SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — SeaWorld Entertainment reported having a record of $390.5 million in revenue during its fourth quarter in 2022, but the City of San Diego says the theme park still owes it millions in missed rent.
“It makes me really mad to know that a corporation, a multibillion-dollar corporation that is touting record revenue, that is bragging about opening a new SeaWorld in Abu Dhabi of all places doesn’t feel like they should pay rent that they owe us,” said San Diego Council President Sean Elo-Rivera.
City Council has voted to sue SeaWorld for over $12 million in unpaid rent, late fees, and interest. The vote comes after Elo-Rivera raised the issue at a city meeting earlier this month.
SeaWorld was forced to close during parts of 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID pandemic. Its attendance numbers were still down last year.
But despite the hurdle, the company managed to report having “another record year” in its message to shareholders in its 2022 annual report.
A few months ago, the company said in a news release that its fourth-quarter revenue for 2022 was a record of $390.5 million.
“For fiscal 2022, we delivered record revenue, record net income and record adjusted EBITDA,” Marc Swanson, SeaWorld’s CEO said.
Elo-Rivera said the company stopped paying rent in early 2021. He said the company is the only tenant the city has that has not paid its rent.
“There’s one resolution to this that’s acceptable. It’s SeaWorld paying every single dollar they owe us with the interest they owe us, the fees they owe us, and that’s the end of it. This isn’t a negotiation.”
SeaWorld declined an interview request on Wednesday.
Spokesperson Tracy Spahr said the company has enjoyed a long relationship with the city and is hopeful a resolution can be reached soon.
“We have partnered with the city for nearly 60 years – conducting thousands of animal rescues, numerous recycling drives and many other events. We also have paid more than $146 million in lease payments to the City of San Diego since 2010. We appreciate all the city has done and we look forward to addressing this situation,” she wrote.
