Florida winner of historic Powerball jackpot to be announced Wednesday

MELBOURNE BEACH, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Maybe you forgot about that huge Powerball jackpot from last month and the winning ticket that was sold here in Central Florida?   On Wednesday, the Florida Lottery will introduce the winner, or winners, to the world.

Back on January 13, there had been nineteen consecutive Powerball drawings with no winner.  That’s when lightning struck at a Melbourne Beach Publix.  But we will soon find out who beat the odds of one-in-292 million.

The mystery almost faded from our memories.  Someone with incredible luck snagged one third of a $1.58 billion Powerball jackpot -- the largest lottery jackpot ever in the world.  

Tip Tipton of  North Carolina bought tickets for the historic drawing.  He said, “My daughter called me and asked if I won, and my sister called me and asked me if I won, and I said ‘no, sorry I didn’t win.’”

The winner, or winners, in Melbourne Beach laid low and never came forward, until now.  The Florida Lottery is expected to introduce them in Tallahassee. 

Maybe you remember John and Lisa Robinson from Tennessee.  The couple claimed one-third of the January jackpot and took home a one-time lump sum of 187 million dollars after taxes instead of taking a payout over thirty years.  

Tipton contemplated, “I don’t think I’m going to live another thirty years, to be honest with you.  I would you take the lump sum and invest it.”

Beck Ballas says the rumors have run rampant at the supermarket.  He admits the coworkers and customers have speculated a bunch. “I mean crazy rumors that I don’t even know how people could find out.”  All of us can still dream about what we would do with $187 million if we took the big prize all at once, but only the winners know how they will actually spend it.  Ballas added, “I would donate a lot of it. That’s for sure, because I mean, that’s so much money there’s no way I could spend all that.”

The owner of the third winning Powerball ticket from the January 13 drawing still has not come forward.  That ticket was purchased in California.