PANAMA CITY BEACH — Another dolphin is confirmed to have died at Gulf World Marine Park. This happened during the first weekend of March, according to an email from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
That email includes a copy of an email that NOAA received from The Dolphin Company, which owns the park. The latter email notified NOAA of the death of Jett, a 14-year-old bottlenose dolphin, from acute head trauma.
According to Britten Moore, an eyewitness, Jett was performing a trick involving jumping into the air when the dolphin crashed into a shallow area of the pool. Moore was watching the 12:30 p.m. dolphin show with his kids when this happened.
„When I’ve seen the shows before they (the dolphins) don’t usually jump that way. He dove head first and I believe he hit the shallow end of the pool there,“ Moore said in an interview.
Moore said because of the green water in the pool it was hard to see, but he overheard the trainers speaking to each other.
„I clearly heard one of the trainers say, ‚Yeah, he hit the shallow end head first.‘ You heard them say, ‚You need to call medical,‘ “ said Moore. He went on to say that the crowd was then rushed out.
„Like 30 minutes later I seen one of the trainers up near the pool, where they keep the sea turtles, come out of one of the back rooms and she was just bawling crying,“ said Moore.
Valerie Greene, an industry veteran who now advocates on behalf of trainers beholden to non-disclosure agreements and fearing reprisal, shared her thoughts with the News Herald.
„Jett could’ve misjudged his jump for a number of reasons including the poor visibility due to the filthy water, the nearby construction, an illness, or being malnourished,“ said Greene, who was not at the park on the day of the incident. „Gulf World (Marine Park) has been repeatedly cited by the USDA for failing to provide shade for the dolphins and poor water quality; any one of these factors could have contributed to Jett’s death, or a combination of them all. He was only 14 years old.“
Jett’s death comes after three dolphins were confirmed to have died within a week at the facility in October.
The cause of death for Gus, 14, was listed as euthanasia for a life-threatening condition. Turk, 15, died from a bacterial lung disease, and Nate, 20, was later confirmed to have died from systemic infection, according to the Marine Mammal Inventory Report, which is maintained by NOAA.
Marine veterinarian Dr. Michael Renner previously told the News Herald he thought these three deaths were likely linked to airborne pathogens kicked up by construction to the park’s rear.
„The animals are already compromised due to the broken filtration system and that’s compounded by the dust from construction. Imagine not cleaning your fish tank for months — it’s filthy,“ Greene said. „Because of these risks, preventing exposure to dust and aerosolized particles during construction near dolphins is crucial.“
Previous reporting by the News Herald revealed that the marine park was plagued with issues, many of which have not improved, according to a scathing January 2025 U.S. Department of Agriculture report.
An inspector scraped algae off the step of one of the dolphin pools that measured almost 6 inches in length. The filter on the east dolphin pool went down in November, and the filter on the west dolphin pool was only working at 50% capacity, according to the report.
Dolphins were housed in the east pool with no working filter, then moved to another pool when staff needed to shock the water with granular chlorine. But that process hasn’t been working to stop the algae growth, according to the report.
Concrete also remains crumbling around the far west dolphin pool, paint is flaking off of the perimeter of the dolphin stadium pool, and the stadium pool is in the early stages of disrepair, according to the report. Additionally, the report notes that parts of the sea lion stadium remain in disrepair, the park can’t test for coliforms, and the dolphins still lack shade in key areas.
The Department of Agriculture inspector noted that excessive exposure to sunlight has been linked to eye abnormalities in captive marine mammals.
Public records obtained from the city of Panama City Beach show that the sea lion stadium and gift shop area were closed by a building inspector in January 2023 under an unsafe-structure ordinance for a „life-safety“ concern. In a letter dated Oct. 17, 2024, the inspector suggested little progress had been made.
The News Herald talked to Frank Lasch, who used to run EXND Diving and Marine Services and worked on the pipes at Gulf World Marine Park. Lasch said he thinks the remaining dolphins will be in jeopardy if they aren’t moved or the filters aren’t fixed.
He explained that pipes run under Front Beach Road and out into the Gulf to carry fresh seawater in. Even when he worked on them years ago there were some problems. If now the pools aren’t getting that water and it’s not getting filtered, it can cause trouble for the creatures.
Lasch compared it to filling up a bath, ignoring it for several months, and then getting in that water and expecting to get clean.
„It’s an emergency, the animals need to get out of there,“ said Greene, the former trainer. „And I don’t think folks understand that.“
Outside of infrastructure issues, the park also reportedly has a staffing problem. The USDA report from January says the park lost seven animal care employees and six maintenance employees within three months.
The Dolphin Company denied filing for bankruptcy in Mexico last month as some outlets had reported. Rather, the company said it is engaged in a financial debt restructure process.
News coming out of the park has been sparse since the three dolphin deaths in October 2024. This was until a video went viral in local Facebook groups last week of drone footage over the park. The video shows dolphins circling through green water that contains algae, as well as the sides of dolphin tanks in poor condition.
The video brought a sudden visibility to the problems at the park, reaching as far as state Sen. Jay Trumbull, whose district includes Panama City Beach. A Facebook post from the Bay County Republican Party of Florida revealed that the senator is working with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission as well as federal authorities to address issues at Gulf World Marine Park.
State Rep. Philip Wayne „Griff“ Griffitts also voiced his concern on the matter over the weekend.
„As your State Representative, I am very concerned about the welfare of the dolphins at Gulf World Marine Park in Panama City Beach,“ said Griffitts. „I am currently reaching out to the appropriate state and federal agencies to inquire about the proper steps to ensure the safety and well-being of all animals at the park.“
Other news outlets were able to get in touch with Griffits, who is reported to have said that local health authorities were denied access to the park on Monday when they tried to inspect conditions there. He also was reported to claim that the Panama City Beach Police Department was working with the State Attorney’s Office to find a way to inspect the animals‘ wellbeing.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission went to inspect the park on Saturday in response to the backlash. Officers said they were denied entry by park staff to inspect the dolphin enclosures, with staff citing federal jurisdiction over the dolphins. As a result, FWC said it is working with its federal partners and is willing to provide the resources necessary to expedite an investigation.
FWC did note that other enclosures at the park under the state’s jurisdiction were found to be in basic compliance.
The conditions featured in the viral video prompted some online to begin organizing protests. PCB resident Jamie Marghany plans to host a demonstration outside the park on March 29 at 10 a.m.
„Gulf World (Marine Park) has allowed the animals to suffer, the facility to fall into disrepair to the point that it’s an eyesore,“ said Marghany. „This company does not care about how their neglect reflects on Panama City Beach.“
She went on to say she would like the animals moved to another facility where they are better taken care of.
„It’s important to me, and I feel a responsibility as a local to put a spotlight on this and protest openly,“ said Marghany. „I want people to know that there are Panama City Beach residents that do not support Gulf World, and do not want our tourist community to think that Gulf World represents our city.“
While some are planning to protest, others have started petitions. Bay County resident Sylvia Jones started one demanding the animals be relocated.
„We want justice for the innocent lives that were lost while under Gulf World’s supervision and we demand a better future for the dolphins and the rest of the marine life that is currently kept in these unlivable conditions,“ said Jones. „The dolphins and other animals need to be relinquished from Gulf World’s care and moved to a place where they can have a better future and Gulf World (Marine Park) needs to be shut down.“
As of March 24, Gulf World Marine Park could not be reached for comment. The News Herald has emailed several times seeking a response from management but has received no reply. The park has not commented on this situation on its Facebook page, either.
It should be noted that Gulf World Marine Park is a separate entity from Gulf World Marine Institute. The institute is a nonprofit that many may recall rescues and releases sea turtles.
Fourth dolphin dies at PCB marine park in under a year; officials investigating conditions – The News Herald
