Florida Man isn’t always smart but sometimes he’s lucky…real lucky
Earlier this month, a man found a Powerball ticket in his home. Turns out his discovery was worth $1 million, and that he missed the Powerball jackpot by just one number. Though not a jackpot winner, the Florida man’s good fortune is a reminder that Lady Luck has been kind to the Sunshine State over the past two years.
“I’m still in shock!” man says after win
The $1 million winner was Kenneth Morgan, a 54-year-old Jacksonville resident who purchased his ticket from a local Publix liquor store. At some point after his purchase, Morgan lost the ticket. He didn’t find it again until he was cleaning his house.
“I was cleaning the house on the fourth of July when I found the Powerball ticket in a drawer,” Morgan told the Florida Lottery in a recent press release. “I checked the numbers and discovered it was a $1 million winner—I’m still in shock!”
Kenneth Morgan had an explosive 4th of July after finding a $1 million winning POWERBALL ticket while cleaning his house! Congratulations Kenneth! 🎇🎇🎇https://t.co/3CW9L6aZzX pic.twitter.com/QnGvTGTARe
— Florida Lottery (@floridalottery) July 7, 2021
“Small” win latest in string of big Florida Powerball victories
Over the past six months, four different Florida residents including Morgan have hit big Powerball prizes. Jacksonville, in particular, is on a heater. Last month, a trust claimed a $286 million jackpot.
In April, a 23-year-old man from Central Florida won a $235 million jackpot and two different Florida residents hit $2 million prizes in February.
In 2020, a 61-year-old Ocala woman named Sheryll Goedert won a $394 million jackpot, and a Lantana resident won a $169 million prize.
The run of four jackpot winners in the past two years broke a four-year drought, in which Florida had no Powerball winners. Before Goedert, the last winner was a Bethlehem, Pennsylvania resident who purchased a $292 million winning ticket in Marathon.
$137 million up for grabs tomorrow
The current Powerball jackpot sits at $137 million, having built a modest balance since June’s winner. The next drawing will take place tomorrow night.
Any winners who have a prize of more than $600 can claim their prize in person at the Florida Lottery’s headquarters in Tallahassee or a district office, or drop their winner off inside any Florida Lottery district office. It can take up to 14 days for the lottery to process drop-off tickets. Winners can send their winning ticket to a lottery district office or headquarters, too.
If a winning ticket has lump-sum and annual-payment options for payout, winners have 60 days to decide. After 60 days, the winner will automatically receive an annual payment.
Florida Lottery will automatically withhold 24% of your jackpot to satisfy federal tax requirements. If you are a non-resident alien, the tax rate goes up to 30%.
Can you buy lottery tickets online in Florida? Find out via the link provided.
