Well, it looks like it’s happening. The Miami Seaquarium — once the depressing, algae-stained home of Lolita the orca and a bunch of overworked dolphins — is being reborn as… wait for it… a giant waterfront dining-and-marina playground.
Because nothing says “environmental redemption” like swapping captive sea mammals for $60 ceviches and a fleet of yachts.
Developer David Martin from Coconut Grove’s Terra released the first glossy renderings of his $100 million vision, and let Ladra tell you, they look like someone fed Bayside Marketplace and a Sandals resort to Midjourney and said, “Make it fancy.”
Marine mammals? Gone.
Fine dining under a mega-canopy overlooking the harbor? Very much in.
County revenue? Projected to double.
Public skepticism? Already simmering.
The images shown at the Miami-Dade appropriations committee Thursday have outdoor restaurant tables circling the existing harbor in a “Fisherman’s Village” setting — which is funny because fishermen will probably not afford to eat there. There are also small sailboats pulled onto shore, just in case anybody wants to cosplay as a person who sails for fun.
All the old Seaquarium relics — the tanks, the pens, the sad performance pits — have magically vanished from the renderings. Not even a ghost of those “animal encounter” upcharges remains.
That wasn’t an accident.
As part of his $23 million deal to take over the county lease from the bankruptcy-ridden Dolphin Company (good riddance), Martin promised that every last dolphin, sea lion, and critter be relocated by the time he takes the keys. Good. Let’s hope they end up in sanctuary, not on a different stage.
But wait — he says we still get an aquarium. County requirements still mandate an aquarium on site, so Martin’s giving us one — just without the mammals. Fish only. And the renderings show visitors walking through a massive, two-story tropical aquarium 
with glass walls and an open-air breezeway that looks like a cross between a zoo exhibit and a Bal Harbour boutique.
Also getting a makeover: the Buckminster Fuller geodesic dome. Once a sea lion theater, it will now become an “event space. Translation: weddings. Lots and lots of weddings.
Imagine saying “I do” at the same place where they once made dolphins dance for anchovies. Miami really is a full-circle town.
In a poll earlier this year, more than half — 54% of the respondents — say the Miami Seaquarium, the management of which has been under fire for years, should remain a tourist attraction. Only 36% said it’s time to repurpose the property.
Read related: Poll says Miami-Dade voters divided on most issues — and thinking of leaving
Aerial renderings also show six brand-new docks popping out into Biscayne Bay like county-approved tentacles. There’s even a yacht tied up at the end of one — just in case the donors needed a visual aid.
And of course, there’s a dry-dock facility. Nothing says “public park vibe” quite like forklifting boats over your head.
Martin also promises a full baywalk wrapping the property, with free kayak launching. That’s called a “public benefit.”
Martin’s outfit is predicting $50 million a year in revenue. That’s double what the Seaquarium used to claim. And because the county’s lease cut is between 3% and 5%, Miami-Dade expects nearly $3 million in year one — a bump from the measly $1.4 million the place used to bring in.
That right there is why the appropriations committee moved this along with zero discussion Thursday. This thing went through faster than a lobbyist through metal detectors.
The full board votes next month. Martin is going to push the project as a public value.
“The Seaquarium sits on land owned by Miami-Dade County, making it a public asset meant to serve our community,” Martin said in a statement.
And that’s a beautiful sentiment. Really.
But Ladra has three questions:
- Who is the “public” we’re serving — the waterfront brunch crowd, or the families who used to come here for $39.99 dolphin shows because they couldn’t afford Disney?
- And how much “community” remains when the yachts show up?
- Is this it? Or is this part of a larger redevelopment of the Rickenbacker Causeway
A marina, dry-dock storage, restaurants, shops, a “Fisherman’s Village,” a bigger, fancier aquarium and event space under that 
golden gumdrop dome — all that sound familiar? It should. It’s starting to smell like part of a bigger, long-game redevelopment plan for the entire Rickenbacker Causeway.
Remember Plan Z? The controversial, privately driven scheme to overhaul the causeway and Virginia Key, dressed up as a bike-and-pedestrian safety project but really about opening the door to more commercial development?
Well, guess what? With Martin’s takeover of the Seaquarium site, it feels like we’re already on Plan Z+. Ladra can’t help but wonder when the other shoe will drop.
Read related: Miami Mayor Francis Suarez pushes for renewal of ‘Plan Z’ on Rickenbacker
Still, no matter how you feel about the transformation, one thing is clear: The Seaquarium era is over. The Seaquarium a la carte era is here.
And if you want to stroll the new baywalk by 2030, start saving now — you’ll need parking money, and maybe a reservation.
This is Miami, after all. We can’t really redevelop a site without giving it bottle service.
You can help bring your community more independent, watchdog government reporting of our local government and political campaigns with a contribution to Political Cortadito. Click here. Ladra thanks you for your support.
From Lolita to linguini — a first look at Miami Seaquarium’s $100M makeover added by Ladra on
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” There’s nothing the politicos like to do more than take our tax money and public property, rip us off and serve us expensive crap we don’t want or need; and as always these days, it’s an added benefit if it destroys our quality of life.”
As a baseball fan , I will say you hit a home run with bases loaded .
Btw , This year for anyone who likes baseball regardless of whether our team was in it or not it was simply a great series .
More and more I get the feeling Miami is being stolen from the residents and turned into a tacky Disneyland for people with money. Rickenbacker causeway was always about the People who went there to enjoy a free beach day with their families and friends.
It’s death by a thousand cuts today, tomorrow and everyday if you live in Miami-Dade County. There’s nothing the politicos like to do more than take our tax money and public property, rip us off and serve us expensive crap we don’t want or need; and as always these days, it’s an added benefit if it destroys our quality of life.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
”A real world class aquarium would generate a substantially greater return than more restaurants and boat racks”
Keep in mind most people be it tourists or locals could not care less about fish as far as going to any aquarium , the Orca , etc shows did bring in people but outside of that not many interested .
If you look at any Miami or actually any animal related type place , they are closing down or barely making it without outside funds be it government or donations .
I was at San Diego zoo three years back and what a zoo but it was like a ghost town as far as people .
I could be wrong but think in last 30 years most of the animal type places in Florida not just Miami have closed or tried to reshape but not making it .
Mammal , Bird , fish , Reptile venues no longer make it
A real world class aquarium would generate a substantially greater return than more restaurants and boat racks. It would drive substantially more tourists to the site from much further distances. But this isn’t about what is best for South Florida as a whole. This is simply about greed, political connections and the ignorant people who run the government.
In other posts I have mention I keep African Cichlids ( male peacocks ) and though not salt I know salt my father has a ” reef ” tank and Miami Seaquarium fish tanks are well put together , great environments but unfortunately fish are not an attraction ( for me they are ) like Orcas and dolphins
Even their smaller tanks are for fish , sea horses , inverts , etc that stay in a small territory in the wild or they wind up eaten .
The people in charge of the fish there do a heck of a job and those displays alone are worth going to see .
Has David Martin committed in writing that he will NOT build any high rises for rich people?
Has Martin promised not to build any buildings over two stories? Is this all a Bait and Switch?
“Developer David Martin from Coconut Grove’s Terra released the first glossy renderings of his $100 million vision, and let Ladra tell you, they look like someone fed Bayside Marketplace and a Sandals resort to Midjourney and said, “Make it fancy.”
*chefs kiss Ladra
the public be damned