A renter no more. Florida woman plans to use her lottery winnings to buy a house
On Tuesday, the Miami Herald published a reader’s letter to the editor that suggested the idea of a new section called “The Good News” because, as Martin E. Segal wrote, “the positive reportage would offset negative news.”
Well, here’s a taste of happy.
Would news of two new Florida millionaires thanks to lottery wins count as upbeat news? What if we added that one of the winners, Tampa’s Wanda Brana, 55, told lottery officials she planned to use her $1 million prize from the $5,000,000 LUCK Scratch-Off for something she’s always wanted but could not afford?
On Wednesday, Florida Lottery officials said that when Brana went to the headquarters office in Tallahassee to claim her prize as a one lump-sum payment of $760,000 she told officials, “I have been renting for years, but now I’m finally able to afford a house for my family and me.”
Brana purchased her winning ticket from Rome Food Mart on West Sligh Avenue in Tampa. The retailer gets a $2,000 bonus commission for selling the winning Scratch-Off ticket.
Miami man wins lotto million
Then there’s Genaro Rodriguez, 58, of Miami.
On Wednesday, he claimed his $1 million prize from the 200X THE CASH Scratch-Off game. Rodriguez opted for a one-time, lump-sum payment of $890,000.
Rodriguez didn’t announce what he’d do with his winnings, but we’re told he bought his winning ticket from La Plaza Supermarket on Northwest Seventh Street. The retailer also scores the $2,000 bonus commission.
The $20 game, 200X THE CASH, new since September 2020, has various possible prize amounts including a top prize of $5 million.
According to the lottery, Scratch-Off games account for 75% of ticket sales and generated more than $1 billion for the state’s Educational Enhancement Trust Fund in fiscal year 2019-20.
This story was originally published June 9, 2021 at 5:54 PM.
