Fla. couple claims share of mega Powerball drawing

The other tickets were purchased in Florida and Tennessee, and the winners have claimed their portions of the jackpot.

Florida Lottery Secretary Tom Delacenserie, left, presents Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt with their one-third share of the January 13, world record Powerball jackpot Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, in Tallahassee, Fla.

Kaltschmidt said they only told their immediate family of their winnings just last week.

The couple purchased their ticket at a Publix supermarket in Melbourne Beach, a small town of around 3,000 people.

A month after a lottery ticket worth $528.8 million was sold at a Chino Hills 7-Eleven, its purchaser still has not come forward.

Right now, Smith says they don’t have any plans for the money.

The odds of winning the $1.58 billion jackpot were 1 in 292.2 million.

“Instead of designing airplanes, I am going to be doing charities and tax strategies and investments”, he said.

“In all seriousness, that’s awesome, I’m happy for them”, he added. She had the numbers, which she has played off and on for 30 years, in hand and saw the live drawing. “We have a lot to think about, it’s very stressful”, said Smith.

Iowa Lottery saw record-breaking sales in January as people scrambled to buy tickets for the highest Powerball jackpot ever that month.

“I’m afraid it’s gonna make me less friendly, because I’ll be anxious”, Smith said.

The couple opted to take the winnings in one lump sum. But Kaltschmidt said he has upgraded the home security system, and Smith, originally from Long Island, seemed especially tense.

The couple also said that they didn’t realize they had won the jackpot until the next morning. “We kept watching TV, going online, and then they announced Publix Melbourne Beach and I said, ‘Uh-oh'”.