Florida has no shortage of ghost stories. Along our stretch of the Gulf the stories still rustle the palmettos. This week we are focusing on tales that blend archival fact with front porch folklore. As always, the history is documented. The hauntings are community lore. You can decide what to believe when the lights go out.
The Phantom of the Sarasota Times Building
Rose Phillips Wilson did not ask permission to make history. She owned, edited, and published the Sarasota Times, became one of the first women to register to vote after the Nineteenth Amendment, helping to lead the successful push in 1921 to separate Sarasota from Manatee County. Night workers later told stories of the steady click of heels on empty hallways and the faint trace of perfume drifting through the pressroom. According to “Rose Phillips Wilson: The Original Girl Boss of Sarasota County” by Compass Rose History Experiences, and to Ann A. Shank in “The Sarasota Times was the town’s first Newspaper,” Wilson’s influence on the city was profound. If a determined editor ever had cause to keep watching over a town, Rose did…