Florida
Lucky Florida? State had a hot streak with 17 Powerball, Mega Millions wins − in 3 months
As Florida sees Powerball and Mega Millions winning streak, the California Lottery said it’s been a lucky May for 6 players.
This is what you can buy if you win the $1 billion lottery
Mega Millions and Powerball are approaching record numbers. Here’s what the winner could buy if they hit the jackpot.
USA TODAY
When it comes to lottery wins, Florida is on a hot streak.
In three months, Florida had 17 lottery prize winners in Powerball and Mega Millions − with ticketholders becoming a millionaire overnight. Some of those wins were from back-to-back drawings. Adding to the hot streak? One ticket from Florida matched all five numbers plus the Powerball to win the $214 million jackpot earlier this month.
And it all starts with a $2 lottery ticket.
As they say in the lottery business, “it could happen to you.”
TL;DR Powerball and Mega Millions lottery wins in Florida
- Tuesday, May 14, 2024: Mega Millions, $1 million
- Tuesday, May 7, 2024: Mega Millions, $1 million
- Monday, May 6, 2024: Powerball, $214 million grand prize
- Tuesday, April 23, 2024: Mega Millions, two tickets won $1 million each
- Friday, April 19, 2024: Mega Millions, $1 million
- Saturday, April 6, 2024: Powerball, $1 million
- Friday, April 5, 2024: Mega Millions, $1 million
- Monday, April 1, 2024: Powerball, $1 million
- Tuesday, March 26, 2024: Mega Millions, two tickets won $1 million each
- Monday, March 25, 2024: Powerball, $1 million
- Saturday, March 23, 2024: Powerball, $1 million
- Friday, March 22, 2024: Mega Millions, $1 million
- Monday, March 18, 2024: Powerball, $1 million
- Saturday, March 9, 2024: Powerball, $1 million
- Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024: Mega Millions, $1 million
In 3 months, Florida had 17 lottery wins for Powerball and Mega Millions. Here’s where winning tickets were bought
Here’s the list of winners and where the winning Mega Millions and Powerball lottery tickets were purchased from February to May, according to the Florida Lottery.
- A Tuesday, May 14, 2024, Mega Millions ticket worth $1 million was a Quick Pick ticket purchased from Publix, No. 1742, 30841 Mirada Blvd., San Antonio.
- In the Tuesday, May 7, 2024, Mega Millions lottery drawing, a secondary winner matched five to win $1 million. That ticket was a Quick Pick purchased at 7-Eleven, No. 34151, 24651 S Tamiami Trail, Bonita Springs.
- In the Tuesday, April 23, 2024, Mega Millions lottery drawing, there were two secondary winners that scored $1 million for matching five numbers, according to the Florida Lottery. One was a Quick Pick ticket purchased at Presidente Supermarket, No. 23, 2199 N.W. 36th St., Miami, and one from Circle K, No. 1205, 101 Buena Ventura Blvd., Kissimmee.
- In the Friday, April 19, 2024, Mega Millions lottery drawing, a secondary winner gets $1 million for matching five numbers. It was a Quick Pick ticket from Publix, No. 0777, 9300 W Commercial Blvd., Sunrise.
- In the Friday, April 5, 2024, Mega Millions lottery drawing, a secondary winner gets $1 million for matching five numbers. This Quick Pick ticket was purchased at Publix, No. 1719, 8160 Wiles Road, Coral Springs.
- The Tuesday, March 26, 2024, Mega Millions lottery drawing produced two secondary winners for $1 million each. A Quick Pick ticket was purchased at Murphy USA, No. 7338, 29 Mike Stewart Drive, Crawfordville, and another ticket came from Publix, No. 631, 4495 Roosevelt Blvd., Suite E-1, Jacksonville.
- In the Friday, March 22, 2024, Mega Millions lottery drawing, a Quick Pick ticket from Publix, No. 0785, 4141 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, matched five numbers to win $1 million.
- In the Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, Mega Millions lottery drawing, one Quick Pick ticket matched five numbers to win $1 million. That ticket came from 7-Eleven, No. 32624, 1651 S.W. St. Lucie West Blvd., Port St. Lucie.
Some other notable Powerball lottery wins in Florida:
- Powerball jackpot dropped back down to $20 million again, when one ticket in Florida matched all five numbers and the Powerball in the drawing on Monday, May 6, 2024, to win the $214 million grand prize.
- In Oregon, Cheng Saephan, 46, his wife Duanpen Saephan, 37, and friend Liza Chao, 55, matched all five numbers plus the Powerball to win the record $1.3 billion jackpot with a cash option of $608.9 million on Saturday, April 6, 2024. It was the fourth highest Powerball jackpot of all time and the eighth-highest lottery jackpot of all time. There was a secondary win in Florida for that April 6 Powerball drawing that resulted in a $1 million prize for whomever purchased a Quick Pick ticket from Circle K, No. 9802, 5025 Tampa Road, Oldsmar.
- No joke: Someone matched five numbers to win $1 million in the Monday, April 1, 2024, Powerball lottery drawing. The Quick Pick ticket came from Sedano’s Supermarket, No. 40, 12981 S. Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando.
- In the Monday, March 25, 2024, Powerball lottery drawing, someone won $1 million for matching five numbers. That Quick Pick ticket came from 7-Eleven, No. 39998, 331 W. Silver Star Road, Ocoee.
- In the Saturday, March 23, 2024, Powerball lottery drawing, a Quick Pick ticket from Publix, No. 1142, 7830 Land O’Lakes Blvd, Land O’Lakes, matched five numbers to win $1 million.
- In the Monday, March 18, 2024, Powerball lottery drawing, someone won $1 million for matching five numbers. The ticket was purchased at Stop & Save Food Store, 4801 Clewis Ave., Tampa.
- In the Saturday, March 9, 2024, Powerball lottery drawing, a Quick Pick ticket from City Food Mart, 21 N. 7th St., Haines City, was worth $1 million for matching five numbers.
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.
Are other states as lucky as Florida when it comes to Powerball and Mega Millions lottery? Is California a lucky lottery state?
While Florida has had 17 lottery winners in three months for Powerball and Mega Millions, the California Lottery said it’s been a lucky May for six players taking home lottery prizes of all sizes.
- Grace Chu won $10 million from a California 200X scratch-off ticket from 7-Eleven, 5724 Thorton Ave., Newark.
- Daniel Fissaha won $5 million from a 100X Scratchers ticket that was purchased at Tip Top Liquors in San Jose, California.
- Deloria Cooper won $5 million from a Lucky 7’s Scratchers ticket purchased from a 7-Eleven on Via Las Rosas in Oceanside, California.
- Lucy Sansosti won $5 million from a 2024 Scratchers ticket sold at ARCO in Newport Beach, California.
- Arturo Saludes won $2 million on an Instant Prize Crossword Scratchers ticket, purchased from the A-1 Valley Market Deli in Lake Elsinore, California.
- Christopher Powers won $1 million playing an Xtreme Multiplier Scratchers ticket that was purchased at EZ Foodmart in Bakersfield, California.
What are the Top 10 largest lottery jackpots in U.S. history?
The following Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots are the Top 10 biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history, as of May 24, 2024. This list shows many billion-dollar lottery winners from California and at least two from Florida.
- 10. $1.08 billion Powerball drawing — July 19, 2023; California
- 9. $1.13 billion Mega Millions drawing — Tuesday, March 26, 2024; New Jersey
- 8. $1.3 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
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
Hate driving in Florida traffic? A flying taxi can elevate that problem. Electric aircrafts could used in Florida’s skies in 2026.
Tired of the constant traffic and congestion clogging Florida’s roads?
In the words of the great Dr. Emmett Brown (Back to the Future fame), “Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads.”
Florida is on its way to be the nation’s first state to offer commercial Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Essentially, that means state officials are paving the (air)way for passengers to take flight taxis, including electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL), from one city to another in record time.
The country’s first aerial test site should be operational within the first part of 2026. It’s at Florida Department of Transportation’s SunTrax testing facility in Polk Couty between Tampa and Orlando along the almost-always congested Interstate-4.
“Florida is at the forefront of emerging flight technology, leading the nation in bringing highways to the skies with Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), an entirely new mode of transportation,” according to a press release from the Florida Department of Transportation. “FDOT’s strategic investments in infrastructure to support AAM will help us become the first state with commercial AAM services.”
When will flight taxis be available in Florida?
Sometime in early 2026, the new Florida AAM Headquarters at the SunTrax Campus will be operational. By the end of the year, it will be fully activated and ready to deploy profitable commercial services for passenger travel.
Air taxi company Archer Aviation announced in Dec. 2025 that it will provide flights between Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood and Miami international airports possibly as early as this year.
The company also plans to pick up and drop off passengers at the Boca Raton Airport, the Witham Field airport in Stuart, Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport and Miami Executive Airport.
Phase one of Florida air taxis: Four sections of the state
- Part A: I-4 corridor, Orlando to Tampa, Orlando to the Space Coast, Orlando to Suntrax and Tampa to Suntrax.
- Part B: Port St. Lucie to Miami
- Part C: Tampa to Naples/Miami to Key West
- Part D: Pensacola to Tallahassee
Phase two of Florida air taxis: Four more sections
- Part A: Daytona Beach to Jacksonville
- Part B: Sebring out east and west
- Part C: Orlando to Lake City/Tampa to Tallahassee
- Part D: Jacksonville to Tallahassee
What Florida airports are interested in commercial flight taxis
- Boca Raton Airport (BCT)
- Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB)
- Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
- Lakeland Linder International Airport (LAL)
- Miami Executive Airport (TMB)
- Miami International Airport (MIA)
- Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport (OPF)
- Orlando Executive Airport (ORL)
- Orlando International Airport (MCO)
- Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)
- Peter O Knight Airport (TPF)
- Sebring Regional Airport (SEF)
- Tallahassee International Airport (TLH)
- Tampa International Airport (TPA)
- Vero Beach Regional Airport (VRB)
Michelle Spitzeris a journalist for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. As the network’s Rapid Response reporter, she covers Florida’s breaking news. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
Florida
Officials withheld evidence on Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ funding, environmental groups say
ORLANDO, Fla. — Federal and state officials withheld evidence that the Department of Homeland Security had agreed to reimburse Florida for some of the costs of constructing an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” according to environmental groups suing to shut down the facility.
The Everglades facility remains open, still holding detainees, because an appellate court in early September relied on arguments by Florida and the Trump administration that the state hadn’t yet applied for federal reimbursement, and therefore wasn’t required to follow federal environmental law.
The new evidence — emails and documents obtained through a public records request — shows that officials had discussed federal reimbursement in June, and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency confirmed in early August that it had received from state officials a grant application. Florida was notified in late September that FEMA had approved $608 million in federal funding to support the center’s construction and operation.
“We now know that the federal and state government had records confirming that they closely partnered on this facility from the beginning but failed to disclose them to the district court,” said Tania Galloni, one of the attorneys for the environmental groups.
An appellate panel in Atlanta put a temporary hold on a lower court judge’s ruling that would have closed the state-built facility. The new evidence should now be considered as the judges decide the facility’s permanent fate, Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, said in court papers on Wednesday.
A federal judge in Miami in mid-August ordered the facility to wind down operations over two months because officials had failed to do a review of the detention center’s environmental impact according to federal law. That judge concluded that a reimbursement decision already had been made.
The Florida Department of Emergency Management, which led the efforts to build the Everglades facility, didn’t respond to an emailed inquiry on Thursday.
Florida has led other states in constructing facilities to support President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Besides the Everglades facility, which received its first detainees in July, Florida has opened an immigration detention center in northeast Florida and is looking at opening a third facility in the Florida Panhandle.
The environmental lawsuit is one of three federal court challenges to the Everglades facility. In the others, detainees said Florida agencies and private contractors hired by the state have no authority to operate the center under federal law. They’re also seeking a ruling ensuring access to confidential communications with their attorneys.
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Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform Bluesky: @mikeysid.bsky.social
TALLAHASSEE – Florida lawmakers are once again trying to crack down on distracted driving, this time with a proposal that goes further than the state’s current law.
Senate Bill 1152, filed ahead of the upcoming legislative session, would make it illegal for drivers to hold a phone while operating a motor vehicle. Drivers could still use GPS, make phone calls, or use navigation apps, but only through hands-free technology such as Bluetooth or built-in vehicle systems.
That restriction would apply even when a vehicle is stopped at a red light or in traffic. The bill defines “handheld” use broadly, including holding a phone in one or both hands or bracing it against the body.
Supporters say Florida’s existing law, which primarily targets texting while driving, doesn’t fully address the many ways drivers use their phones behind the wheel and can be difficult for law enforcement to enforce consistently.
The bill also includes privacy protections. Law enforcement officers would not be allowed to search or confiscate a driver’s phone without a warrant.
State officials say distracted driving remains a serious and persistent problem across Florida.
By the numbers:
The most recent available data for a single year shows nearly 300 people were killed and more than 2,200 others suffered serious injuries in crashes involving distracted drivers in 2024. A crash happens in Florida about every 44 seconds, and roughly one in seven crashes involves a distracted driver, according to state data.
Advocates point to other states with hands-free laws, saying those states have seen declines in deadly crashes after similar measures were adopted.
READ: Trump calls for ban on Wall Street buying single-family homes, citing affordability concerns
What’s next:
The bill will be taken up during the 2026 legislative session, which begins Tuesday, Jan. 13. It must pass committee hearings and full votes in both chambers before going to the governor.
If approved, the law would take effect Oct. 1, 2026.
The Source: This story is based on the filed text of Senate Bill 1152 and data from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
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