Fla. city wonders who won jackpot

Associated Press

ZEPHYRHILLS, Fla.

It’s been two long weeks since the small city of Zephyrhills learned that a $590 million Powerball ticket was sold at a supermarket here.

No one expected the winner to come forward in the first days after the announcement.

After all, curious residents reasoned, the person might need a few days to absorb the shock, or to consult with financial advisers.

But then a week passed, and more, and now folks are so anxious to know the winner’s identity they could jump out of their skin.

“Being in a small town, everybody knows everybody and in some cases, everybody’s business,” said Dave Walters, a longtime reporter at the Zephyrhills News community newspaper.

“It’s hard to keep a secret in this town, but this is one of the biggest mysteries we’ve had in a long, long time,” he said.

Zephyrhills, population 13,337, is about 30 miles northeast of downtown Tampa. Like many Florida communities, it features a small, old-timey downtown strip where restaurants, gift shops and clothing stores sit under a canopy of oak trees. Around the city’s perimeter, there’s the suburban sprawl of big box stores.

It was in that sprawl, at a Publix supermarket, where the winning ticket was sold.

Rumors were swirling about who the winner could be: Publix deli employees, single moms working at Walmart — even the cousin of a friend of a guy who lived clear in another county.

“Anybody who did not show up for work on that Monday was considered to be the lottery winner,” Walters said.