Overview

• Sunday, Oct. 12, was the final day open to visitors, closing the decades-old Virginia Key attraction.
• The Dolphin Company, in Chapter 11 since March, named Resilient Aquarium LLC, a Terra Group affiliate, as the top $22.5 million offer to take over the county lease.
• Terra’s concept emphasizes a public baywalk, marina, shops and restaurants, an aquarium without marine mammals, and preserving the Buckminster Fuller Dome as an event venue.
• The operator says a Park Transition and Animal Relocation Plan is underway with International Animal Exchange coordinating, but destinations and timing for the animals have not been confirmed.
• Years of USDA-cited Animal Welfare Act violations and the 2023 death of orca Lolita fueled the park’s decline, as animal-welfare groups cheered the closure and county leaders called the lease deal a step forward.