ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A Northeast Florida developer with ties to communities including Oakleaf Plantation and Silverleaf is in line to buy the property where Marineland Dolphin Adventure currently operates, along the St. Johns-Flagler County line.
Marineland, which first opened to the public in 1938, has been owned by The Dolphin Company since 2019. The company is based in Mexico and operates marine life attractions in eight countries.
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It filed for bankruptcy on March 31, facing financial challenges and issues with the welfare of some of the animals in its care.
In July, Marineland was listed for sale as part of the parent company’s bankruptcy proceedings.
The commercial real estate listing for the property included aerial photos and stated “stalking horse” offers were being accepted. Those are initial bids on the assets of a bankrupt company that are used to set a baseline for a bankruptcy auction.
On Monday, documents filed with the bankruptcy court in Delaware outlined a stalking horse purchase agreement with The Hutson Companies at a purchase price of $3.5 million.
The auction is currently set for Oct. 13, and a hearing is set for Oct. 27 to consider approval of the sale to the successful bidder, whether that is the Hutson Companies or the winner of the auction.
If a judge accepts a proposed order outlining protections for the bidding process, and another bid is accepted, Hutson Companies is entitled to a $70,000 “break-up fee.”
The purchase agreement includes a provision that once the deal is finalized, the seller has an obligation to relocate all animals on the property within 90 days.
According to the report from a routine inspection by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service conducted at Marineland on Aug. 21, there were 17 bottlenose dolphins at the facility.
The inspection did not note any non-compliant items. Earlier this year, four dolphins were brought to Marineland from Gulf World Marine Park in Panama City Beach, which is owned by the same parent company.
That attraction shut down in May, following several dolphin deaths.
Gulf World Marine Park was listed for sale through the same process as Marineland. Court documents indicate a $3.3 million stalking horse bid was submitted by By the Sea Resorts, Inc., based in Panama City Beach.
The CEO of The Hutson Companies, David Hutson, formed his first homebuilding company in 1973, according to a biography on the company website.
He sold that company to another homebuilder in the late 1980s, then founded another homebuilding company that was eventually sold to a national homebuilder.
According to its website, The Hutson Companies currently owns and is developing projects in Clay, Duval, and St. Johns counties, with development rights to more than 17,000 homes and more than 7 million square feet of commercial, office, and industrial space.
One of the company’s most recent developments was OakLeaf Plantation, a 6,400-acre master planned community in both Clay and Duval counties. It also developed SilverLeaf, a master-planned community between CR 210 and SR 16 in St. Johns County.
News4JAX has reached out to The Hutson Companies to ask about potential plans for the Marineland property. This story will be updated once we hear back.