Florida may not be the luckiest state when it comes to lottery jackpot wins, but there were still a few Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots in the Sunshine state from 2023 through now – three, to be exact. One of them is still one of the top five largest lottery jackpots ever claimed.
And all three winning tickets were purchased at one iconic Florida-based grocery store chain.
Here’s when and where the Florida jackpot winners bought their winning tickets and some frequently asked questions about the lottery.
Where in Florida were winning Powerball, Mega Millions tickets sold?
Of the three winning tickets that have come from Florida since the start of 2023, only two of them were claimed. One lucky ticket, which won a $36 million jackpot in August of 2023, expired before it was claimed.
Two of the lottery jackpots won in Florida were Mega Millions and one was a Powerball jackpot.
Here’s when and where the three jackpots won in Florida were won and how much the jackpots were, according to data from the Florida Lottery:
- Powerball jackpot for $214 million on May 6, 2024, in Miami Shores
- Mega Millions jackpot for $1.58 billion on August 8, 2023, in Neptune Beach. Fourth-largest lottery jackpot ever claimed.
- Mega Millions jackpot for $36 million on August 15, 2023, in Jacksonville
What store in Florida sold the most winning lottery tickets?
Florida-favorite grocery store Publix is the store that has sold the most winning lottery tickets to come from Florida. All three winning tickets from Florida in the last year have been from Publix locations throughout the state.
How long do you have to cash in a winning Florida Lottery ticket?
Prizes for Florida Lottery must be claimed within 180 days (six months) from the date of the drawing. To claim a single-payment cash option, a winner has within the first 60 days after the applicable draw date to claim it. Florida Lottery says its scratch-off tickets and Fast Play game prizes "must be claimed within 60 days of the official end-of-game date. Once the applicable time period has elapsed, the related Florida Lottery ticket will expire."
How likely are you to win the Powerball?
Powerball drawings are held at 11 p.m. EDT Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. According toPowerball.com, players have a 1 in 292.2 million chance to match all six numbers. Prizes range from $2 to the grand prize jackpot, which varies.
What are the odds of winning Mega Millions?
The odds of winning are pretty low. According to theMega Millions site, players have a 1 in 302,575,350 chance to match all five white balls plus the gold Mega Ball. Prizes range from $2 (for matching the Mega Ball) to the grand prize jackpot, which varies.
Can Florida lottery winners remain anonymous?
According toFlorida Lottery's website, winners cannot remain anonymous: "Florida law mandates that the Florida Lottery provide records containing information such as the winner's name, city of residence; game won, date won, and amount won to any third party who requests the information."
However, the site states, the "names of lottery winners claiming prizes of $250,000 or greater will be temporarily exempt from public disclosure for 90 days from the date the prize is claimed, unless otherwise waived by the winner."
Lottery experts and lawyers have said there are ways to remain anonymous if you win.
What are the Top 10 largest lottery jackpots in U.S. history?
The following Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots made the Top 10 biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history, as of August 28, 2024.
- 10.$1.08 billion Powerball drawing — July 19, 2023; California
- 9. $1.13 billion Mega Millions drawing — March 26, 2024;New Jersey
- 8. $1.33 billion Powerball drawing — April 6, 2024; Oregon
- 7.$1.337 billion Mega Millions drawing — July 29, 2022; Illinois
- 6.$1.35 billion Mega Millions drawing — Jan. 13, 2023; Maine
- 5.$1.537 billion Mega Millions drawing — Oct. 23, 2018; South Carolina
- 4.$1.58 billion Mega Millions drawing — Aug. 8, 2023; Florida
- 3.$1.586 billion Powerball drawing — Jan. 13, 2016; California, Florida and Tennessee
- 2.$1.765 billion Powerball drawing — Oct. 11, 2023; California
- 1.$2.04 billion Powerball drawing — Nov. 7, 2022; California
Neptune Beach’s Publix where the winning Mega Millions ticket was bought is next door to another Publix
The billion-dollar Mega Millions winner is truly lucky. If the person had bought their ticket just about 250 feet away at the new Publix next door, the day after the lottery drawing would've been $1.58 billion less exciting.
The newer Publix next door was most recently a Lucky’s Market. After closing its doors in 2020 and sitting empty until 2023, it was surprisingly turned into a Publix store – only about 250 feet away from Neptune Beach’s original Publix store.
For those who live in the Jacksonville Beach area near both stores – "Where shopping is a pleasure" – there was likely a source of hometown pride and, possibly, hometown ridicule.
