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.
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Brevard County couple gets married in NICU after birth of premature twins
A Florida couple, told they may not be able to have children, welcomed premature twins and had an impromptu NICU wedding.
Provided by AdventHealth for Children
Ben and Danielle Cassidy were told they likely wouldn’t be able to have children.
But this year they will celebrate Mother’s Day just months after having an impromptu wedding in the AdventHealth for Children hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit shortly after Danielle gave birth to twins prematurely — a week before the Palm Bay couple was scheduled to get married.
Both babies, Joshua and Rhett, are doing well despite arriving nine weeks ahead of schedule on Jan. 19, 2026, just one day after their scheduled baby shower. With a proper wedding out of the question with two premature babies in the NICU, a nurse took action.
Issabel Kenkel, the nurse behind the ceremony, said she was already in wedding planning mode for her own upcoming nuptials when she found out the Cassidy family’s ceremony would be interrupted.
“I couldn’t just let them do something small. They needed decorations and something fun, so I spoke to the music therapist and the chaplain,” Kenkel said. In short order, a wedding was being planned for their hospital room and the couple was saying their vows in the company of their safely delivered newborns.
“When we found out we could request staff members to be on our team, that’s when we requested Issabel and having that kind of consistency from someone who has such a big heart and is so kind,” Danielle said.
The hospital ceremony was all the more special because of the Cassidy family’s own health struggles.
“I have five autoimmune diseases and didn’t really think I would have kids. It’s been a rough journey. When Ben and I met, we were floored at how much a miracle it was to have kids,” Danielle said.
Ben, who battled and beat cancer, said he was worried that his prior treatment would result in negative health outcomes for his future children. Having twins for him was an unexpected blessing.
“When we found out we were pregnant, we found it so shocking. We said, wouldn’t it be great if it was twins? It filled out our hopes and dreams list,” Ben said. “They’ve been miracles for sure.”
The Cassidy couple said there was so much fear and uncertainty when their twins were born nine weeks early. Being able to get married right away just made them feel all the better about the future.
“It was nice getting married because we didn’t have to wait any longer to make it official. It made it that much harder for her to get rid of me,” Ben said.
“The unknown made it scary,” Danielle added. “We had no idea how long we would be in the hospital. Our wedding was going to be at the beach with immediate family and parents. Having NICU babies, we realized we’d never be able to get to the beach. It was really special having the people who care for our babies be part of the ceremony.”
The couple hadn’t even planned to have a band at their wedding ceremony and now the hospital’s music therapist was performing live for them and the chaplain was conducting the ceremony, something nurse Kenkel said was just part of her job.
“The babies are going to have the best outcomes if the families are taken care of and going home happy,” she said. “Being in the NICU is already so stressful. This is just one more thing I could do to take care of my patients.”
Tyler Vazquez is the Growth and Development Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-480-0854 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com. X: @tyler_vazquez.
The Vero Beach Police Department took a man into custody May 8 in connection with a threatening phone call directed toward a business.
The agency received information at 5:21 p.m. May 7 about a threatening call to Thrive IRC Inc. at 2300 5th Ave. in Vero Beach, according to a news release. The call included someone threatening to come to the business with an AK rifle and “light the building up.”
Detectives began investigating the threat and identified Michael Sean O’Brien, 27, of Vero Beach, as the person associated with the phone number used during the call.
O’Brien was taken into custody at about 3:30 p.m. May 8 without incident. He was charged with the false report concerning the use of firearms in a violent manner, which is a second degree felony, according to the news release.
O’Brien was booked in the Indian River County Jail at 6:13 p.m. May 8 but was released at 1:36 p.m. May 9 after posting the $5,000 bond, according to the jail website.
No additional information was available the afternoon of May 9.
Olivia Franklin is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com, 317-627-8048 or follow her on X @Livvvvv_5.
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