SeaWorld leases nearly 200 acres in Mission Bay for its park and agrees to pay a minimum of $10.4 million a year in rent with a 3% surcharge. The company has not paid in full since 2019, according to the city.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said $12.23 million is not chump change. It's enough to pay for some essential city services.
"That's a lot of road repair. That's a lot of police officers. It's a lot of firefighters. That's a lot of shelter beds. It's a lot of money," he said."Now, fairness, a lot of that money has to stay in Mission Bay Park. But you've been to Mission Bay Park. We could pave some of those parking lots. We could repair some of those lots that are there. We could returf some key areas. Mission Bay has a lot of needs.
City Attorney Mara Elliott said SeaWorld is the major lessee that is in default — or has failed to comply with a provision in the lease — on its rent and taxpayers shouldn't have to shoulder the cost of a multibillion-dollar company. "It is a very lucrative company. SeaWorld is part of the fabric of a lot of children's lives, and it's one of the reasons that we like having them here in San Diego," she said."I raised my kids at SeaWorld, and I think most of us feel like that. So this is a very disappointing result."The city has been in talks with SeaWorld and presented the company with invoices and said litigation was the last resort.
SeaWorld said in a statement that it does not comment on litigation as a matter of policy but said it has enjoyed a good partnership with the city for 60 years."We also have paid more than $146 million in lease payments to the City of San Diego since 2010," the statement said."We appreciate all the City has done and we look forward to addressing this situation.
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