A coalition led by a group of dolphin experts, with financial backing from a Clay County couple, is now getting a chance to formally bid on Marineland Dolphin Adventure at a bankruptcy auction.

As the chorus of voices grows, calling on a federal bankruptcy judge to save Marineland Dolphin Adventure, new court filings from attorneys for the current owners argue that the best course of action is for the attraction to be sold to a developer.

A former Marineland trainer is calling for federal oversight and immediate protections for the dolphins at Marineland Dolphin Adventure as the park’s parent company navigates bankruptcy proceedings.

A federal bankruptcy judge in Delaware put off a decision on the proposed sale of Marineland Dolphin Adventure, which sits near the St. Johns-Flagler county line, as a community coalition that wants to keep the marine park running voiced concerns and said it was shut out from the bidding process.

A well-known northeast Florida developer that sought to buy the Marineland Dolphin Adventure at a bankruptcy auction is now taking a back seat to a bidder that offered to pay more than double the developer’s initial bid.

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, the attraction along the St. Johns-Flagler County line with decades of history as a place to interact with dolphins and other marine animals, is up for sale.