Barbara and Jon Rubel are trying to preserve the conservation, research and education missions of Marineland.
Published on November 4, 2025 at 1:08 pm
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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.
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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.”
The couple’s effort is aimed at keeping the park operational and safeguarding the animals housed there, including dolphins and sea turtles that cannot survive in the wild.
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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.”
Few Marineland changes
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,” Jon Rubel said. “We intend to keep the employees and our management team would take over operation of the facility.”
The couple’s bid competes with developers offering higher monetary bids, but the Rubels said preserving the park is the priority. They 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,” Barbara 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 led by the Rubels 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 interested in supporting the Rubels’ efforts can donate via GoFundMe.
This story was produced by News4Jax, a Jacksonville Today news partner.
