Key Biscayne leaders, that’s not necessarily a bad thing — as they reacted mostly positively to news that Martin is planning a takeover of the Miami Seaquarium, the one-time home of the 1960s TV’s “Flipper” and, Lolita, the killer whale.

The agreement will see Miami-based development firm Terra Group assume the lease, with a goal of modernizing the Virginia Key property, said Miam-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Commissioner Raquel Regalado.

County lawyers are pressing for a swift decision, saying the park’s new owners don’t have the financial means to care for animals because they are battling with former Dolphin Company CEO Eduardo Albor over control of the international network of marine tourist attractions.