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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Florida's most famous haunt misses the top ten in new evidence-ranked index

St. Johns County holds four of the top ten in HauntBound's 2026 index of 282 documented haunted locations

September 30, 2026

Florida's most famous haunted site, Fort East Martello Museum, does not make the top ten in HauntBound's 2026 index of the state's most haunted places, which ranks sites by published evidence rather than reputation. St. Johns County holds four of the top ten.

The top five:

  1. Ringling College of Art and Design, Keating Hall, Sarasota (exterior viewing only)
  2. Casa de Solana, St. Augustine
  3. St. Augustine Lighthouse, St. Augustine
  4. May-Stringer House, Brooksville
  5. Evergreen Cemetery, Jacksonville

Ringling College of Art and Design, Keating Hall in Sarasota has the most distinct published accounts of any Florida site, five. The oldest documented site is Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, dating to 1672. Old Federal Courthouse in Tampa is the index's most family-friendly pick in the state. Apparitions are the most commonly reported phenomenon, on record at 187 sites.

"We rank by evidence, not legend: independent published accounts, documented history, and how far back the reports go. We don't claim ghosts are real, or that they aren't. We document where the reports concentrate, and we show our work," said Ben Fineman, editor of HauntBound.

HauntBound ranks each state's places by the documented record of reported haunting phenomena: the quantity, independence, persistence and documentary quality of published reports. A story retold many times counts for less than independent accounts, and a source that only establishes a building's history never counts as evidence of a haunting. The index does not try to determine whether paranormal phenomena are real. The 2026 index reflects sources identified and classified as of September 15, 2026.

For media:The full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/florida/The fact sheet, with city-by-city numbers and cleared images: https://hauntbound.com/press/fact-sheets/florida/Interviews by email and city-by-city data on request.

HauntBound (hauntbound.com) is a family-friendly field guide to more than 6,000 documented haunted and historic places across the United States, ranked by published evidence rather than legend. No venue pays to be listed or ranked.

Media contact: Ben Fineman, Editor, HauntBound, editor@hauntbound.com

Short version

SHORT VERSION

Florida's most famous haunt misses the top ten in new evidence-ranked index

HauntBound's 2026 index ranks Florida's 282 documented haunted places by separate published accounts rather than fame. Ringling College of Art and Design, Keating Hall in Sarasota (exterior viewing only) ranks #1. Fort East Martello Museum, the state's most famous haunted site, does not make the top ten. St. Johns County holds four of the top ten. Apparitions are the most commonly reported phenomenon, on record at 187 sites.

Full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/florida/

Local releases in Florida (5)

  • Duval County Duval County holds two of Florida's ten most haunted places
  • Hernando County Brooksville's May-Stringer House ranks among Florida's ten most haunted places
  • Monroe County Two Key West landmarks rank among Florida's ten most haunted places
  • Sarasota Sarasota is home to Florida's most haunted place
  • St. Johns County Four St. Augustine landmarks rank among Florida's ten most haunted places