By B.C. Manion
Before May 18, 2013, the community of Zephyrhills was perhaps best known for its bottled spring water – but it has since added another claim to fame.
The small city, on the edge of East Pasco County, is where 84-year-old Gloria C. Mackenzie purchased the winning ticket for the $590.5 million Powerball prize, the largest lottery prize to a single winner in U.S. history.
In a city known for its tightknit and friendly vibe, it’s not terribly surprising that another Powerball player let Mackenzie step ahead in line to purchase the winning Quick Pick ticket at the Publix grocery store, at 7838 Gall Blvd.
It’s also not a shock that Mackenzie, who collected a one-time lump sum payment of nearly $371 million, is laying low.
When she traveled to Tallahassee to claim her prize, she chose not to speak at the news conference. Instead, she issued a statement that was read by a Florida Lottery official.
In the statement, Mackenzie said that prior to the drawing, she and her son, Scott, had agreed to split the proceeds. She also revealed that another player had kindly let her buy her ticket first.
“We are grateful for this blessing of winning the Florida Lottery POWERBALL jackpot and appreciate the interest of the public, state of Florida and the Lottery,” Mackenzie’s prepared statement says. “We hope that everyone will give us an opportunity to maintain our privacy for our family’s benefit.”
Any additional questions, the statement adds, should go to the winner’s legal and financial team, based in Jacksonville.
The story has been a big one, ever since the prize-winning ticket was purchased at that Zephyrhills grocery store.
Elenya Hulbert, a Zephyrhills resident, has been enjoying the city’s time in the limelight.
She said she and her sons just happened to be at Publix the day the day after the winning ticket was sold.
News trucks were camped out at the Publix, and Hulbert said she and her sons had their 15 seconds of fame – when they were shown crossing the grocery store’s parking lot with a cart during a local news broadcast.
After Mackenzie’s win was announced, Hulbert sent this message out on social media: “Congratulations to Aunt Gloria.”
Someone responded: “Are you truly a relative?”
Hulbert replied: “I’m checking Ancestry.com right now.”
Madonna Wise, known widely around Zephyrhills for her deep knowledge of the city’s history, said her daughter, who lives in Tampa, received a message from a friend in China asking her if she were rich and how she planned to spend the money.
Having a local winner has been the talk of the town, said Vonnie Mikkelsen, executive director of the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce.
People have talked about all sorts of ways they would spend the money, she said.
In one case, Mikkelsen said, someone said if they had that much money they’d take $100 dollar bills and go to the grocery store and smile at people. Those acknowledging them would get a $100 reward, Mikkelsen said.
Hulbert said she hopes the winner will use some of the winnings to help address community needs, and leave a lasting legacy of the local Powerball win.
Wise said no matter how the money is spent, the size of the financial windfall is one for the city’s record books. “I don’t think there’s anything quite like it,” she said, noting people have made fortunes in the timber, tourism and citrus industries – but that wealth was not built overnight.
Rumors have circulated, too.
At one point, people were saying the ticket was sold to a Walmart employee who had an addiction problem, Hulbert said.
Wise said she heard one rumor that the ticket was sold to a young Publix employee and another rumor that it was sold to a mother with two young children.
When it took awhile for the winner to step forward, some wondered if the winner was unaware that he or she had won, or had lost the ticket.
The media attention – for a positive story – has been fun, Hulbert said.
“The whole town has been abuzz. It’s been really exciting,” Mikkelsen said.
Noting the widespread media coverage, Mikkelsen quipped, “We like to think we’re the center of the universe — and we just might be.”
