SeaWorld San Diego is operated by United Parks & Resorts Inc., a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker PRKS. The investment firm Hill Path Capital LP holds roughly 49 percent of its outstanding shares and effectively controls the company. The 190 acres the park sits on in Mission Bay belong to the City of San Diego, which leases the site to a United Parks subsidiary through 2048.
The Corporate Parent: United Parks & Resorts
The company was called SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. until February 12, 2024, when it rebranded to United Parks & Resorts Inc. Its NYSE ticker changed from SEAS to PRKS the following day.1United Parks & Resorts. SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. Changing Its Corporate Name to United Parks & Resorts Inc. Marc Swanson has served as Chief Executive Officer since May 2021. The San Diego park is one of four SeaWorld-branded locations, alongside parks in Orlando, San Antonio, and Abu Dhabi.
Hill Path Capital Is the Controlling Shareholder
Hill Path Capital LP is the single most powerful force behind United Parks & Resorts. As of August 2025, the firm held 27,205,306 shares, representing 49.4 percent of the company’s outstanding common stock.2Securities and Exchange Commission. United Parks & Resorts Inc. – Schedule 14A That concentration gives Hill Path effective control over board composition and major strategic decisions. Scott Ross, the firm’s founder and managing partner, serves as Chairman of the Board.3United Parks & Resorts Inc. Person Details – Management Team
An amended stockholders’ agreement includes a guardrail: no share repurchase program will proceed if it would push Hill Path’s ownership to 50 percent or above.4United Parks & Resorts. United Parks & Resorts Inc. Announces a $500 Million Share Repurchase Authorization and Stockholder Approval of Amended Stockholders Agreement with Hill Path Capital LP The cap matters because every time a company buys back its own shares, each remaining share represents a larger slice of the company. Without the cap, routine buybacks could push Hill Path past majority ownership without the firm spending a dollar.
The City of San Diego Owns the Land
SeaWorld San Diego does not own the ground it sits on. The City of San Diego owns the entire 190-acre site within Mission Bay Park. The park operates as a tenant under a 50-year lease that began on July 1, 1998, and expires in 2048.5City of San Diego. City of San Diego v. Sea World, LLC – Complaint for Breach of Lease The legal entity on the lease is Sea World LLC, a subsidiary of United Parks & Resorts.6U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. SEC EDGAR – Exhibit 10.23 Lease Amendment dated June 29, 1998
The company builds and maintains the park’s physical structures, but the land itself remains public property subject to city oversight. What happens after 2048 is an open question. No publicly available renewal options or extension clauses appear in the lease documents reviewed in the city’s 2023 breach-of-lease complaint.
How Ownership Has Changed Since 1964
SeaWorld San Diego opened on March 21, 1964, on 22 acres of filled marshland leased from the City of San Diego. Four UCLA alumni founded the original park as a modest marine attraction. Anheuser-Busch acquired SeaWorld’s parks in 1989. When InBev purchased Anheuser-Busch in 2008, the theme park division became an afterthought for a global beer company. The Blackstone Group acquired the parks in 2009 and took the company public through an initial public offering in April 2013, with shares beginning to trade on the NYSE on April 19 of that year.7United Parks & Resorts. SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc. Prices Initial Public Offering Blackstone gradually sold off its position, and Hill Path Capital emerged as the dominant shareholder in the years that followed.
The 2023 Rent Dispute and Settlement
The landlord-tenant relationship has not always been smooth. In 2023, the City of San Diego moved to sue SeaWorld over more than $12.2 million in alleged unpaid rent, late fees, and interest. The city’s complaint outlined a breach-of-lease claim, arguing the park had fallen behind on its financial obligations under the agreement.5City of San Diego. City of San Diego v. Sea World, LLC – Complaint for Breach of Lease
The two sides reached a settlement. SeaWorld agreed to pay the city $8.5 million and added several community items: complimentary annual season passes for San Diego teachers over five years, one free yearly admission for active-duty military and veterans for five years, and 1,000 admission tickets for the city to distribute to local school districts. The settlement resolved the immediate financial dispute but illustrated the ongoing tension in having a private corporation run a major commercial enterprise on public land.