Florida Lottery Ticket From Publix Wins Port Charlotte Woman $1 Million

A Charlotte County woman won big from a Florida Lottery scratch-off ticket.

62-year-old Karen Dowling of Port Charlotte won $1 million from the Florida Lottery. She played a '500X The Cash' scratch-off ticket. The $50 scratch-off game has prizes ranging from $100 to $25 million.

Dowling purchased her winning ticket at Publix, located at 24051 Peachland Blvd. in Port Charlotte. She claimed her winnings at the Lottery Headquarters in Tallahassee. The prize was accepted as a lump-sum payment of $820,000. The store will receive a $2,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

'500X The Cash' has a top prize of $25 million. There is still one of the two top prizes still unclaimed. There are also 51 of 160 $1 million prizes still to be claimed.

[Source: Florida Lottery]

There's a recent listing that highlights all the best places to live in the state, and we are certainly proud about where Tampa landed on the list.

Would you believe Tampa is number one on the list? You probably do if you live here and know all of the great things about Tampa.

The study gauged things like population, beaches, crime, things to do, median income, job opportunities, etc.

Tampa is a great place for so many reasons, and more businesses are relocating to Tampa. And it's smack in the middle of the state. You can drive right over to Orlando for some fun.

According to Forbes, “Tampa has also experienced an influx of employers across several industries ranging from advanced manufacturing to financial services and life sciences. Tourism and MacDill Air Force Base also play a pivotal role. While Tampa offers everything you need for daily life, Orlando is also a two-hour drive and Miami is only four hours away.”

Being a native Floridian, I've spent time in most of the cities that made the top ten, so I'll tell you a quick thing or two about what I like or don't like.

Tampa is close to beautiful beaches in Pinellas, but still offers so many amazing spots to dine and great recreation, too. Speaking of recreation, there are plenty of great teams to get behind, both college and professional teams.

I enjoy Jacksonville when I visit, but I still think of it as South Georgia. It's not easy to get from Jax to Miami (like it is from Tampa).

I went to school at University of Florida. Best school in the state. Great campus that sets the atmosphere for the whole town. But I feel landlocked when I'm there.

I haven't spent much (if any time here), but it must be decent coming in at number 4 on the list.

Who doesn't love Orlando for a vacation? But to live there? It's too touristy in some spots. Not like Tampa.

Miami is hot, happening. It's got an amazing international flair. Fine dining, arts, exciting night life...the beaches. However, it's not as good as Tampa because it's so expensive!

I have not spent enough time here, so I don't know how to assess it. I can only say, I'm sure it's not as cool as Tampa.

I love Sarasota. The beaches are gorgeous. Again, a place that has more and more restaurants that are cropping up, but not quite as happening as Tampa.

I do love Tallahassee. Why? Because you feel like you are in another part of the country with the hillier terrain and the weather. Even though I went to UF and graduated from USF, my sis graduated from FSU so I loved visiting her and going to football games there, too. Definitely, a fun college town and even more being the state capitol.

I haven't spent much time here, but for a panhandle city, it's not bad. I've heard the beaches are nice.