SeaWorld entrance during the pandemic on Aug. 08, 2020, in San Diego
The city of San Diego and SeaWorld have settled their lawsuit in which city officials alleged the park failed to pay more than $12.2 million in rent, late fees and interest.
The settlement will have SeaWorld paying $8.5 million to the city, as well as providing:
- Complimentary season passes to San Diego teachers on an annual basis for five years
- One free admission each year to active duty military and veterans for five years
- 1,000 SeaWorld admission tickets that the city will provide to local school districts
In a statement, former San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott called the settlement "a good result for San Diego taxpayers. We'll recover overdue tax and provide benefits to service members and local schools. This also allows us to reset a fractured relationship, avoid a lengthy trial and put the money to work for taxpayers immediately."
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"We are grateful to have reached a resolution of this matter and look forward to continuing our strong partnership with the city of San Diego for years to come," reads, in part a statement SeaWorld issued on Tuesday. "We've valued our collaborative relationship with the city for 60 years and are happy to be a part of the San Diego community. We look forward to many years of working together."
In its lawsuit, the city alleged that SeaWorld underpaid rent between Jan. 1, 2019, and April 30, 2022, while SeaWorld argued the payments were waived because the theme park was forced to shut down for months at a time during the coronavirus pandemic.
After the lawsuit was filed last year, city officials said the park was the only one out of 800 city tenants with similar lease agreements in default for unpaid rent since the pandemic began.
