Miami Seaquarium asked to vacate following months of controversy

The Miami Seaquarium was given notice by the county that it has until April 21 to vacate its government-owned site or face possible eviction.

• Dolphin Company, the parent company of the Seaquarium, has until Monday to respond, Miami-Dade Mayor Levine Cava said at a news conference Thursday afternoon.

Why it matters: The decades-old marine park has faced months of controversy over unpaid rent, alleged lease violations and poor conditions for the animals.

What's inside: In the notice, Levine Cava's office cited the Seaquarium's "long and troubling history of violations" and the "repeated, continuous and longstanding violations of [its] contractual obligations" as justification for terminating the lease.

The other side: The Seaquarium did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.

Flashback: The Seaquarium opened in the mid-1950s as one of the country's first theme parks centered on marine mammals, according to the Miami Herald.

Catch up quick: Animal rights groups like PETA have protested the park for years, including gathering in front of Levine Cava's office last month to demand its closure.

• The killer whale Lolita died of kidney failure and old age in August, and in December, a pair of manatees were relocated to ZooTampa after activists recorded one in a cramped tank.
• The mayor's office notified the Seaquarium in December that it planned to terminate the lease, then warned it again in January, following a series of negative federal inspector's reports about animal care.
• The Dolphin Company pushed back, saying it was addressing the issues cited by federal inspectors.
• The park's chief veterinarian resigned last month, the Miami Herald reported.

What they're saying: "Finally, this prison for aquatic animals will close," said Phil Demers, an animal rights activist who was sued for trespassing and defamation by the Seaquarium, according to the Daily Beast.

• In a news release from the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project , Demers said the termination comes "too late for Lolita and many other animals who have suffered," but going forward, "no animal will end up serving a life sentence at this awful place."