$590 Million Jackpot Claimed In Florida

The $590 million jackpot has finally been claimed.

Lottery officials said today that the person holding the winning came forward earlier today but the winner’s identity still is not known.

Yahoo News reports that Florida state law does not allow lottery winners to remain anonymous. A press conference will be held later this afternoon but ABC reports that the winner will not be in attendance.

The $590 million jackpot is the largest prize ever won by a single winner. The ticket was sold at a Publix supermarket in Zephyrhills, Florida. Fox News reports that Zephyrhills has a population of about 13,000. The town’s budget last year was about $49 million, about 12 times smaller than the $590 million jackpot.

Florida Lottery executive Cindy O’Connell said: “This would be the sixth Florida Powerball winner and right now, it’s the sole winner of the largest ever Powerball jackpot … We’re delighted right now that we have the sole winner.”

The $590 million jackpot is the largest ever won with a single ticket but it still falls short of the American record. In March of 2012, the Mega Millions jackpot reached $656 million.