State Specific Rules
You must be at least 18 years of age to buy a FL Powerball ticket, and ticket sales close at 10:00pm ET on the days of the draw. You can enter up to 39 consecutive drawings in advance, and you can either pick your own numbers, or opt for a Quick Pick selection. Just mark the Quick Pick box on your playslip to receive a randomly generated line of numbers. You can also select the Double Play option in Florida to enter the additional drawing with a top prize of $10 million.
You can watch the drawings on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday evenings in Florida at approximately 10:59pm ET. Just find the station and channel below based on your city of residence
| City | Station | Affiliate | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ft. Myers | WFTX | Fox | 4 |
| Ft. Myers | WWDT | Telemundo | 43 |
| Gainesville | WCJB | ABC | 20 |
| Jacksonville | WTLV/WJXX | NBC/ABC | Dec-25 |
| Miami | WSCV | Telemundo | 51 |
| Miami | WFOR/WBFS | CBS | 10 |
| Orlando | WKMG | CBS | 6 |
| Orlando | WTMO | Telemundo | 31 |
| Panama City | WJHG | NBC | 7 |
| Pensacola | WEAR | ABC | 3 |
| Sarasota | WWSB | ABC | 7 |
| Tallahassee | WTXL | ABC | 27 |
| Tampa | WTSP | CBS | 10 |
| Tampa | WRMD | Telemundo | 49 |
How to Claim Prizes
Prizes worth less than $600 can be collected from any licensed retailer or District Office in the state, or the Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee. There are no state taxes on lottery prizes in Florida.
Prizes worth between $600 and $1 million can be claimed from a District Office or the Florida Lottery headquarters, and you must present a completed Winner Claim Form and proof of identification when making your claim. Winnings valued up to $250,000 can also be claimed by mailing your winning ticket to:
Florida Lottery,
Claims Processing,
250 Marriott Drive,
Tallahassee, FL 32399-9939
Prizes worth over $1 million - including the jackpot - can only be processed from the Florida Lottery headquarters. You can contact the Player Information Line on (850) 487-7787, or phone the Telecommunication Device for the Deaf (TDD) on (850) 487-7784.
| Location | Address | Telephone Number: |
|---|---|---|
| Florida Lottery Headquarters | 250 Marriott Drive Tallahassee, FL 32301 | (850) 487-7777 |
| Pensacola | Trade Winds Shopping Center 6601 North Davis Highway - Suite 54 Pensacola, FL 32504-6301 | (850) 484-5020 |
| Tallahassee | 250 Marriott Drive Tallahassee, FL 32301 | (850) 487-7799 |
| Gainesville | Butler Plaza 3926 Southwest Archer Road Gainesville, FL 32608-2342 | (352) 334-3880 |
| Jacksonville | 8206 Philips Highway - Suite #36 Jacksonville, FL 32256 | (904) 448-4760 |
| Tampa | Centerpoint Business Park 1911 US Highway 301 North - Suite 170 Tampa, FL 33619-2661 | (813) 744-6134 |
| Orlando | West Town Corners 380 South State Road 434 - Suite 1028 Altamonte Springs, FL 32714 | (407) 788-2202 |
| Fort Myers | 11760 Metro Parkway Fort Myers, FL 33966 | (239) 278-7111 |
| West Palm Beach | 6965 Vista Parkway North, Unit 1 West Palm Beach, FL 33411 | (561) 640-6190 |
| Miami | 14621 Oak Lane Miami Lakes, FL 33016 | (305) 364-3080 |
You have 180 days from the date of a drawing to come forward and claim your prize in Florida. If the claims deadline for a Powerball jackpot expires without the winner coming forward, the money is returned to the jackpot prize pool for future draws.
Lost and Damaged Tickets
Lottery tickets are considered bearer instruments, so whoever possesses one can claim a prize with it. To help prevent anyone else claiming a prize with a ticket you bought, you should sign and fill in the back of it with your personal details. If a winning ticket is presented to the Florida Lottery and it is clear that the information on the back of the ticket has been doctored, an investigation will be launched to find the rightful owner.
A licensed retailer in Florida might still be able to process your winnings even if your ticket is damaged, depending on whether the barcode and ticket number are still visible. You should contact a District Office for further information about lost or damaged tickets.
Going Public
Powerball winners in Florida cannot stay anonymous. State law dictates that if you are a winner, your name, city of residence, jackpot amount and date the prize was won must be shared with any third party that asks for the information. However, your home address and telephone number will always remain confidential.
Since May 2022, the rules have changed to preserve winners’ anonymity for longer. The Florida Lottery still has to disclose your identity if you win and someone requests the information, but not until 90 days after the prize has been claimed.
Where Does the Money Go?
All profits generated from Powerball ticket sales in Florida are given to the Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF) to benefit education throughout the state. The money provides scholarships, better books and technology for schools. Over $34 billion has been raised by the Florida Lottery for this cause since 1988, and the money is appropriated by the Florida Legislature.
The table below shows how the revenue from lottery ticket sales in Florida is split:
| Area of Spending | Percentage of Revenue |
|---|---|
| Prizes | 64.8% |
| Education Fund | 26.9% |
| Retailer Commission and Incentives | 5.6% |
| Ticket Vendor Fees | 1.4% |
| Administrative Costs | 1.3% |
Florida Powerball Winners
There have been many jackpot-winning tickets sold in Florida since 2009, and the state is responsible for playing its part in two of the biggest wins in Powerball history. One of the winning tickets that split the record $1.58 billion jackpot on January 13, 2016 belonged to Floridian residents David Kaltschmidt and Maureen Smith, who took home a pre-tax total of $528 million.
Gloria MacKenzie won a $590 million jackpot on May 18, 2013. At the time, the annuity value of the prize was the biggest win on a single ticket in Powerball history. The then 84-year-old, from Zephyrhills, chose a pre-tax cash lump sum worth $370 million.
