Davis is heading home to the Philadelphia area, and he's already lined up a job at Longwood Gardens. It's his second exit from the Texas park in under two years, and SeaWorld hasn't named a replacement.
SeaWorld San Antonio is looking for a new boss. Again.
Park president Jeff Davis is leaving United Parks & Resorts, the San Antonio Express-News reported Wednesday, Nov. 4. A SeaWorld spokesperson said he's moving back to his hometown of Philadelphia to be closer to family. No replacement has been named.
Here's the twist. This is the second time Davis has left SeaWorld San Antonio in under two years. He was named president in May 2024, left in February 2025 to run Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, then came back to San Antonio in August 2025.
This time, he's leaving the company entirely. Davis oversaw both SeaWorld San Antonio and its Aquatica water park.
He already has his next gig. Longwood Gardens hired Jeffrey M. Davis, most recently president of SeaWorld San Antonio and Aquatica, as its vice president of hospitality and commercial outlets, MyChesCo reported Oct. 16. Longwood is in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, a short drive from Philadelphia.
Who is Jeff Davis?
A park guy with a lot of Pennsylvania on his resume, which explains the move home. Davis has more than 30 years in parks and tourism, including:
Sesame Place Philadelphia: 11 years at the United Parks-owned park
Playland Park in Rye, New York, as general manager
Lake Compounce in Connecticut
Nickelodeon Universe at American Dream in New Jersey
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in Allentown, Pennsylvania
He's also a Penn State grad and a former president of the Pennsylvania Amusement Parks & Attractions association, Laughing Place reported when he moved to Tampa.
At Longwood, he'll oversee food service, retail, events and select commercial partnerships, per MyChesCo. Fewer orcas. More orchids.
Who will replace Jeff Davis at SeaWorld San Antonio?
SeaWorld hasn't said. No replacement has been named, and the Express-News didn't give a last day for Davis.
The park has been through a few bosses lately. Davis took over in 2024 from Jodi Davenport, who ran the park from 2023 to 2024. Add his own seven-month detour to Florida, and the president's office in San Antonio has seen more turnover than the line for Barracuda Strike.
What's next at SeaWorld San Antonio?
The holidays, mostly. Christmas Celebration returns Nov. 12 and runs on select dates through Jan. 4, 2027, according to SeaWorld. Here's what's on tap:
Millions of lights spread across 13 themed areas
A Joyful Splash, a new show with beluga whales and Pacific white-sided dolphins
Barracuda Strike, which opened March 7 as North America's tallest inverted family coaster
Barracuda Strike has a 90-foot lift hill, tops out around 44 mph and dangles riders under 1,800 feet of track, KSAT reported. Riders need to be at least 42 inches tall.
How is SeaWorld's parent company doing?
It's been a bumpy year. United Parks & Resorts, which owns SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Sesame Place, saw second-quarter profit fall 21% to $63.3 million, the Express-News reported. Revenue slipped 1.4% to $483.3 million.
Attendance across its parks dropped nearly 3% to 6.1 million visitors. The company blamed fewer international visitors, weather and holiday timing.
CEO Marc Swanson didn't sugarcoat it on the earnings call. He said the company had "less than stellar execution in our marketing activities this year."
United Parks reports third-quarter results Thursday, Nov. 5, before the stock market opens, with a call at 9 a.m. ET. Expect analysts to ask about attendance. Don't expect them to ask about orchids.
What does a theme park president do?
Pretty much everything a guest never sees. At SeaWorld San Antonio, that means running a 416-acre park that opened in 1988, plus the Aquatica water park next door, from staffing and safety to new rides and seasonal events.
It's a big job in a city that takes its theme parks seriously. Six Flags Fiesta Texas is across town, so SeaWorld can't exactly coast.
Whoever gets the job next inherits a new record-setting coaster, a new holiday show and a big Christmas event about to start. Not a bad first week. Just a busy one.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
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Hat Tips:
San Antonio Express-News via Yahoo Finance (Nov. 4, 2026), Davis' departure, the spokesperson's reason, his tenure, Jodi Davenport and United Parks' second-quarter numbers
MyChesCo (Oct. 16, 2026), Davis' new job at Longwood Gardens
Laughing Place (Feb. 11, 2025), Davis' resume and his move to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Orlando Sentinel via Yahoo (Feb. 13, 2025), Davis' prior parks
KSAT (Feb. 16, 2026), Barracuda Strike's opening date and stats
My Neighborhood News (Oct. 29, 2026), Christmas Celebration dates, lights and the new A Joyful Splash show
United Parks & Resorts via PR Newswire (Oct. 8, 2026), the third-quarter earnings date and call time
Wikipedia (retrieved Nov. 5, 2026), the park's size and 1988 opening
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