Florida

Mega Millions winning numbers for Tuesday, Jan. 28, $44 million angel numbers jackpot.

Published

1 year ago

January 29, 2025

Mega Millions winning numbers for Tuesday, Jan. 28, million angel numbers jackpot.

Will a $2 Mega Millions ticket make you a millionaire this week? It made two lucky jackpot winners rich less than one month a part.

On Christmas Eve 2024, the jackpot hit $1 billion — the 12th time in history that a Mega Millions or Powerball lottery jackpot hit that milestone. Only once has a lottery jackpot surpassed $2 billion (see below). On Friday, Dec. 27, the jackpot shot up to $1.22 billion. The next day, the Florida Lottery reported one ticket in California matched all five numbers plus the Mega Ball.

And less than a month later, a much smaller Mega Millions jackpot was claimed again, when a ticket in Arizona won the $113 million jackpot last Friday, Jan. 17.

The Mega Millions jackpot has rolled over twice since it was reset just over a week ago and now sits at $44 million (angel numbers!) for this Tuesday’s drawing.

Although no one claimed the jackpot, there was one big winner in last Friday’s Mega Millions drawing. A ticket purchased in Texas matched 5 plus the Megaplier for a $2 million prize.

The winning numbers for the Mega Millions lottery drawing on Tuesday, Jan. 28 were 8-12-43-52-62 and the Mega Ball was 18. Megaplier was 2x.

Mega Millions tickets start at $2 apiece. Below are some frequently asked questions about the game, when winning tickets expire in Florida (it differs state by state) and lottery odds. Good luck!

Latest Mega Millions winning numbers

Mega Millions lottery drawings are at 11 p.m. EST on Tuesdays and Fridays. The winning numbers for the Mega Millions lottery drawing on Tuesday, Jan. 28 were 8-12-43-52-62 and the Mega Ball was 18. Megaplier was 2x.

In case you’re wondering, the winning numbers for the drawing on Friday, Jan. 24 were 8-12-43-52-62 and the Mega Ball was 18. Megaplier was 2x.

What day is the next Mega Millions drawing?

Mega Millions drawings are at 11 p.m. EST on Tuesdays and Fridays. The next Mega Millions lottery drawing will be at 11 p.m. EST Friday, Jan. 31, 2025.

When was Mega Millions last won? How long the jackpot has rolled over

After less than a month of rolling over, the $113 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot was won on Friday, Jan. 17, when a ticket in Arizona matched all five numbers plus the Mega Ball.

Below is a recap of lottery drawings for the latest streak.

How long do you have to cash in a 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.

How likely is it to win the Mega Millions?

The odds of winning are pretty low. According to the Mega 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.

Does the Florida Lottery reveal lottery winners? Can you stay anonymous if you win lottery in Florida?

According to Florida 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 highest Mega Millions jackpots of all time?

As of Jan. 28, 2025, these are the largest Mega Millions prizes in the history of the game, according to megamillions.com.

The largest Mega Millions jackpot won on a single ticket was for $1.58 billion for Aug. 8, 2023, drawing. Final sales pushed the grand prize to $1.602 billion. The winning ticket was sold at a Neptune Beach, Florida, Publix. Saltines Holdings LLC of Miami, Florida, claimed the prize.
The second-largest Mega Millions jackpot was $1.537 billion, won in South Carolina on Oct. 23, 2018.
$1.348 billion won in Maine on Jan. 13, 2023
$1.337 billion won in Illinois on July 29, 2022
$1.22 billion won in California on Dec. 27, 2024
$1.128 billion won in Neptune, New Jersey, on March 26, 2024
$1.050 billion won in Michigan on Jan. 22, 2021
$800 million won in Texas on Sept. 10, 2024
$552 million won in Illinois on June 4, 2024
$543 million won in California on July 24, 2018

What are the 10 largest U.S. lottery jackpots ever won?

As of Jan. 28, 2025, there have been 12 lottery jackpots that have reached or surpassed $1 billion. Only once has a jackpot surpassed $2 billion. These are the biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history.

$2.04 billion Powerball prize, Nov. 7, 2022, Edwin Castro of Altadena, California
$1.73 billion Powerball prize, Oct. 11, 2023, Theodorus Struyck of California (ticket purchased at Midway Market in California)
$1.586 billion Powerball prize, Jan. 13, 2016, Marvin and Mae Acosta of California, Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt of Melbourne Beach, Florida, and John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee
$1.58 billion Mega Millions prize, Aug. 8, 2023, Saltines Holdings LLC of Miami, Florida
$1.537 billion Mega Millions prize, Oct. 23, 2018, won by an anonymous player in South Carolina
$1.348 billion Mega Millions prize, Jan. 13, 2023, LaKoma Island Investments, LLC, with the ticket purchased in Lebanon, Maine
$1.337 billion Mega Millions prize, July 29, 2022, won by an anonymous partnership with a ticket purchased in Des Plaines, Illinois
$1.326 billion Powerball prize, April 6, 2024, Cheng and Duanpen Saephan and Laiza Chao of Oregon
$1.22 billion Mega Millions, Dec. 27, winner TBD from California
$1.128 billion Mega Millions prize, March 26, 2024, won by an anonymous winner in New Jersey with the ticket purchased at ShopRite Liquor No. 781 in Neptune Township, New Jersey
$1.08 billion Powerball prize, July 19, 2023, Yanira Alvarez of California
$1.050 billion Mega Millions prize, Jan. 22, 2021, won by the Wolverine FLL Club of Oakland County, Michigan

(This story will be updated.)

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Florida

House ethics panel finds Florida congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick committed 25 violations

Published

6 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

House ethics panel finds Florida congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick committed 25 violations

WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee found Friday that Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida had committed numerous violations of House rules and ethics standards, a ruling that could add weight to Republicans’ push to expel her from Congress.

After meeting for over seven hours Thursday night, an ethics panel composed of four Democrats and four Republicans found that Cherfilus-McCormick had committed 25 ethics violations. The panel said it would recommend a punishment in the coming weeks.

The allegations center around her receipt of millions of dollars from her family’s health care business after the state of Florida made an overpayment of roughly $5 million in disaster relief funds. Cherfilus-McCormick is accused of using that money to fund her 2022 congressional campaign through a network of businesses and family members.

The congresswoman, who is running for a fourth term representing a southeastern Florida district, has denied wrongdoing, and her attorney stridently criticized Thursday’s public hearing — the first open proceeding in nearly 15 years. But the ruling from the Ethics Committee could fuel a potential vote on her expulsion and divide a Democratic Caucus that is trying to make a comeback to power in the November elections.

Cherfilus-McCormick also faces federal charges for allegedly stealing the $5 million in COVID-19 disaster relief funds and using it for purchases like a 3-carat yellow diamond ring. Her brother, former chief of staff and accountant were also charged in the alleged scheme. She pleaded not guilty to those charges, and her attorney indicated Thursday that the trial is expected to start in the coming months.

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Florida

Driver arrested after allegedly plowing onto Florida airport tarmac

Published

18 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Driver arrested after allegedly plowing onto Florida airport tarmac

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Florida

Audubon Florida leader has built reputation for working across party lines | The Invading Sea

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Audubon Florida leader has built reputation for working across party lines | The Invading Sea

By Issabella Gutierrez

As a child growing up in rural Florida, Julie Wraithmell once stood at the foot of a tall pine tree and watched a woman climb 50 feet into the air to occupy an abandoned eagle’s nest. The woman, Doris Mager, stayed there for a week to raise money for raptor rehabilitation. For young Julie, the “nest-in” became a blueprint for a life in conservation.

In Florida’s often unpredictable environmental policy landscape, Wraithmell has built a reputation for working across party lines.

Audubon Florida Executive Director Julie Wraithmell at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (Photo courtesy of Audubon Florida)

Today, as the vice president and executive director of Audubon Florida, the state office of the National Audubon Society, she leads the organization’s statewide science and advocacy efforts from her office in Tallahassee. She spends the legislative session in committee hearings and meetings with lawmakers, agency officials and conservation leaders.

Over two decades, she has evolved from a field biologist and self-described “bird nerd” into an influential environmental leader in Florida, navigating a political landscape that can be as unpredictable as any treetop.

A native Floridian, Wraithmell earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Duke University and a master’s degree in science from Florida State University.

She began her career in 1997 as a biologist at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, where she worked for eight years and helped launch the Great Florida Birding Trail, a 2,000-mile network connecting more than 500 wildlife-viewing sites.

Wraithmell now oversees 80 Audubon Florida staff members and 45 chapters statewide. Beyond lobbying, she directs habitat restoration strategies and coordinates policy teams focused on land conservation and water quality.

Renée Wilson, a senior communications coordinator at Audubon Florida, described Wraithmell as a “getter-donner” who remains “cool as a cucumber” even when tension runs high in the Capitol.

“She’s not a micromanager,” Wilson said. “She gives you the direction you need, and she’s there if you need a course correction, but she really empowers the staff to follow their passions.”

A great blue heron at Jonathan Dickinson State Park, where the state proposed to build golf courses before public outcry scuttled the plan. (Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Her leadership was tested in 2024 and 2025, when proposals surfaced to add golf courses to state parks and to swap protected land at the Guana River Wildlife Management Area for development. Audubon Florida helped generate tens of thousands of public comments and coordinated bipartisan opposition that led to the withdrawal of both proposals.

Elizabeth Alvi, senior director of policy for Audubon Florida, said Wraithmell’s leadership in these sensitive moments is defined by a refusal to be pulled off course by short-term pressure. She added that Wraithmell is widely respected by lawmakers across the aisle.

“People know that when she speaks, it is grounded in science and aligned with a clear organizational priority, not opportunistic positioning,” Alvi said. “That discipline earns respect in the Capitol because it’s consistent and thoughtful.”

Wraithmell often quotes a mentor who told her that advocacy requires “weaving back and forth across the political aisle like sloppy drunks.”

“You might find yourself fighting a legislator over a road project one year, but you have to be ready to partner with that same person on a land conservation bill the next,” Wraithmell said. Holding onto professional grudges, she said, is a luxury the environment cannot afford.

That pragmatism shapes her push for stable funding for Florida Forever, the state’s land acquisition program that has preserved more than 1 million acres. While funding has fluctuated in recent years, she said unstable funding could impede critical habitat purchases as development pressures increase.

Heavily oiled brown pelicans waiting to be cleaned following the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. (International Bird Rescue Research Center, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

In 2010, Wraithmell led Audubon’s response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, advocating for restoration settlement funds to be directed toward coastal bird habitat recovery. Her efforts earned her the Charles H. Callison Award in 2015, the highest honor from the National Audubon Society.

Wraithmell does not shy away from the topic of climate change.

“The ocean is coming for us,” Wraithmell said. “Whether you call it climate change, sea-level rise or flooding, we are seeing the impacts on our shorebirds and our coastal communities right now.”

Under her leadership, Audubon Florida has expanded coastal resilience efforts, including protecting nesting grounds threatened by rising sea levels and promoting nature-based solutions such as wetland restoration and living shorelines. Alvi said many people underestimate how difficult it is to align science, policy timing and organizational reputation simultaneously.

“The most significant win will likely be institutional strength: a conservation movement in Florida that is more strategic, more science-driven and more disciplined in its public engagement,” Alvi said.

When asked to summarize Florida’s environmental story in a single place, Wraithmell pointed to the Everglades. She described it as an ecosystem shaped by historical “screw-ups,” from ditching and draining to the exploitation of birds.

“It’s a site of people coming together and saying, ‘Whoop, we screwed up. Now what are we going to do about it?’” Wraithmell said. “With billions of dollars in investment, we are seeing results.”

Despite the rapid pace of development across Florida, Wraithmell remains optimistic about the future, pointing to volunteers, students, and local advocates who make up the Audubon Florida network.

“Watching kind of the creative magic that they get up to together,” Wraithmell said. “That is what gives me hope for the next decade.”

The little girl watching from the ground is gone. Now, Julie Wraithmell is the one in the treetop, asking young Floridians to climb with her and protect wild Florida.

Issabella M. Gutierrez is a junior majoring in multimedia journalism at Florida Atlantic University. Banner photo: A great egret flies over the Florida Everglades (iStock image).

Sign up for The Invading Sea newsletter by visiting here. To support The Invading Sea, click here to make a donation. If you are interested in submitting an opinion piece to The Invading Sea, email Editor Nathan Crabbe.

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