The first time would have been sometime in 2002 and was in the closed-off area on the 5th floor. In the hotel’s heyday, the 5th floor is where the staff lived during season, and by 2002 was in a shabby state of disrepair. There was no electricity at all on the floor, as confirmed at the time by one of the maintenance staff who was a part of the group of coworkers that I was with at the time. And there was still furniture in many of the rooms and wallpaper peeling from the walls. I recall one room even containing an antique crib, which was a spooky sight to see. I remember seeing Nick Hogan talking about this area on an episode of Celebrity Ghost Stories, and he describes it exactly as it was when I went exploring up there.

I was with a group of about 5 people after our evening shift in the restaurant (it was called the ‘Terrace Cafe’ at the time. We had to pick a lock to get access to the 5th floor, which was completely dark. I think we had one flashlight with us and a couple of cigarette lighters. I’d have never stepped foot up there at night by myself, but with a crowd of us we all felt pretty brave. We looked around for a few minutes and as we were walking past one of the open rooms there was sort of a spark of light that lit up the room for an instant. It even made a “whoosh” noise as it happened, and then made a sort of crackling noise as it vanished. It felt as if there was a charge to the air, like static electricity. Every one of us saw it too. A natural explanation could have been that one of us brushed against a bare wire that created a spark, but as I mentioned before the maintenance worker who was with us said there was no electricity at all running to the fifth floor. We left and went back downstairs as soon as that happened.

There were two other things that happened to me when I was alone. Once I was in a bathroom off of the main hallway. This bathroom was completely finished with marble; floor and walls. Any sound echoed in there and there would be no mistaking if there was someone else in there with you. I was in one of the stalls when I felt like I say a shadow pass in front of me on the other side of the stall door, then a moment later is was as if someone pulled on the door from the other side. There was definitely no one there. I finished my business as quickly as I could, considering the circumstances. Pretty sure I never went in that bathroom again, unless it was for a #1. ; )

When I was a part of the sales staff, part of my normal duties was to give tours to prospective clients. I was preparing for a tour by first checking the guest room in advance that I’d be later showing. It was a room on the second floor at the far end of the hall that was looking out at the tennis courts (facing the gulf). I remember something being wrong with the room. I think there was actually a burn mark in the carpet that looked like someone had sat a hot iron on the floor. I sat down on the couch to call the front desk to ask if I could switch this room with another when the TV turned on by itself. Thinking that I had just sat on the remote control, I stood up to look in the couch cushions for it, when the TV turned off again. After I hung up with the front desk I walked to the door and stood for just a moment before leaving, and sure enough, the TV came on again by itself. I listened in the the rooms nearby, thinking maybe someone was in there and their remote was affecting the TV in this room, but it seemed like those rooms were also empty. I went back to the sales office and told everyone what I’d just experienced, and my manager Mary wen to check it out for herself. She said when she got to the room the TV was on and the volume was turned up at full blast and she could hear it as she was walking down the hall. When I’d left the volume was at zero.

That was a fun place to work. It definitely had a unique energy about it, and a good number of my coworkers had experiences of their own. I went back recently (2020) to check out the new renovations. It’s very well done and they did a beautiful job, but it just didn’t seem to have that same character that it once did.

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Return to the Belleview Biltmore Hotel, now known as the Belleview Inn. 

It has been years since our investigation and after the demolition and reconstruction we have returned.  New Investigation will happen soon, if anything happens we will report it.

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The Belleview Biltmore was built in 1897 by railroad tycoon, Henry Plant. It boasts many famous guests that include Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Babe Ruth, and Margaret Thatcher. It sits on 22-acres and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. It is a beautiful hotel that everyone should experience at least once!

I was fortunate to be invited to accompany Tim Huck from Clearwater Ghost Hunters to this amazing hotel in Clearwater, Florida. He had already been to this “haunted” hotel a few times and I found the invitation to join him too good to resist-especially since this would be the last chance before the hotel closed for 3 years due to extreme renovations.

The existence of ghosts has never been a question in my mind and I found it a challenge to prove this fact to others so on May 16, I checked in for a night of talking to dead people.

My first experience of the presence of earthbound spirits was right off the elevator to our 3rd floor room. While I walked down the hallway to our room, I immediately felt light headed and knew that since I have the gift of clairsentience (clear feeling), this was an indication of a very eventful night. I am also clairvoyant (clear seeing) and have mental telepathy but knew it would take more than these clairs to satisfy the general population of any type of haunting.

Tim was definitely prepared for this ghost hunt by a myriad of equipment-most of which I had no understanding. He was the scientist trying to make the appropriate distinction between haunt or hoax and I was the psychic trying to help by finding the spirits and understand why they couldn’t leave this hotel.

The night began with a bang by the presence of ghosts in the hallway across from the elevators on the first floor. The electromagnetic meter reading went from a 0 to 27 mG and stayed steady there for most of the night. I was so lightheaded and disoriented that I felt as though I would fall over every time I was in that vicinity but since there were so many people wandering the halls, it was too difficult to get any names, genders, or descriptions. Tim, on the other hand, had to remain neutral so he decided the meter was high because of the enormous amount of electricity in the area, including the massive wiring in the underground tunnels right below the flooring. Although I knew better, I decided to let it go and return after the ghost tour. 4 hours later we returned to the exact spot and the readings of the electromagnetic meter had gone down to a 0.

Tim has had his own experiences at this hotel and believes that it is definitely haunted but his analytical mind has to keep all of this investigation on the scientific level. I understand that most people need actual proof that they can either see or hear, and I also knew that my findings probably wouldn’t be able to do this unless I could get some response from the spirits recorded on his EVP.

The actual ghost tour definitely showed me the presence of a few ghosts that included two young children-a boy and a girl-that were both afraid and very sad, and a very angry man that wanted everyone to leave. Most of the earthbound spirits were located on the 5th floor in the very first few rooms we visited. The one that made the biggest impression and had the greatest effect on me was the scared little boy that seemed to be as drawn to me as I was to him. I was called into this room repeatedly by various reactions within my body; ie: severe headache as soon as I stepped in and immediate relief when leaving, light headed and general feelings of a paranormal presence. I asked Tim to bring his equipment in to verify my impressions. He went through the room with little or not readings so I asked him to give me his meter and EVP to hold. I knew the little boy was as close to me as he could get and wanted to see if he would eventually say something that could be heard by the human ear through his voice recorder. He was very shy and seemed to be looking for and desperately missing his mother. As soon as the meter was handed to me it spiked a very high reading so Tim left the room to see if I could get the little boy to talk. I tried to communicate with him but, as with all children when they are scared, they usually prefer not to talk. It broke my heart to see such pain and anguish so I called on Archangel Michael to help him find the white light so he could be reunited with his parents. The boy would not go for fears that only he knew but just as he was declining, Tim opened the door and the boy vanished. At that minute, the meter went back to a 0.

Although there were other “hot spots” in that same vicinity, this experience was the most daunting to me. The scared little boy would have found the peace and happiness that his soul deserves if he hadn’t been attached to the thought that going into the light would either prevent him from ever finding his mother or that he had already made his mother mad for not following her into the light the first time and feared the consequences.

The other two spirits I encountered that night were only brief but they left a feeling of loss, fear, sadness and/or anger, which is quite typical for earthbound spirits.

I would be very anxious and delighted to be able to return to this amazing hotel after their re-opening in 2012 and try to convince some of these spirits to let go of all attachments and return home where they will find all the love, peace and happiness that their soul deserves.

I would like to express my gratitude to Tim and hope it is the first of many ghost-hunting expeditions that we encounter!

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Ghost at Belleview Biltmore

The very first time I investigated the Belleview Biltmore I saw a full blown apparition. It was a woman in a white dress and hat from what appeared to be the early 1900’s. If i would have captured that on film It would have rocked the paranormal community. Was it Maisie Plant? More about that day later…

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I recommend using headphones when listening to these EVP’s from The Belleview Biltmore Hotel.   This first EVP was recorded outside near a tree that has a history of paranormal activity from professional photographers. 

I was tired and sarcastic and this was the response i got.

This next EVP was recorded on the 4th floor near room 4200, which ironically i was assigned when checking in.

UPDATE: Could Walter be Walter Cummins?  Prue speculation, but the only historical person with ties to the Belleview Biltmore that i can think of would be Walter, the brother of Bernie Cummins and the Biltmore Orchestra.  He played the banjo and sang tenor as well as some leads.

They were fantastically popular see this article on them HERE

“Bernie Cummins’ Orchestra” (Bernie and Walter Cummins along with Paul Roberts) had “come back for a repeat performance.” They were the house band at the Belleview Biltmore from 1924 until 1941 and one of the most popular bands in the nation at the time.  In no way to I mean to offend the family, this is indeed an homage to the great band that played and made a mark in music history right there at the Belleview Biltmore.  It only comes to mind because of the several reports of Big Band music playing in the Starlight Ballroom and the Tiffany Room.

(One such ghost story is listed here on this website: See 5 year hotel worker Josh’s story.)

Bernie Cummins and His Orchestra on iTunes!

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Historic Belleview Biltmore Hotel

The following is my exploration of the historic Belleview Biltmore Hotel. Paranormal investigation of the historic and reportedly haunted Belleview Biltmore Resort in Clearwater, Florida by Tim Huck on Saturday, Feb 21st 2009. It inspired me to create a special website dedicated to this Historic Hotel and others I plan to visit. I consider myself lucky to be able to take over 300 pictures of the inside, outside and secret areas of the Belleview Biltmore Resort prior to it’s closing at the end of May, 2009. The Belleview Biltmore will remain closed for up to 3 years for renovation. I have not seen anything on the internet that provides this much detail of the inside not even their own website. I decided to present it myself for those who are curious and seek this information of this historic hotels past . I have heard many stories of hauntings, a suicide, seen paranormal photographs and television news investigations that gave me a calling to revisit the place where a few years ago I was hired to participate in a national television commercial for the Toronto Blue Jays inside the Belleview Biltmore Hotel and snapped my first orb photo when my DJ partner stood next to Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Lyle Overbay. I photoshopped it out because he thought it was a glitch in the camera, but I saved the original and here it is:

Areas of the Hotel resemble the Overlook Hotel in The Shining which adds ambiance to my paranormal investigation.

Due to overwhelming information I wish to provide I will be in a constant state of updating so check back often. If you have any personal experience or evidence you would like to provide contact me tim@clearwaterghosthunter.com Thanks to Orlando Ghost Tours who provided great information, EVP evidence, supplying EMF detectors

and access to parts of the Belleview Biltmore that is closed to the public. I highly recommend them. I will update this daily, check back often to hear my story. Here are some of the photos i took that night.

Maisie Plant

She Wore a Pearl Necklace.

Mae Cadwell Manwaring Plant, better known as Maisie, was born in 1878. Maisie was married to another man when she met Morton Plant, the son of Henry Plant, a self made transportation tycoon and land developer. Henry Plant built, among many other things, the first buildings of what is now the Belleview Biltmore Resort. Morton Plant was immediately “stricken” by Maisie and decided that he must marry her. He offered Maisie’s husband 8 million dollars–an offer to good to refuse. It was accepted, and Morton and Maisie were married in 1914. As a wedding gift, Morton gave Maisie a home, the Plant Mansion on Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Sometime in their relationship, Maisie saw a strand of perfectly matched Oriental pearls, with a price of $1.2 million dollars, which she just had to have. She asked Morton to buy them for her, but he felt they were too expensive and he refused to purchase them. Maisie had her heart set on the pearls and felt that the $1.2 million dollar asking price was fair, but Morton would not budge. So Maisie figured a way to get them on her own.

She bartered the purchase of the pearls with the owner, a Mr. Cartier. He gave Maisie the pearls and she gave him the Plant Mansion on Fifth Avenue, which subsequently became the House of Cartier. It is open to this day on that location. We are very sorry to say that somewhere, sometime, Maisie’s pearls just seem to have vanished. Cartier Jewelers would love to have them in their collection. Big question today is, still, where are Maisie’s pearls?

Maisie is rumored to have lost her treasured jewelry at the Biltmore. Some say her ghost is still walking the halls looking for her lost pearls. (UPDATE: this article claims that the pearls were actually sold at auction after her death debunking the story.

Read More Here!

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The Biltmore is four and a half stories, frame, three principal sections, each 400 feet long, broad verandahs built on enchanting landscape. It is the largest wood-frame building in Florida. Hotel constructed for Henry B. Plant, who developed the railway system on the Florida West Coast during the 1890s and sought to increase traffic by building tourist facilities.

In 1920 John McEntee Bowman purchased the hotel from the Plant Investment Company. John McEntee Bowman, was president of the Bowman-Biltmore Hotels Corp, international sportsman and owner of the Biltmore chain of hotels. the new name Belleview Biltmore Hotel. So for 85 years, the name Biltmore is associated with the Belleview. The name Hence the beginning ofBiltmore is tied in with so many other Biltmore hotels around the country also. Bowman developed several Biltmore Hotels through the country during this time period, all bearing the Biltmore name, which was said to be drawn from the Vanderbilt family estate of the same name in North Carolina. Other owners include Bernie Powell who owned the Biltmore for 42 years, Mido, the Jetha Brothers, Urdang and now Legg Mason.

This national treasure has enriched the lives of guests since 1897. It is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, and National Trust. Many famous dignitaries have been guests at this hotel including the President George Bush, President Jimmy Carter, President Gerald Ford, the former King of England, (the Duke of Windsor) the Vanderbilts, the Pew family of Sun Oil, the Studebakers, the DuPonts, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Lady Margaret Thatcher, baseball legends Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, and entertainers Tony Bennett, Bob Dylan and Carol Channing. In World War II the hotel was closed to tourism, and the U.S. military moved in to train its troops. The windows were painted black so the enemycould not see the hotel at night.

Bob Dylan played at the Belleview Biltmore on 4-22-1976.

Resort will lay off 300

Published Wednesday, January 28, 2009

BELLEAIR —The Belleview Biltmore Resort & Spa is laying off 300 employees — virtually all of its staff — in early April. But the layoffs aren’t tied to the lagging economy, hotel representatives say.

Instead, they’re linked to previously announced plans to close the 112-year-old hotel at the end of May to prepare for the landmark’s $100 million makeover, said Martin Smith, vice president and managing director of Belleview Biltmore Resort Ltd.

The layoffs, which include employees at the hotel’s Cabana Grill & Bar on Sand Key, coincide with seasonal layoffs, which usually affect about 30 to 40 workers during the hotel’s slower months.

“We’re going to have to say goodbye to a lot of great people,” Smith said.

Smith, who started meeting with workers this week to discuss the layoffs, said the resort is planning to host job fairs for the workers. And human resources staffers will work with employees to help them hone their interview and resume-writing skills, he said.

“I want them all to find jobs and take care of their families,” Smith said.

The hotel’s golf club will not close, and its employees will be spared. So will security and accounting workers, Smith said.

Meanwhile, renovations are in a holding pattern of sorts. A few residents have challenged Belleair leaders’ actions related to variances requested by the owner, Los Angeles-based Legg Mason Real Estate Investors, which bought the resort for nearly $30.3 million.

The legal challenge filed last summer stems from neighbors’ concerns about the location of the spa, across from condominiums. The neighbors allege town leaders showed favoritism toward the owner.

Last May, town leaders approved ambitious renovation and expansion plans for the historic resort. Plans include restoring the hotel’s main building and ballrooms, building a one-story spa west of the hotel, demolishing the much-maligned pagoda entrance and replacing parking lots with underground garages.

The owner could begin renovating the hotel, with the exception of the spa, if it chooses to do so, said Town Manager Micah Maxwell. But Joseph Penner, managing director of Legg Mason, said his company is awaiting the results of the challenge before moving forward. He said it was necessary to prepare for the project even if the appeal wasn’t resolved yet.

It’s not clear when the project will break ground. But the resort is slated to reopen in 2012, Smith said.

Lorri Helfand can be reached at lorri@sptimes.com or 445-4155.

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