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Christopher Boan writes for FloridaBet.com and has been covering sports and sports betting for more than seven years, with experience at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.
Top 10 Most Haunted Florida Cities
The spookiest date on the calendar is fast approaching, which begs the question of which location in the Sunshine State lays claim to being the spookiest city in Florida, based on the number of ghost sightings in each place.
As of 2024, the leader in the spooky category is Polk County’s most populous city, as Lakeland takes the top spot with 48 ghost sightings in total, beating out Plant City (41 ghost sightings) and Pensacola (36 ghost sightings).
Halloween is nearly here. In honor of spooky system, FloridaBet.com - home to all things Florida sports betting - was curious how to see what the top 10 most haunted Florida cities are. Using GhostsofAmerica.com, we ranked the cities based on number of sightings.
Top 10 Most Haunted Florida Cities
Rank | City | Ghost Sighting |
1 | Lakeland | 48 |
2 | Plant City | 41 |
3 | Pensacola | 36 |
4 | Naples | 32 |
5 | Cape Coral | 30 |
6 | Crestview | 29 |
7 | Lake City | 28 |
8 | West Palm Beach | 26 |
9 | Jacksonville | 24 |
10 | Arcadia | 21 |
Which FL Cities Are The Spookiest?
Overall, Lakeland took home top honors when it came to paranormal sightings, which might have something to do with the Central Florida city’s role in the Second Seminole War that occurred during the middle of the 19th century.
Whatever the cause of said paranormal activity may be, Lakeland beat out the rest of the state when it came to ghost sightings, with the rest of Florida’s list including places like Naples (32 ghost sightings), Cape Coral (30 ghost sightings), Crestview (29 ghost sightings), Lake City (28 ghost sightings), West Palm Beach (26 ghost sightings), Jacksonville (24 ghost sightings) and Arcadia (21 ghost sightings).
Still, nowhere else in the Sunshine State could hold a candle this Halloween season to the city of 112,641 people in the heart of the state, as Lakeland’s paranormal activity beat out the rest of Florida’s spookiest locales when it came to ghost sightings in 2024.
USA Today photo by Tony Giberson/[email protected].
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