Zephyrhills, Florida Residents Wonder if Powerball Winner Is One of Their Own

The single winner was sold at a supermarket in Zephyrhills, Fla.

ByABC News
May 19, 2013, 9:34 AM

May 19, 2013— -- Residents of the small town of Zephyrhills, Fla., are buzzing with excitement today that the lucky holder of a Powerball ticket worth $590.5 million could be a neighbor, after the announcement that winner was sold at a grocery store there.

"I think that's awesome. I can't wait to see who it is. I hope it's somebody I know. I think it would be great," resident Martha Bennett said.

The central Florida town, with a population of 13,337, was best known as a skydiving destination before lottery officials revealed today that a Publix supermarket in Zephyrhills had sold the winning ticket for the record Powerball jackpot.

The winning numbers in Saturday's drawing were 10, 13, 14, 22, 52 and a Powerball of 11.

The lucky person or group holding the ticket has not yet come forward, according to lottery officials, however under Florida law, the winner's name, age and hometown will be made public.

Chuck Strutt, executive director of the Multi-State Lottery Association, urged the person holding the ticket to sign it immediately.

"If it were me, I'd put that in an envelope and duct tape it to my chest. I'd be known as the Powerball millionaire with a nasty rash," he said.

While the residents of Zephyrhills wait to find out if the winner is one of their own, whoever is holding the ticket will have a big decision to make after coming forward.

The winner will have to decide whether to take the annuity or a lump sum, which comes out to $370,896,780.54.

Read more: Seven States That Won't Cash In on Powerball

Earlier estimates had put the jackpot at $600 million, however the Powerball website reflected at adjusted total of $590.5 million, still the largest jackpot in the game's history.

The previous record for a Powerball jackpot was $587.5 million on Nov. 28, 2012, and was split between two winning tickets.

The odds of winning the top jackpot was 1 in 175.2 million.

While there was only one grand prize winner, 31 tickets matched all five numbers, earning those lucky ticket holders a prize of $1 million each. Two tickets sold in New York and South Carolina were Power Play winners worth $2 million each, according to Powerball officials.

In the one month since California joined the list of 42 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands in playing, Powerball fever has swept across the Golden State and played a part in helping the jackpot swell to a record level, lottery officials said.

The country's most populous state became one of the top ticket sellers, alongside Florida and New York. Lottery officials said total ticket sales had hit $464 million for Saturday's historic drawing.

ABC News' Steve Osunsami and ABC News Radio contributed reporting.