Two Florida Lottery Tickets Each Win $1 Million in Recent Drawings

NAPLES, Fla. — Two lucky lottery ticket holders in Florida became millionaires recently, winning $1 million each from separate drawings. A ticket purchased from a Publix in Naples matched five numbers in the Powerball drawing held on Monday, Feb. 24, while another winning ticket from a Port St. Lucie Publix matched five numbers in the previous drawing on Wednesday, Feb. 19.

The winning numbers for the Feb. 24 Powerball drawing were 10-11-34-59-68, with the Powerball being 14. The price of the ticket from Publix at 12663 Tamiami Trail East did not include the Power Play option, which would have multiplied the winnings. Naples is located in Southwest Florida, near Fort Myers.

Hours earlier, on Feb. 19, a ticket purchased at the Publix located at 3253 SW Port St. Lucie Boulevard in Port St. Lucie matched the five numbers of 6-21-28-49-60, with a Powerball of 20. As with the Naples ticket, this Quick Pick ticket also won $1 million but did not opt for the Power Play option.

Florida is experiencing a wave of lottery luck lately, with this event marking the third time in February that a Publix grocery store has sold a winning ticket for the Powerball’s second-tier prize. On Feb. 1, another $1 million ticket was sold at a Publix in Spring Hill.

State lottery officials remind winners that in Florida, prizes must be claimed within 180 days following the drawing date. To claim a cash option prize within the initial 60 days is necessary. This includes all prizes for Florida Lottery games, including the Powerball and Mega Millions.

Experts note that while winners cannot remain anonymous under Florida law, details of winners who claim prizes of $250,000 or more are kept confidential for 90 days from the date of claiming unless waived by the contestant. This law has prompted many discussions on how to safeguard one’s identity after a significant win.

According to the Florida Lottery, the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are approximately 1 in 292.2 million. Prizes range significantly, from $2 for matching just the Powerball number to multimillion-dollar jackpots.

As the Powerball continues, the next drawing scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 26, will feature a jackpot of $248 million, with a cash option estimated at $113.4 million. Lottery players are reminded to purchase their tickets in hopes of striking it rich.