This was led by my dear Sarasotian friend, Tayrn.
The first area we went to was a building on the USF, Sarasota campus. An eccentric woman lived, and died, in the building, which was originally a house.
The building was left to USF, Sarasota campus and was converted into offices. However, the ghost still stakes a claim to her former home. This sounds rather odd, but, there is a photocopy machine that sits near a series of french doors. This machine has a habit of running at night, when there is no one there. The guards have noted that the light of the photocopier can be seen at night, even after the machine has been turned off and unplugged by the staff!
When I went to take the photographs of this machine, we were locked out of the building. USF Sarasota was closed for the period of weeks between summer and fall sessions. However, the photocopy machine was in easy access by walking around to the back of the building. As per usual, I spoke out loud asking the spirit if it wanted to be photographed, and if so, this was its chance to appear. (I also stated I meant no harm and wished it well! Hey, the ghost may be dead, but that is no reason to be rude!)
I remember that the first several shots went OK, but the last one or two shots I started to feel a bit of a coolness to the air. Now, for you who don't know where Sarasota is, it is south of St. Petersburg, Florida. I live in St. Pete and it takes me about 40 minutes to get to this area of Sarasota. Being that it is Florida and that it is HOT, and this day had 100% humidity, coolness was unusual. I was also outside when taking the photos. I thought to myself that perhaps I was feeling some of the a/c from the building sort of radiating out from the windows, but now I am not sure. When I got the photos developed, I noted that nothing showed up in them....until I got to the second to last snapshot. There I see a very light image of what looks to me to be an old woman looking out at me. You see my reflection to the right of her as I hold the camera. I did not have the flash on, nor did it appear in the reflection of my taking the picture. See if you, too, see her.
The ghost appears in the red box, which I added via this nice internet program I have. I am the image to the right, wearing the red shirt. The photocopy machine is in the lower left corner of the photograph.
To me, the ghost appears wearing a hat, or some sort of head covering. In Florida that would make sense, since it is so bright out here, even moreso in the summer.
The second haunted area was in a place owned by the renown Ringling family. John Ringling, one of two brothers who headed up the Ringling household, had a famed "Black Marble Room". The ghost of John Ringling is thought to be there. Tayrn told me that a friend of hers had seen the ghost, that of an old man, staring at her father when the pair had toured the room. USF New College, a branch of USF, must know of the the room's reputation, for they had it partitioned off from view via both the window, and they had physically locked the building. I took a parting photo, but nothing manifested.
The Ringlings were a strange family. It is rumored they participated in the black occult, and indeed the main mansion has many masonic and seemingly demonic images decorating it. The black marble room was also thought to be a place of sacrifice, perhaps of blood sacrifice. How much of this is true, and how much is urban legend I cannot tell you for certain.
Though nothing appeared in my photo, I will post it nonetheless since it holds lore of ghostly manifestations!
