A Kissimmee woman is $10 million richer after a Powerball ticket she bought at a neighborhood grocery store matched the winning numbers in a May drawing, though the public didn't learn her name until this week. Noemi Figueroa claimed the prize, choosing a one-time lump-sum payment of nearly $5 million rather than the annuity option.
According to WFTV, Figueroa lives in Kissimmee and bought her winning QuickPick ticket at La Caribena Grocery & Restaurant at 131 Buena Ventura Boulevard, as reported by Patch. The advertised $20 million jackpot from the May 2026 drawing was split between two winning tickets, with Figueroa's Florida ticket and a second winner in Texas each entitled to a $10 million share, per Patch.
Figueroa did not walk away with the full $10 million, however. The station's report notes she opted for a single lump-sum cash payout, and per the same account that gross payment came to $4,488,330.34 before federal tax withholdings — a figure first detailed by Orlando-News.com. Federal law requires the Florida Lottery to withhold 24% in federal income taxes on lottery winnings over $5,000 for U.S. citizens, though Florida itself imposes no state income tax on prize payouts, according to the Florida Lottery.
Why the Announcement Came Months Later
Figueroa actually visited the Florida Lottery's Orlando District Office to claim her winnings on May 8, 2026, well before the public learned her name in mid-August. That gap traces back to Florida Statute § 24.1051, which grants lottery winners of $250,000 or more a temporary 90-day public records exemption protecting their identity after claiming a prize, according to Online Sunshine, even as their city of residence and prize amount become public immediately. The Florida Legislature enacted the exemption to shield major winners from unwanted solicitation and safety risks in the days after a big win.
Powerball itself has kept rolling along in the months since Figueroa's ticket hit. The jackpot for the game's next drawing, scheduled for Wednesday, August 19, 2026, is now estimated at $48 million, per WFTV.
A Pattern of Big Wins Around Central Florida
Figueroa's win adds to a string of major Powerball payouts in Central Florida this year. In March, Christopher Trail of Marion County won a $10 million top prize in the Powerball Double Play drawing from a ticket purchased at a Leesburg Circle K, according to WFTV. Statewide, Florida ranks among the highest-volume Powerball states in the nation, having awarded more than $4.07 billion across over 158 million winning tickets — including 17 jackpot winners — since joining the multi-state game in January 2009, per News4JAX.
Kissimmee in particular has become something of a lottery hotspot. Hoodline previously reported on a $20.5 million Florida Lotto win claimed by a Kissimmee player in August 2024 after a ticket was sold at a local gas station, and a Kissimmee resident won $2 million on a scratch-off game in May 2025.
Retailer Commissions and Education Funding
Neighborhood retailers like La Caribena Grocery & Restaurant stand to benefit financially from selling a winning ticket. Florida Lottery retailers earn a 6.06% commission on ticket sales plus bonus commissions for selling jackpot-winning tickets, part of a system that has paid out more than $6.4 billion to over 13,000 participating businesses statewide, according to the Florida Lottery.
Powerball sales also feed into a much larger pot for Florida schools. Ticket sales in the state have generated more than $3.37 billion for Florida public education programs since Florida joined Powerball in 2009, News4JAX reports. In April, the Florida Lottery announced its total cumulative transfers to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund had surpassed $50 billion since state lottery operations began in 1988, according to NASPL Insights Online, with those funds supporting K-12 programs and the Bright Futures Scholarship Program.
