In a dramatic turn of events, the historic Marineland Dolphin Adventure near St. Augustine appears headed for preservation after a bankruptcy auction ended with a shock victory for a Florida-based group that wants to retain it as an aquatic park.
The United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware designated Apex Association as the successful bidder for the marine park’s assets, which include the property at 9600 N. Oceanshore Boulevard as well as its dolphins and other marine animals.
The winning bid totaled $7.135 million, including $6.5 million in cash and approximately $635,000 in non-cash assets.
The auction was part of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings of Leisure Investments Holdings LLC, the Mexico-based owner of Marineland, which cited financial difficulties at multiple aquatic parks as the reason for filing.
The park appeared headed for new development after Texas real estate titan Craig Cavileer won an initial auction last month with a $7.1 million bid, topping Hutson Companies for control of the waterfront property.
A third group, led by a Green Cove Springs couple, Jon and Barbara Rubel, marine-mammal advocate Jack Kassewitz, and former Marineland manager Felicia Cook, later petitioned the court to revive the proceeding.
The consortium argued that their bid had been unfairly excluded, while the sellers contended it came too late and did not meet the required qualifications.
Judge Laurie Silverstein agreed to reopen the auction, leading to Tuesday’s unexpected outcome. The court is scheduled to issue final approval of the sale on Wednesday.
Marineland, which opened in 1938 as “the world’s first oceanarium,” has been a cornerstone of Florida’s tourism and research landscape for nearly 90 years.
The park has housed thousands of marine animals and served as both an educational center and research facility. Its future has been uncertain in recent years due to ownership changes, rising maintenance costs, and evolving regulations for marine-animal care.
The Rubel-backed preservation group, which had previously submitted a $4 million cash offer supplemented by $1.5 million in startup funding, worked to keep the park’s mission alive.
Cavileer finished second with a bid of $7.1 million in cash at Tuesday’s auction, followed by Hutson Companies at $7,050,000, court records show.
“Almost everyone we know says, ‘I went there when I was ten,’ and now they’re seventy-five,” Barbara Rubel told The Citizen last month. “It’s such a part of this area’s history.”
This story will be updated.
