KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Right now you might be wishing you bought a Powerball ticket in Kissimmee, because someone in Central Florida just won $182 million with a ticket they bought at the Publix on Fortune Road (see map).
A lottery spokesperson says they usually average about a week before they have a winner come forward. They said the name of the winner becomes public record, even if they ask to remain anonymous.
The odds of one person walking away with the Powerball grand prize is one in more than 195,000,000, but it happened at the Kissimmee Publix on, appropriately named, Fortune Road.
The new millionaire has yet to come forward, but he or she is already the talk of the shopping center.
"I heard it was a local, someone who shops here all the time and lives local. They're probably moving soon," one customer said, laughing.
There's no telling if the winner is planning a big move, but financial advisor Dennis Michels just hopes they're planning something.
"Sit down, make a lifetime plan. Make sure 20, 30, 50 years from now you're not out of money," he said.
Michels specializes in clients that come into sudden wealth. His best advice is to assemble a team of trusted financial experts.
"There will be people coming from every place you can imagine trying to make a claim on those assets. So, if you have a team of advisors in place you can tell the entourage to speak to your advisor," he said.
Michels also recommends the winner walk away with the lump sum rather than payments over 30 years. In this case, we're talking $91 million, a figure most people can only dream about.
The Publix will get $65,000 for selling the winning ticket. The winner has two deadlines to keep in mind: if they want monthly payment they have 180 days to claim the prize; if they want the lump sum they have 60 days to come forward.
Central Florida has had remarkably good luck with Powerball since its debut in the state in January 2009. The game is played in 42 states, Washington DC, and the US Virgin Islands.
In the past two years, Florida has had four winners, one in Bradenton, one in Hollywood, and two big winners in Central Florida.
Dr. William Steele, from Windermere, won a $189 million jackpot, and a Kissimmee winner is now taking home the $182 million jackpot.
WFTV
