NEPTUNE BEACH, Fla. — On a sunny Wednesday morning, at a Publix situated less than a mile from the Atlantic, those going about their morning errands bumped elbows with an assortment of local news crews as excitement, and a little envy, mixed with the humid ocean air.
Inside the store, Jacksonville resident K.C. was beaming as he stood next to the counter at the supermarket in Neptune Beach, where a single ticket was purchased that earned someone the $1.58 billion Mega Millions jackpot from the previous evening’s drawing.
“This is amazing,” the man, who asked to be identified by his initials, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “For the Mega Millions jackpot to be this much and for it to be in this vicinity is just (crazy).”
The lucky numbers from Tuesday’s jackpot were 13, 19, 20, 32, 33 and gold Mega Ball 14, ending a four-month stretch that saw no winners over 31 drawings. The jackpot was a record high for the lottery and among the top three largest-ever drawings in the United States, according to lottery officials.
Shoppers had mixed feelings as they moved about the store. Dorothy Devaney, a regular who was buying food for her husband’s birthday, was given a ticket from a friend for Tuesday’s drawing but didn’t match a single number. She was both shocked and disheartened to learn the winning ticket for the massive jackpot — which has the unlikely odds of one in 302.6 million — was sold inside her Publix at 630 Atlantic Boulevard. She doesn’t buy them often, but plans on changing her habit going forward.
“I’m happy for them, but just wish it was me,” she said at the frozen foods aisle, while looking down with slight disappointment. “I can’t help but be a little green with envy.”
Credit: David Aaro / David.Aaro@ajc.com
Credit: David Aaro / David.Aaro@ajc.com
MaKenna Lehmann, 24, who moved to the beachfront city of roughly 7,000 residents from Gainesville, Florida, nearly three years ago, said “everyone” was texting her about how the winning ticket was sold at the store she frequents, and not another Publix just down the street. Even though Lehmann doesn’t usually buy tickets, her heart sank upon learning the truth.
“I’m sick about it,” she said. “I wish it was me, obviously.”
Despite the billion-dollar buzz, many customers went about their day as normal, and the supermarket wasn’t too crowded on the weekday morning. Many parking spots remained open and some shoppers had no idea a winning ticket had been sold.
Navigating the produce section were married couple Howard and Susan Tomlinson. They moved to the area from Pennsylvania six years ago and purchase lottery tickets at the store for every drawing. The couple weren’t excited about the ticket being sold there because, well, they didn’t win. Howard and Susan, along with many other shoppers, were waiting anxiously to see who did. In Florida, a recent law allows winners of lottery prizes of more than $250,000 to remain anonymous for 90 days.
“I hope I know them,” Howard joked. “Maybe I can get a free meal out of it.”
According to the lottery, the supermarket will get a $100,000 “bonus commission” for selling the winning ticket. Supermarket employees deferred questions to Publix spokesperson Hannah Herring, who declined to provide comment. The lottery, she said, is a service offered to customers.
The winner has the option to be paid in yearly increments or get a lump sum before taxes, which for Tuesday’s jackpot was an estimated $783.3 million. The previous Mega Millions jackpot record was $1.537 billion, won in South Carolina in October 2018.
“We congratulate our newest jackpot winner, as well as the more than 43.7 million winners at all prize levels throughout this jackpot run,” Georgia Lottery President and CEO Gretchen Corbin, lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium, said in a statement Wednesday. “We also celebrate the funds generated for the many good causes supported by our participating lotteries.”
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