Two billion-dollar jackpots were purchased at Florida Publix stores — one Mega Millions ticket and one Powerball ticket. The prizes totaled $1.58 billion and $1.586 billion.
Three tickets matched all six numbers on Jan. 13, 2016, splitting a $1.586 billion Powerball prize. David Kaltschmidt and Maureen Smith bought their ticket at a Melbourne Beach Publix. Years later, on Aug. 8, 2023, someone walked into a Neptune Beach Publix and bought a $2 Mega Millions ticket worth $1.58 billion.
Thirteen times. The Mega Millions or Powerball jackpot has hit or topped $1 billion just 13 times, and two of those tickets came from beach town Publix stores in Florida with prizes of at least $1.58 billion.
The Melbourne Beach Publix sits at 3830 S. SR A1A in the Driftwood Plaza. It’s the only grocery store in that town. The Neptune Beach location where the winning ticket was sold sits next to another Publix store.
In Florida, stores that sell winning Mega Millions or Powerball jackpots get a bonus commission. It varies by state. Both Melbourne Beach and Neptune Beach stores received a $100,000 commission from the Florida Lottery for selling one of the billion-dollar tickets.
The most recent billion-dollar drawing was won Sept. 6, 2025, when two tickets from Texas and Missouri split the $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot. That drawing produced several second-tier winners, including a ticket-holder in Florida.
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