A well-known northeast Florida developer that sought to buy the Marineland Dolphin Adventure at a bankruptcy auction is now taking a back seat to a bidder that offered to pay more than double the developer’s initial bid.

At a bankruptcy auction conducted Monday, Delightful Development LLC offered a $7.1 million cash bid for the attraction near the St. Johns-Flagler county line that dates back to 1938.

Marineland has been owned by The Dolphin Company since 2019. In March, the company, which is based in Mexico and operates marine life attractions in eight countries, filed for bankruptcy.

As part of the bankruptcy process, initial bids on Marineland and other company assets were sought. Bankruptcy court documents filed last week indicated a “stalking horse” purchase agreement with The Huts

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