MARINELAND, Fla. – A Clay County couple is making a last-minute push to preserve Marineland, the historic St. Augustine dolphin park, as a bankruptcy court prepares to rule on its sale Monday.
Barbara and Jon Rubel said they stepped in after investors working with the previous group of buyers withdrew at the last minute.
The Rubels said they believe the park’s conservation, research and education missions outweigh any plans to redevelop the property for condos or hotels.
“We believe in what Marineland represents. We believe in the research, the conservation, the education,” Barbara Rubel said. “It’s very important, more important than tearing it down and developing condos or hotels.”
Marineland has been a staple of Northeast Florida tourism since 1938.
The couple’s effort is aimed at keeping the park, known as the world’s first oceanarium, operational and safeguarding the animals housed there, including dolphins and sea turtles that cannot survive in the wild.
Many of the park’s dolphins were born in captivity, with families that span generations.
“There’s a misperception among the public that these animals can just be released back into the wild,” Barbara Rubel said. “You’re talking about breaking up families of animals and shipping them off to facilities where there aren’t many other options.”
The Rubels said their plan does not involve new construction or major changes to the property. They intend to keep all employees on staff and have Felicia Cook, a former general manager of Marineland, oversee operations through a nonprofit LLC.
“If the judge approves the sale on Monday, we celebrate,” Barbara Rubel said. “We intend to keep the employees, and our management team would take over operation of the facility.”
Cook said she believes Marineland and its animals will be safe in the Rubels’ hands.
“Should they be awarded the purchase, they are hiring my not-for-profit as the management company. And so it will be managed by the same trainers that are there now, who have loved them and made relationships with them for many, many years,” Cook said.
The Rubels’ offer is $4 million in cash and $1.5 million in start-up capital to keep staff and the animals on the property. But the group wasn’t able to submit a bid at the auction last month.
The couple’s bid competes with developers offering higher monetary bids, but the Rubels said preserving the park is the priority. Cook agrees, and so does the community.
Since the last hearing last week, numerous letters have been sent to the judge in support of the bid that would preserve Marineland, with current and former employees, among others, asking the judge to take the animals into consideration.
“Even if it’s a beautiful resort, even if it’s a beautiful condominium, the history of Marineland is so scenic and so natural that it’s not what the community wants,” Cook said.
The Rubels have worked with their attorney to finalize the offer, which they hope will convince the court to approve their plan.
“We’re just up against some very deep-pocketed developers, and the more we can offer the judge next Monday, the better chance we have of being successful,” Jon Rubel said.
The property is currently owned by Mexico-based The Dolphin Company, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2025.
Because of the bankruptcy, the property, including the marine park and animals, was put up for auction via the bankruptcy court.
At the auction, the top bid reportedly was about $7.1 million, submitted by a Texas‐based real-estate developer — Delightful Developments LLC (led by Craig Cavileer).
A “stalking‐horse” bid before the auction was submitted by a Northeast Florida developer, The Hutson Companies, at about $3.5 million.
Last week, a U.S. bankruptcy judge declined to approve the $7.1 million sale, citing concerns about the auction process, particularly whether the local coalition was improperly excluded, and concerns about the property’s unique character, which may warrant more than a pure “highest bid” outcome.
The judge ordered additional information and set a follow-up hearing for Nov. 10.
The bankruptcy court is expected to decide Monday whether Marineland will be sold to a developer or remain operational under the Rubels’ guidance.
Anyone wishing to contribute to their efforts can do so via GoFundMe.