A routine grocery run at a Port Charlotte Publix has turned into a serious payday, after a shopper there bought one of two winning tickets in Tuesday's Florida Lottery Fantasy 5 evening drawing, splitting roughly a $50,000 top prize. The winning numbers were 2-5-7-16-22, and word of the score quickly rippled through the Gulf Cove shopping center. State lottery results went up early Tuesday and flagged the Port Charlotte store as one of the lucky points of sale.
According to Gulf Coast News Fort Myers, the winning ticket was sold at the Publix at 13435 South McCall Road in Port Charlotte, and two tickets will split the approximately $50,000 payout from the Tuesday evening draw. Gulf Coast News reports that the Florida Lottery listed the retailer and the winning numbers when it posted the official results early Tuesday.
How winners claim their prize
Per the Florida Lottery, draw-game prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing, and players are urged to sign the back of a winning ticket and keep it in a safe spot. Prizes of $599 or less can be redeemed at any authorized retailer. Claims from $600 up to $249,999 are typically handled at district offices, while larger prizes have to be processed at Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee. The Winner's Guide also spells out which forms of identification are accepted and what claim documents winners need to bring when they go to collect.
Publix keeps turning up on winning slips
Publix has been a recurring backdrop for recent Florida Lottery success stories. An Oakland Park grocery run earlier this month produced a $131,000 Fantasy 5 payout, adding to the chain's streak of good-luck headlines. Those repeat wins have more shoppers double-checking their slips in the checkout line, giving the grocery aisles a bit of small-town buzz across the region. Local winners often keep a low profile at first, so the identity of the Port Charlotte ticket holder may not be public right away.
If you bought a ticket for Tuesday's evening drawing, you can scan it at a retailer terminal or check it through the Florida Lottery app, and be sure to hold onto the signed original until your claim is fully processed. For the state's official claiming rules and the initial report on this drawing, see the Gulf Coast News Fort Myers coverage and the Florida Lottery's Winner's Guide.
