Florida Publix sold winning billion-dollar Mega Millions, Powerball tickets: A look back

“Publix, where shopping is a pleasure.” The iconic catchphrase for the Florida-based grocery chain rang true for not one, but two record-winning lottery winners here.

And now that Mega Millions is creeping toward the billion-dollar jackpot mark, people may be buying up more lottery tickets while shopping for groceries. The next Mega Millions drawing on Friday, Oct. 3, has a $520 million prize.

After no one matched all five numbers plus the Mega Ball in the Tuesday, Sept. 30, Mega Millions drawing, the grand prize jumped from $497 million to $520 million overnight. The last billion-dollar lottery drawing was won Sept. 6, 2025, when a pair of tickets from Texas and Missouri split the $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot. That draw produced several second-tier winners, including a ticket-holder in Florida.

Will $5 ticket lead to $520 million? What to know about next big Mega Millions jackpot

It was the 13th time in history that a Mega Millions or Powerball lottery jackpot reached or surpassed $1 billion. Only once in history did a grand prize reach $2 billion (see below). The total recently made the Top 10 biggest Powerball lottery jackpots of all-time after months of rollovers.

Florida has seen record lottery jackpot wins − and interestingly, those winning tickets came from a Florida grocery store.

On Jan. 13, 2016, #MelbourneBeach was trending on social media, and on Aug. 8, 2023, so was #NeptuneBeach, both thanks to a local @Publix. In 2016, David Kaltschmidt and Maureen Smith of Melbourne Beach claimed their share of what was then the largest Powerball jackpot in the history of the game, $1.586 billion. Then, in 2023, a winner from Neptune Beach matched all five numbers plus the Mega Ball to win the biggest jackpot in the history of Mega Millions, $1.58 billion.

Is it a little crazy − or interestingly coincidental − to think that of the 13 times a lottery jackpot has hit $1 billion or more that two of the winning tickets were purchased at a beachtown Publix in Florida and the prize was at least $1.58 billion?

What are the odds? Florida Lottery game drawing has consecutive numbers: 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9

Read on to find out more similarities and differences of this strange yet fascinating lottery coincidence.

When was the first time a lottery jackpot hit $1 billion? Who won $1.586 billion Powerball on Jan. 13, 2016?

Powerball made history Jan. 11, 2016, the first time a lottery jackpot hit $1 billion. After no one matched all five numbers plus the Powerball in the (Saturday) Jan. 9, 2016, drawing for $949 million, the Monday jackpot soared to $1.4 billion. (No one won that drawing either.) Powerball made history again when three tickets matched all six numbers to win $1.586 billion in the (Wednesday) Jan. 13, 2016, drawing.

The jackpot started Nov. 4, 2015, at $40 million. It had rolled over almost 30 times from Nov. 4, 2015, to Jan. 13, 2016, before three tickets from California, Tennessee and Melbourne Beach, Florida, claimed the $1.586 billion grand prize. In 2016, FLORIDA TODAY reported Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt bought their winning Powerball ticket at a Publix in Melbourne Beach. The store received a $100,000 commission from the Florida Lottery for selling one of the billion-dollar tickets.

As of Oct. 1, 2025, the$1.586 billion Powerball prize is still in the Top 10 largest lottery jackpots of all-time.

Melbourne Beach Publix is the only grocery store in that town

Sandwiched between Indialantic and Sebastian, Melbourne Beach is a small town that’s part of Florida’s Space Coast. Publix, 3830 S. SR A1A, Melbourne Beach, is in the Driftwood Plaza.

Who won $1.58 billion Mega Millions on Aug. 8, 2023? A Florida Publix sold winning ticket

After months of rollovers, on Aug. 8, 2023, someone was lucky enough to buy a $2 Mega Millions ticket worth $1.58 billion from a Publix in Neptune Beach, Florida. On Sept. 25, the winner — Saltines Holdings LLC of Miami, Florida — claimed the prize.

Like its sister store in Melbourne Beach, the Neptune Beach Publix also received a $100,000 bonus commission.

As of Oct. 1, 2025, more than two years since the “Neptune Beach Publix win,” the$1.586 billion Powerball prize remains on the list of Top 10 largest lottery jackpots of all-time and the biggest Mega Millions lottery jackpot in the history of the game.

Neptune Beach Publix where winning Mega Millions ticket was bought is next to another Publix. And formerly Lucky’s Market

The billion-dollar Mega Millions winner is truly lucky. If the person had bought their ticket just about 250 feet away at the new Publix next door, the day after the lottery drawing would’ve been $1.58 billion less exciting.

The newer Publix next door was previously a Lucky’s Market. After closing its doors in 2020 and sitting empty until 2023, it was surprisingly turned into a Publix store – only about 250 feet away from Neptune Beach’s original Publix store.

Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida Publix sold winning $1 billion Mega Millions, Powerball ticket