Jacksonville's Florida Theatre Turns 100, Complete With a Ghost Seat and Elvis Lore

The Florida Theatre in Jacksonville has a lot going on for a building that opened in 1927. It’s prepping for its 100th anniversary, hosting more than 200 shows a year, and dealing with a budget cut that left it without state funding in 2026. Oh, and it might be haunted. The theater’s president, Kevin Stone, says a spirit named“J”reportedly hangs out in Section 500, Row E, Seat 2, and there’s no big sign announcing it. If you know, you know.

The history is stacked. Elvis played the venue in 1956 while a juvenile court judge reportedly had arrest warrants ready over his hip movements. The theater later closed in 1980, the city bought it for $1 million in 1981, and it landed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Since then it’s welcomed Fleetwood Mac, Bon Jovi, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Now comes the centennial push, which doubles as a membership drive to help the nonprofit secure its next hundred years. Have you ever been to the Florida Theatre, and would you sit in the haunted seat?