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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sarasota is home to Florida's most haunted place

A new index ranks places by published accounts, not legend

September 30, 2026

With Halloween approaching, Sarasota is home to Florida's most haunted place in HauntBound's 2026 index. The index ranks 282 Florida sites by separate published accounts and how far back they go, not by fame or search popularity.

Ringling College of Art and Design, Keating Hall (exterior viewing only) ranks #1. The building opened in 1925 as the Bay Haven Hotel and fell into disrepair after the Florida land bust before circus impresario John Ringling bought it around 1931 and converted it into a women's dormitory and classroom space for his new art school. Its five separate published accounts, the earliest dated to 1990, are the most of any Florida site.

Student ghost-tour lore has surrounded the building since the 1930s. The college's communications office says it has found no historical record confirming that anyone died in the building.

Statewide, Fort East Martello Museum in Key West, home of Robert the Doll and the state's most famous haunted site, misses the top ten.

"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. The ranking shows each site's documented record.

Visiting:Keating Hall, 2700 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, is a residential building on the Ringling College campus; exterior viewing only. Please do not trespass.

For media:The full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/florida/The fact sheet, with Sarasota numbers and cleared images: https://hauntbound.com/press/fact-sheets/florida/A short version follows.

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sarasota is home to Florida's most haunted place
A new index ranks places by published accounts, not legend

September 30, 2026

With Halloween approaching, Sarasota is home to Florida's most haunted place in HauntBound's 2026 index. The index ranks 282 Florida sites by separate published accounts and how far back they go, not by fame or search popularity.

Ringling College of Art and Design, Keating Hall (exterior viewing only) ranks #1. The building opened in 1925 as the Bay Haven Hotel and fell into disrepair after the Florida land bust before circus impresario John Ringling bought it around 1931 and converted it into a women's dormitory and classroom space for his new art school. Its five separate published accounts, the earliest dated to 1990, are the most of any Florida site.

Student ghost-tour lore has surrounded the building since the 1930s. The college's communications office says it has found no historical record confirming that anyone died in the building.

Statewide, Fort East Martello Museum in Key West, home of Robert the Doll and the state's most famous haunted site, misses the top ten.

"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. The ranking shows each site's documented record.

Visiting:
Keating Hall, 2700 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, is a residential building on the Ringling College campus; exterior viewing only. Please do not trespass.

For media:
The full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/florida/
The fact sheet, with Sarasota numbers and cleared images: https://hauntbound.com/press/fact-sheets/florida/
A short version follows.

About HauntBound: 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

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Short version

SHORT VERSION

Sarasota is home to Florida's most haunted place

Sarasota is home to Florida's most haunted place in HauntBound's 2026 index, which ranks sites by separate published accounts rather than fame. Ringling College of Art and Design's Keating Hall (exterior viewing only) ranks #1; the building opened in 1925 as the Bay Haven Hotel before circus impresario John Ringling bought it for his art school around 1931. Student ghost-tour lore has surrounded the building since the 1930s, though the college says it has found no historical record of a death there. The building is not open to the public.

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

SHORT VERSION
Sarasota is home to Florida's most haunted place
Sarasota is home to Florida's most haunted place in HauntBound's 2026 index, which ranks sites by separate published accounts rather than fame. Ringling College of Art and Design's Keating Hall (exterior viewing only) ranks #1; the building opened in 1925 as the Bay Haven Hotel before circus impresario John Ringling bought it for his art school around 1931. Student ghost-tour lore has surrounded the building since the 1930s, though the college says it has found no historical record of a death there. The building is not open to the public.
Full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/florida/