News Releases 10/02
   
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NR 10-31-02 ... Surfside is the 224th Florida location to register a Fantasy 5 jackpot winner.

Orange City Great Grandfather Claims $11.00 Million Lotto Jackpot

NR 10-29-02 ... On Tuesday, Oct 29, a disabled Korean War veteran from Orange City claimed the $11.00 million Lotto jackpot from the Oct 26 drawing at Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. James E. "Jim" Outlaw (71) opted to collect his award in form of a single cash payment of $6,357,676, instead of receiving 30 annual installments worth approximately $366,666 each. He was accompanied by his wife Beverly (73).

"I bought my tickets for Saturday night's [Oct 26] drawing like I usually do, at the Publix in DeLand while I was grocery shopping," said Jim, who is retired. "But I didn't check them that night. I waited until Sunday morning [Oct 27] when I took my car to the repair shop and was waiting for the front end to be aligned."

"I saw my numbers in the newspaper and checked my tickets, but didn't say anything while I was in the waiting room," Jim commented. "I knew then I had won the Lotto, but didn't want to say anything out loud with everyone around me."

Jim stated that after his car was repaired, he drove home and said to his wife, "Beverly, I've got something to tell you." Beverly, who is a retired bookkeeper and office manager, replied by asking him, "Did you wreck the car or something?"

Jim responded quietly, "No, I just won the Lotto." To which Beverly remarked, "I think you're kidding me."

Beverly mentioned that her husband is always kidding around with her and she didn't believe his good news at first. But she was finally convinced that he won the Lotto jackpot when he showed her his tickets and the winning numbers in the newspaper.

Beverly and Jim indicated that they decided not to call any of their 10 grown children, 14 grandchildren or 5 great grandchildren - who live in various parts of the country - to tell them they had won. The couple disclosed that they conveyed the news to one of Jim's brothers, who had called them to say that the winning ticket was sold in DeLand. They also met with a financial adviser at their local bank.

"I kept the ticket hidden in my wallet until we came to Tallahassee today," Jim reported. "The only plans we have for our winnings right now are to move into a new house."

Jim bought his lucky Quick Pick ticket at Publix Supermarket, located at 2410 South Woodland Blvd. in DeLand. The Publix Corporation will receive a $10,000 retailer bonus for selling the jackpot winning ticket.

Jim is the 30th Florida Lotto winner with a ticket from Volusia County, the 3rd winner with a ticket from the city of DeLand, and the 740th overall winner since the game began in 1988.

Lynn Haven Family Claims $32.00 Million Lotto Jackpot

NR 10-29-02 ... On Tuesday, Oct 29, a family from Lynn Haven claimed the $32.00 million Lotto jackpot from the Oct 16 drawing at Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. Martha and Wayne Perdue chose to collect their award in form of a single cash payment of $17,807,086, instead of receiving 30 annual installments worth approximately $1,066,666 each.

The Perdue's Lotto jackpot claim was made under the name of M & WV Perdue, Ltd. The winners were accompanied by Bay County Sheriff Guy Tunnell - a family friend, attorney Don Anchors, and their daughter Kim.

"I have played the Lottery since the first day it started - partly because it does help support education," said Martha, who is the secretary to Bay County's school superintendent and has worked for the Bay County School District for 31 years.

Using $8.00 from an $84.50 prize she had won on a 4-of-6 Lotto ticket just two days earlier [Oct 12], Martha bought two tickets with four Lotto combinations on each. One of them was the winner!

Martha bought her lucky Quick Pick ticket at the Petro Food Mart, located at 1824 Tennessee Avenue in Lynn Haven. The store has received a $10,000 retailer bonus for selling the jackpot winning ticket.

For Martha, discovering that she had the winning ticket turned out to be a family affair. First, her daughter Kim called her the morning after the drawing [Oct 17] to let her know that the winning ticket was sold in Lynn Haven.

"I heard it on the radio while I was driving to work," Kim observed. "The DJ, Dr. Shane, was talking about the Lotto winner and making reference to the jackpot being won in Lynn Haven - so I called mother and was really joking about her being the winner."

Then, after the call from her daughter, Martha called her parents. She knew that they always wrote the winning numbers down.

"I was in disbelief," Martha pronounced. "My first thought was Mom and Dad must have called the wrong numbers. Then it hit me: I'm the winner, we won the Lottery, our family's rich!"

Next she called her husband who was at breakfast on a business trip, and said, "Wayne, come home! We're rich!"

"He didn't believe me until I checked with the Lottery," Martha indicated. "Nobody believed me at first. When they finally believed me, we had a family reunion at my parents' house."

"This is a dream come true!" Martha expressed. "I'm glad we have won as a family." She revealed that her most cherished wish is to be able to provide assistance to her parents and her daughter.

Both Martha and Wayne stated that they plan to continue working at their present jobs for now. Martha conveyed that she has no immediate plans for her proceeds - except to take a shopping spree when the money is transferred into her bank account.

"My dream was to win the Lotto - that was my biggest dream," Martha commented. "I really have not thought this far. I first wanted to make sure we had the right ticket before we made any plans. I'm not making any changes until things settle down."

The Perdues are the 12th Florida Lotto winners with a ticket from Bay County, the 2nd winners with a ticket from the city of Lynn Haven, and the 739th overall winners since the game began in 1988.

NR 10-28-02 ... One player with DeLand ticket wins $11 million Lotto jackpot on Oct 26 !!!

This is the third Lotto jackpot from Volusia County in 2002.
 This is the 30th Lotto jackpot from Volusia County since 1988.
 This is the third Lotto jackpot from DeLand [see table].

Draw Date Payout / W W Jackpot Location
60 06/24/89 $777,778 9 $7.00 m DeLand
383 09/02/95 $7.78 m 2 $15.56 m DeLand
913 10/26/02 $11.00 m 1 $11.00 m DeLand

NR 10-22-02 ... Aventura is the 223rd Florida location to register a Fantasy 5 jackpot winner.

NR 10-20-02 ... A $242,950 winning ticket from Poinciana is the highest Fantasy 5 payout in Osceola County.

NR 10-17-02 ... One player with Lynn Haven ticket wins $32 million Lotto jackpot on Oct 16 !!!

This is the highest Lotto payout ever in Bay County.
 This is the first Lotto jackpot from Bay County in more than 5 years [since 05-31-97].
 This is the second Lotto jackpot from Lynn Haven.
 The first Lotto jackpot from Lynn Haven, a $10 million prize on 12-16-95, was never claimed.

Lotto Jackpots By City In Bay County

City in Bay W Last Jackpot
Laguna Beach 3 02/03/96
Lynn Haven 2 10/16/02
Panama City 3 04/08/95
Panama City Beach 2 05/31/97
Parker 1 11/23/91
Springfield 1 10/26/91
Total 12  

Gainesville Man Claims $10.00 Million Lotto Jackpot

NR 10-16-02 ... On Tuesday, Oct 15, a man from Gainesville claimed the $10.00 million Lotto jackpot from the Sep 18 drawing at Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. Dean T. Beckman (48) chose to collect his award in form of 30 annual installments worth approximately $350,000 each, instead of receiving a single cash payment of $5,893,021.

"I prefer the long, slow way to receive the winnings," said Dean, who is the Audio/Video Services Manager for Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville. "I'm not that good at investing. Receiving the money over 30 years will give me time to learn."

Dean has been playing Lotto about once a week since the game started in 1988, and essentially used the same set of numbers during the entire 14-year period.

"I only changed the numbers I play once in that time and that was when the Lotto went up to 53 numbers [in Oct 1999]," Dean indicated. "I thought it was great when it changed to 53 numbers. I kept mostly the same numbers, but the change to 53 numbers gave me a chance to play my birth year [1953]."

Dean observed that his winning combination also included his birthday [the 17th] and other numbers he had selected at random 14 years ago. His winning combination for the Sep 18 drawing was [06 - 08 - 17 - 25 - 33 – 53].

Dean bought his lucky ticket at the Sprint Food Store, located at 9303 NW 39th Avenue in Gainesville. The store will receive a $10,000 retailer bonus for selling the jackpot winning ticket.

Dean also stated that he revisited the Sprint Food Store two days after the drawing [on Sep 20], but that he never thought he was the winner - even after hearing from the clerk that the winning ticket was sold at that location.

"My reaction was 'some lucky guy had won,'" he remarked. "I looked at the numbers and it still did not dawn on me." Back home, however, Dean took out his Lotto ticket and checked the numbers one by one.

"The winning numbers were on the very first line of my ticket, but I thought it couldn't be," Dean expressed. "Then I realized: it's me, it's me, it's me!"

Dean, who was a student at Santa Fe Community College in the 70s and has worked there for 27 years since then, said he plans to work three more years for regular retirement at 30 years.

"I love the people and I love the work I do," he stated. "It's great. I love the daily contact with the people there."

Dean foresees only two changes: He will replace the aging car he purchased for $750 with an SUV and, eventually, he will also buy a house.

Dean is the 7th Florida Lotto winner with a ticket from Alachua County, the 4th winner with a ticket from the city of Gainesville, and the 737th overall winner since the game began in 1988.

NR 10-12-02 ... Vero Beach is the 222nd Florida location to register a Fantasy 5 jackpot winner.

NR 10-08-02 ... Dade City is the 221st Florida location to register a Fantasy 5 jackpot winner.

NR 10-06-02 ... Malabar is the 220th Florida location to register a Fantasy 5 jackpot winner.

NR 10-04-02 ... Added a new Fantasy 5 Unclaimed Jackpot Tickets page.