“Publix, where shopping is a pleasure,” has never been truer for two Florida shoppers who won record-breaking lottery jackpots from tickets bought at the beloved grocery chain.
With the Mega Millions jackpot nearing $1 billion again, Floridians may be trying their luck while picking up groceries ahead of the Oct. 31 Halloween drawing. After no one matched all numbers in the Oct. 28 drawing, the grand prize surged from $714 million to $754 million overnight.
The last time the jackpot crossed the billion-dollar mark was Sept. 6, 2025, when two winners from Texas and Missouri shared a $1.8 billion Powerball. It marked the 13th time in history that a Mega Millions or Powerball prize topped $1 billion.
Florida has been home to two of those billion-dollar winners — both from Publix stores in beach towns.
On Jan. 13, 2016, Melbourne Beach residents Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt claimed their share of the then-record $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot, buying their ticket from the Publix at 3830 S. SR A1A. The store received a $100,000 commission.
Then, on Aug. 8, 2023, another Publix — this one in Neptune Beach — sold a $1.58 billion Mega Millions ticket, the largest jackpot in Mega Millions history. The prize was claimed by Saltines Holdings LLC of Miami, and the Neptune Beach Publix also earned a $100,000 bonus.
Both winning stores sit in coastal Florida towns — a quirky coincidence that has caught the attention of lottery fans. Out of 13 billion-dollar jackpots nationwide, two came from beachside Publix locations, each worth at least $1.58 billion.
Interestingly, the Neptune Beach Publix sits just 250 feet away from another Publix, which opened in a former Lucky’s Market building in 2023 — a small twist of fate that could have changed a fortune.
As the next big drawing looms, Publix shoppers may once again be hoping lightning strikes twice — or maybe three times — in the Sunshine State.
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