The Miami Seaquarium, an old-Florida style tourist attraction that gained international attention as the filming location for the 1960s television series “Flipper” and thrilled generations of tourists with trained dolphin and orca shows, has closed its doors.
Sunday’s closure of the park that opened in 1955 was celebrated by animal rights activists who had lobbied for decades to free the marine mammals inside. Located across a causeway from downtown Miami and overlooking Biscayne Bay, the park was beloved by those who grew up visiting the landmark, but plagued by persistent animal welfare complaints.
Last year, the aquarium’s parent company received an eviction notice for the waterfront property it leases from Miami-Dade County. Local cited a “long and troubling history of violations.” The action followed a series of federal inspections that found multiple problems, including unsafe and structurally deficient buildings.
For years, families hoping to make cherished memories at the attraction have had to weave around the animal rights protestors stationed on the sidewalk outside, equipped with signs, bullhorns, rosary beads and incense.
In recent years, activists focused on the fate of Lolita, an orca whale held captive in a shallow pool for more than a half-century. She died just as caregivers were preparing to move her to a natural sea pen in the Pacific Northwest.
Efforts to redevelop the Seaquarium site are already in the works, with plans for a new “accredited aquarium” with no marine mammals, as well as a research center, shops, restaurants and a publicly accessible baywalk.
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — The 2026 FIFA World Cup is coming to South Florida.
On Monday, the grand opening of the official World Cup Store in Miami Beach was held.
Representatives from FIFA joined Miami Beach city officials, and reps from the Miami Host Committee were also there for the ribbon-cutting event.
Local 10’s Kacy Hintz joined the fun, and her full report can be seen at the top of this page.
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The Miami Hurricanes have become a pain for the Oregon Ducks on the recruiting trail as of late. Former Oregon coach Mario Cristobal’s Hurricanes have stolen another recruit from Dan Lanning’s Ducks as both teams enter the 2026 college football season as national championship contenders.
2027 four-star cornerback Ai’King Hall, originally a Ducks commit, flipped his commitment to Miami on Sunday afternoon. Hall is rated as the No. 73 overall player nationally and the No. 9-ranked cornerback, per 247Sports. Hall was committed to the Ducks since April 6 before flipping his commitment to the Hurricanes.
In addition to flipping Hall, Miami also poached former Georgia five-star cornerback Donte Wright, whom the Ducks were pushing hard to flip. Wright committed to Miami over Oregon on May 9 and is a big loss for the Ducks, even more so than Hall, as he is among the top-ranked players in the 2027 recruiting class.
Per 247Sports, Wright is ranked as the No. 9 overall player nationally in the 2027 class and No. 1 in California. Wright is expected to be a key contributor on defense and for Cristobal’s effort to lead Miami to their first national championship since 2001.
This past season, the Hurricanes fell 27-21 to the Indiana Hoosiers in the national championship. Despite the loss, Miami is expected to be one of the top college football contenders in the future, along with Oregon.
While this pair of recruits won’t arrive in South Beach until the 2027 season, Miami and Oregon could very well face off in this year’s national championship at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
With the losses of both Hall and Wright from Oregon’s 2027 recruiting class, the Ducks now have one cornerback commit for the 2027 cycle, four-star cornerback Josiah Molden, a native of nearby West Linn, Oregon.
Molden has the potential to be a top future talent for the Ducks’ secondary as he is ranked the No. 27 overall cornerback and the No. 1 player in Oregon, per 247Sports. Following the two losses, Oregon’s 2027 recruiting ranking remains inside the top 10, despite Lanning not having a five-star commit for the cycle.
Having both Hall and Wright in Oregon’s secondary would’ve been massive for Oregon’s defense, but for now, Lanning will have to work with what he has, while continuing to pursue other top recruits.
With the loss of Hall, Oregon’s 2027 recruiting ranking dropped slightly to No. 10 overall, per On3 and 247Sports. Before Hall decided to flip his commitment to Miami, the Ducks’ 2027 recruiting ranking was No. 9 overall, per On3 and No. 7 per 247Sports.
Despite the losses, there is still plenty of time for Oregon to improve its 2027 recruiting class ranking, the main focus for the Ducks as of now, with the return of star quarterback Dante Moore, is winning the team’s first national championship in program history.
This is an accomplishment that Oregon fans are desperate for, as Lanning has made an all-out effort for the Ducks to achieve that goal as they enter what some see as a national championship or bust 2026 season.
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Lionel Messi had a goal and assisted on another as Inter Miami won its first game at Nu Stadium, 2-0 over the Portland Timbers on Sunday.
German Berterame also scored for Inter Miami, which had three draws and a loss at its new 26,000-seat stadium before Sunday’s victory.
Messi opened the scoring with his 13th goal of the season in the 31st minute. Luis Suárez sent a pass inside to Telasco Segovia, who flicked a pass on to Messi, who beat Portland goalkeeper James Pantemis from 12 yards.
Inter Miami padded the lead on Berterame’s goal in the 42nd minute. Messi dribbled past two defenders and centered to Berterame, who converted inside the left post.
The Timbers had the first scoring threat when Inter Miami goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair deflected Cole Bassett’s shot from the edge of the large area in the 11th minute.
The familiar singing, cheering, flag waving and drum beating from Inter Miami’s organized supporters’ groups “La Familia” were absent until late in the match. The groups reportedly are upset that the players have not acknowledged their presence in the new stadium and remained silent as a form of protest before they began singing in the 85th minute.
The match was the first between the teams since Portland coach Phil Neville was fired as Inter Miami’s coach in 2023, shortly before Messi started playing for the Herons.
Neville is close friends with Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham and told reporters after the Timbers got to South Florida late last week that he was aware Messi choosing Miami would likely mean a coaching change. The club has had four coaches since, including two interim bosses, all of them from Messi’s native Argentina.
“At the start of the (2023) season, I was under no illusions that probably when/if he came in that I wouldn’t be here, and that’s totally fine,” Neville said, referring to Messi. “I understood football.”
Sunday was also the first Inter Miami match since the team revealed that forward Tadeo Allende had what was described as successful arthroscopic surgery on his right knee “to address the discomfort he had been experiencing in recent weeks.” There’s no timetable for his return.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer
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